Editing Mulligan

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A '''mulligan''' is an optional process by which any player may attempt to draw a better opening [[hand]] before [[starting the game]]. For [[sanctioned]] play, the mulligan process is exactly defined in the [[Comprehensive Rules]]. The term “[[Wikipedia:Mulligan (games)|mulligan]]” comes from the sport of golf, where a golfer in a friendly game may allow a less-skilled opponent to redo a poor tee shot as a courtesy; unlike in Magic, mulligans are not allowed in competitive golf.

==Description==
As of the [[Core Set 2020]] release, the "London" mulligan is standard in all competitive formats.<ref name=":0" /> [[Multiplayer]] games utilize a slightly different mulligan process.

Players who want to take mulligans must announce their intentions in turn order, then each player who announced that they wanted to take a mulligan takes one. This process is repeated until all players decide not to take any mulligans, except players who decline to take mulligans in one go-around may not take any more mulligans in later ones.

Only one non-supplemental card, <c>Serum Powder</c>, interacts with mulligans.<ref>{{DailyRef|latest-developments/mulligan-and-mox-2004-02-27|The Mulligan and the Mox|[[Aaron Forsythe]]|February 27, 2004}}</ref> The [[Conspiracy (card type)|Conspiracy]] <c>Backup Plan</c> also mentions mulligans.

===Original mulligan===
Magic's earliest mulligan rule (“all land/no land”) allowed a player who had drawn either zero or seven lands in their opening hand to reveal that hand to their opponent and shuffle it back, drawing a replacement hand of seven cards. Each player could do this only once per game.

===Paris mulligan===
The Paris mulligan rule was introduced at 1997's Sealed Deck Pro Tour in Los Angeles, then tested for Standard play at that year's Pro Tour Paris, hence its name. A player dissatisfied with their hand, for any reason and without being required to reveal that hand, was allowed to return their hand to their [[library]] for an opportunity to draw a new one with one fewer card, after shuffling.<ref>{{DailyRef|mulligans-island-2006-09-16|Mulligan’s Island|[[Ted Knutson]]|September 16, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|level-one/mulligans-2015-01-26|Mulligans|[[Reid Duke]]|January 26, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|level-one/mulligans-part-ii-limited-2015-06-15|Mulligans Part II: Limited|[[Reid Duke]]|June 15, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|level-one/mulligans-part-iii-constructed-2015-06-29|Mulligans Part III: Constructed|[[Reid Duke]]|June 29, 2015}}</ref> The choice to take a mulligan was made after the starting player was determined, but prior to any other action. Players could take multiple mulligans, until either satisfied with their new hand, or left with a hand of zero cards.

=== Vancouver mulligan ===
The Vancouver mulligan replaced the Paris mulligan in sanctioned play beginning with the ''[[Battle for Zendikar]]'' [[prerelease]] in September 2015.<ref>{{DailyRef|latest-developments/mulligans-2015-08-07|Mulligans|[[Sam Stoddard]]|August 7, 2015}}</ref><ref>[http://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/ptori/vancouver-mulligan-rule-2015-07-31 Marc Calderaro (July 31, 2015) "The Vancouver Mulligan Rule", magicthegathering.com, Wizards of the Coast.]</ref> To perform a Vancouver mulligan, the player returns their hand to their library, then draws a hand of one fewer card. Once all players keep their opening hands, each player with fewer cards than their starting hand size may [[scry|scry 1]].<ref>{{DailyRef|beyond-basics/scry-1-2016-08-05|Scry 1|[[Gavin Verhey]]|August 5, 2016}}</ref>

===London mulligan===
The London Mulligan became the official mulligan rule along with the release of ''[[Core Set 2020]]''.<ref name=":0">{{DailyRef|news/london-mulligan-2019-06-03|The London Mulligan|[[Ian Duke]]|June 3, 2019}}</ref>

To take a mulligan, a player shuffles the cards in their hand back into their library, draws a new hand of cards equal to their starting hand size, then puts a number of those cards equal to the number of times that player has taken a mulligan on the bottom of their library in any order."<ref name="London Mulligan">{{DailyRef|competitive-gaming/mythic-championship-ii-format-and-london-test-2019-02-21|Mythic Championship II Format and the London Test|[[Blake Rasmussen]]|February 21, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Release Notes">{{DailyRef|feature/core-set-2020-release-notes-2019-06-25|''Core Set 2020'' RElease Notes|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|June 25, 2019}}</ref> 

In other words: 
* Draw seven cards every time you mulligan. 
* When you are satisfied, put a card back on the bottom of your library for each time you have mulliganed.
* No scrying.

