Changes: Block Constructed

Block Constructed
DCI Sanctioned
Paper
Magic Online
Magic Arena
Rules
Type	Constructed
Multiplayer

Revision as of 04:44, 9 October 2019

Block Constructed (also known as Block) was a format that allows for cards of a chosen block to be played, save any banned cards.^[1]^[2] As of April 2018, Wizards of the Coast no longer supports Block as the block system itself was discontinued in 2018.

Description

Constructed decks must contain a minimum of 60 cards. There is no maximum deck size; however, you must be able to shuffle your deck with no assistance. If a player wishes to use a sideboard, it must contain exactly 15 cards.

With the exception of card named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest, a player’s combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than four of any individual card, counted by its English card title equivalent. Snow-covered lands, despite being basic lands, are only permitted in formats that allow the Ice Age block to be used. This similarly applies to Wastes in Battle for Zendikar block.

According to Mark Rosewater, Block has proven over time to be an unpopular format almost exclusively played because Wizards of the Coast required it at Pro Tours and Pro Tour Qualifiers. He stated that it was being phased out because players almost never played it of their own volition.^[3] The format itself was dropped on the same day Dominaria, the first set of Three-and-One Model (in which blocks are no longer used), released.

Block formats

Blocks that were DCI sanctioned but never used in a Pro Tour and/or Grand Prix.

Ixalan block (Ixalan, Rivals of Ixalan)
Amonkhet block (Amonkhet, Hour of Devastation)
Kaladesh block (Kaladesh, Aether Revolt)
Shadows over Innistrad block (Shadows over Innistrad, Eldritch Moon)
Battle for Zendikar block (Battle for Zendikar, Oath of the Gatewatch)
Khans of Tarkir block (Khans of Tarkir, Fate Reforged, Dragons of Tarkir)

Blocks that had been used in at least one Pro Tour and/or Grand Prix.

Theros block (Theros, Born of the Gods, Journey into Nyx)
Return to Ravnica block (Return to Ravnica, Gatecrash, Dragon's Maze)
Innistrad block (Innistrad, Dark Ascension, Avacyn Restored)
Scars of Mirrodin block (Scars of Mirrodin, Mirrodin Besieged, New Phyrexia)
Zendikar block (Zendikar, Worldwake, Rise of the Eldrazi)
Alara block (Shards of Alara, Conflux, Alara Reborn)
Lorwyn–Shadowmoor block (Lorwyn, Morningtide, Shadowmoor, Eventide)
Time Spiral block (Time Spiral, Planar Chaos, Future Sight)
Ravnica block (Ravnica: City of Guilds, Guildpact, Dissension)
Kamigawa block (Champions of Kamigawa, Betrayers of Kamigawa, Saviors of Kamigawa)
Mirrodin block (Mirrodin, Darksteel, Fifth Dawn)
Onslaught block (Onslaught, Legions, Scourge)
Odyssey block (Odyssey, Torment, Judgment)
Invasion block (Invasion, Planeshift, Apocalypse)
Masques block (Mercadian Masques, Nemesis, Prophecy)
Urza's block (Urza's Saga, Urza's Legacy, Urza's Destiny)
Tempest block (Tempest, Stronghold, Exodus)
Mirage block (Mirage, Visions, Weatherlight)
Ice Age block (Ice Age, Homelands, Alliances)
- Despite Homelands being replaced by Coldsnap in July 2006 for Ice Age block, Coldsnap itself was never actually used in Block's Pro Tour/Grand Prix events.

Banned cards

Innistrad block

Mirrodin block

Masques block

Urza's block

Gaea's Cradle
Memory Jar — The only card to have been the subject of an emergency ban in the format.
Serra's Sanctum
Time Spiral
Tolarian Academy
Voltaic Key
Windfall

Tempest block

Cursed Scroll

Mirage block

Squandered Resources

Ice Age block

Amulet of Quoz
Thawing Glaciers
Timmerian Fiends — Removed from banlist when Homelands was replaced by Coldsnap in the format.
Zuran Orb

References

↑ Sam Stoddard (May 17, 2013). "Building Blocks". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
↑ Reid Duke (April 27, 2015). "An Introduction to the Popular Constructed Formats". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
↑ Mark Rosewater (September 05, 2015). "Will the new 2-set system lead to more instances of or support for Block Constructed events?". Blogatog. Tumblr.

External links

Block format, MTG.com

[1] Sam Stoddard (May 17, 2013). "Building Blocks". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

[2] Reid Duke (April 27, 2015). "An Introduction to the Popular Constructed Formats". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

[3] Mark Rosewater (September 05, 2015). "Will the new 2-set system lead to more instances of or support for Block Constructed events?". Blogatog. Tumblr.

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Infobox format}}
-'''Block''' (also known as '''Block Constructed''') is a [[format]] (or rather a collection of formats) that allows for [[card]]s of one [[block (sets)|block]] to be played, save any banned cards.<ref>{{NewRef|arcana/building-blocks-2014-08-25|Building Blocks|[[Sam Stoddard]]|May 17, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{NewRef|level-one/introduction-popular-constructed-formats-2015-04-27|An Introduction to the Popular Constructed Formats|[[Reid Duke]]|April 27, 2015}}</ref>
+'''Block Constructed''' (also known as '''Block''') was a [[format]] that allows for [[card]]s of a chosen [[block]] to be played, save any banned cards.<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/building-blocks-2014-08-25|Building Blocks|[[Sam Stoddard]]|May 17, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|level-one/introduction-popular-constructed-formats-2015-04-27|An Introduction to the Popular Constructed Formats|[[Reid Duke]]|April 27, 2015}}</ref> As of April 2018, [[Wizards of the Coast]] no longer supports Block as the block system itself was discontinued in 2018.
 ==Description==
-Constructed decks must contain a minimum of sixty cards. There is no maximum deck size; however, you must be able to shuffle your deck with no assistance. If a player wishes to use a sideboard, it must contain exactly fifteen cards.
+Constructed decks must contain a minimum of 60 cards. There is no maximum deck size; however, you must be able to shuffle your deck with no assistance. If a player wishes to use a sideboard, it must contain exactly 15 cards.
-With the exception of [[basic land]] cards, a player’s combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than four of any individual card, counted by its English card title equivalent. All cards named [[Plains]], [[Island]], [[Swamp]], [[Mountain]], and [[Forest]] are basic. (The five [[Ice Age block]] snow-covered lands {{-}} <c>Snow-Covered Plains</c>, <c>Snow-Covered Island</c>, <c>Snow-Covered Swamp</c>, <c>Snow-Covered Mountain</c>, and <c>Snow-Covered Forest</c> {{-}} are also basic lands, but are ''only'' permitted in formats that allow the Ice Age block to be used.)
+With the exception of card named [[Plains]], [[Island]], [[Swamp]], [[Mountain]], and [[Forest]], a player’s combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than four of any individual card, counted by its English card title equivalent. [[Snow|Snow-covered]] lands, despite being [[basic land]]s, are ''only'' permitted in formats that allow the Ice Age block to be used. This similarly applies to [[Wastes]] in Battle for Zendikar block.
-According to [[Mark Rosewater]], Block has proven over time to be an unpopular format almost exclusively played because Wizards of the Coast required it at [[Pro Tour]]s and [[Pro Tour Qualifier]]s. He stated that it is being phased out because players almost never play it of their own volition.<ref>{{TumblrRef|author=[[Mark Rosewater]]|URL=http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/128437611223/will-the-new-2-set-system-lead-to-more-instances|title=Will the new 2-set system lead to more instances of or support for Block Constructed events?|tumblr-title=Blogatog|date=September 05, 2015}}</ref>
+According to [[Mark Rosewater]], Block has proven over time to be an unpopular format almost exclusively played because Wizards of the Coast required it at [[Pro Tour]]s and [[Pro Tour Qualifier]]s. He stated that it was being phased out because players almost never played it of their own volition.<ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/128437611223/will-the-new-2-set-system-lead-to-more-instances|title=Will the new 2-set system lead to more instances of or support for Block Constructed events?|September 05, 2015}}</ref> The format itself was dropped on the same day ''[[Dominaria]]'', the first set of [[Block#Three-and-One Model|Three-and-One Model]] (in which blocks are no longer used), released.
 ==Block formats==
+Blocks that were DCI sanctioned but never used in a Pro Tour and/or Grand Prix.
+*[[Ixalan block]] (''[[Ixalan]]'', ''[[Rivals of Ixalan]]'')
 *[[Amonkhet block]] (''[[Amonkhet]]'', ''[[Hour of Devastation]]'')
 *[[Kaladesh block]] (''[[Kaladesh]]'', ''[[Aether Revolt]]'')
 *[[Shadows over Innistrad block]] (''[[Shadows over Innistrad]]'', ''[[Eldritch Moon]]'')
 *[[Battle for Zendikar block]] (''[[Battle for Zendikar]]'', ''[[Oath of the Gatewatch]]'')
 *[[Khans of Tarkir block]] (''[[Khans of Tarkir]]'', ''[[Fate Reforged]]'', ''[[Dragons of Tarkir]]'')
+Blocks that had been used in at least one Pro Tour and/or Grand Prix.
 *[[Theros block]] (''[[Theros]]'', ''[[Born of the Gods]]'', ''[[Journey into Nyx]]'')
 *[[Return to Ravnica block]] (''[[Return to Ravnica]]'', ''[[Gatecrash]]'', ''[[Dragon's Maze]]'')
@@ Line 32: / Line 38: @@
 *[[Tempest block]] (''[[Tempest]]'', ''[[Stronghold]]'', ''[[Exodus]]'')
 *[[Mirage block]] (''[[Mirage]]'', ''[[Visions]]'', ''[[Weatherlight]]'')
-*[[Ice Age block]] (''[[Ice Age]]'', ''[[Alliances]]'', ''[[Coldsnap]]'')
+*[[Ice Age block]] (''[[Ice Age]]'', ''[[Homelands]]'', ''[[Alliances]]'')
+**Despite ''Homelands'' being replaced by ''[[Coldsnap]]'' in July 2006 for Ice Age block, ''Coldsnap'' itself was never actually used in Block's Pro Tour/Grand Prix events.
 ==Banned cards==
-===Innistrad Block===
+===Innistrad block===
 *<c>Intangible Virtue</c>
 *<c>Lingering Souls</c>
-===Mirrodin Block===
+===Mirrodin block===
 *<c>Æther Vial</c>
 *<c>Ancient Den</c>
@@ Line 51: / Line 58: @@
 *<c>Skullclamp</c>
-===Masques Block===
+===Masques block===
 *<c>Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero</c>
 *<c>Rishadan Port</c>
-===Urza Block===
+===Urza's block===
 *<c>Gaea's Cradle</c>
-*<c>Memory Jar</c> - The only card to have been the subject of an emergency ban.
+*<c>Memory Jar</c> — The only card to have been the subject of an emergency ban in the format.
 *<c>Serra's Sanctum</c>
 *<c>Time Spiral</c>
@@ Line 64: / Line 71: @@
 *<c>Windfall</c>
-===Tempest Block===
+===Tempest block===
 *<c>Cursed Scroll</c>
-===Mirage Block===
+===Mirage block===
 *<c>Squandered Resources</c>
-===Ice Age Block===
+===Ice Age block===
 *<c>Amulet of Quoz</c>
 *<c>Thawing Glaciers</c>
+*<c>Timmerian Fiends</c> — Removed from banlist when ''Homelands'' was replaced by ''Coldsnap'' in the format.
 *<c>Zuran Orb</c>
@@ Line 79: / Line 87: @@
 ==External links==
-*[http://magic.wizards.com/en/gameinfo/gameplay/formats/block Block Format], [[Magicthegathering.com|MTG.com]]
+*[http://magic.wizards.com/en/gameinfo/gameplay/formats/block Block format], [[Magicthegathering.com|MTG.com]]
-{{formats}}
+{{formats|Retired}}