=== Multiplayer bonus ===
In games with more than two players, the first mulligan for each player is "free". For the first mulligan only, players simply draw and keep seven new cards. After this, the normal mulligan process starts, where the player starts with fewer cards in hand depending on how many mulligans they took.

=== Commander mulligan ===
[[Commander (format)|Commander]] officially follows the same mulligan rule as competitive Magic, with the "free" multiplayer mulligan as appropriate. With the release of Core Set 2020, it transitioned to the London mulligan alongside other formats.<ref name="London Mulligan Change">EDH Rules Committee (June 3, 2019) "[https://web.archive.org/save/https://twitter.com/mtgcommander/status/1135695111864573952?s=21]". ''Twitter''. Retrieved June 5, 2019</ref>

However, the [[Commander Rules Committee|rules committee]] informally advises deviating from that process and allowing "free" mulligans even in games with only two players, and suggests that shuffling be reduced by setting aside unwanted hands, rather than shuffling in each one, until after a hand is kept.<ref name="OGW Update">EDH Rules Committee. (January 18, 2016) "[https://web.archive.org/web/20160119012921/http://mtgcommander.net/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=18057  BANNED LIST ANNOUNCEMENT: January 2016]". ''MTG: Commander forums''. Retrieved January 18, 2016.</ref>

Two other popular forms of mulligan used in casual Commander are:

* Partial Paris - Where each player initially draws 7 cards and, as many times as they like, may set aside any number of cards from their hand and draw that many cards minus one. Once a suitable hand is kept, the cards set aside are shuffled into the library.

* Gabriel Special Surprise, or GSS Mull - Where each player initially draws 10 cards, then selects 3 cards that they do not want and shuffles them back into their library.

==History==
''Magic'' was originally published without a mulligan rule, because some of the original playtest group believed the concept would reward poor deck building. Various informal mulligan rules existed in the period following the game's release. The first official mulligan rule (the "original mulligan" above) was instated by the [[DCI]] in [[1994]].

Dissatisfaction within [[R&D]] with the original mulligan rule led to the testing of an alternate mulligan process (the "Paris mulligan" above), suggested by [[Pro Tour]] player and later [[Wizards of the Coast]] employee [https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/hzi9qr/ama_matt_hyra_designer_of_vampire_the_masquerade/ Matt Hyra]. This new rule was first tested at Pro Tour Los Angeles and a smaller gathering in Boston, but was also accidentally included in the tournament rules for the April 1997 Pro Tour Paris. The "Paris" name stuck, but for no very clear reason.<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/starting-over-2004-02-20|Starting Over|[[Mark Rosewater]]|February 23, 2004}}</ref>

The Vancouver mulligan rule was first tested at Pro Tour ''[[Magic Origins]]'' in Vancouver, British Columbia.<ref>{{DailyRef|news/changes-starting-pro-tour-magic-origins-2015-06-29|Changes Starting with Pro Tour ''Magic Origins''|Helene Bergeot|June 29, 2015}}</ref> Like the earlier Paris mulligan, it has adopted the name of the city in which it was demoed.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{DailyRef|news/new-mulligan-rule-starting-battle-zendikar-prereleases-2015-08-20|New Mulligan Rule Starting with Battle for Zendikar Prereleases|[[Aaron Forsythe]]|August 20, 2015}}</ref> Like the previous mulligan rules, this mulligan was intended to reduce the frequency of "non-games", where the winner is effectively determined by the contents of the players' opening hands. It also fulfills a secondary goal of accelerating tournament play, because the scry option increases the likelihood that a player will keep an opening hand after fewer mulligans, and thus require fewer shuffles in order to start the game.

Previously, the Commander format used a more complex mulligan process known as "Partial Paris". In response to the new Vancouver mulligan, that process came under renewed scrutiny. The Commander rules committee determined that both processes offered comparable results, and adopted the Vancouver mulligan with the release of ''[[Oath of the Gatewatch]]''.<ref name="OGW Update"/>

The London mulligan was first tested at the ''[[War of the Spark]]'' prerelease at the [[Mythic Championship London 2019]], which is where it got its name<ref name="London Mulligan"/> It was introduced with the intention of further increasing the chance of a reasonable opening draw, leading to an increased chance of a competitive game where either player might win; although some have expressed concern about its implications for eternal formats such as [[Modern]], [[Legacy]] and [[Vintage]]. 

==Rules==
{{CR|glossary|Mulligan}}
{{CR|103.5}}
On [[Restarting the Game]]:
{{CR|723.3}}
On [[Subgame]]s:
{{CR|724.3}}

==Ruling==
*Abilities that may be used while a card is in your opening hand, such as the first ability on <c>Leyline of Anticipation</c>, may only be used after all mulligans are completed.
==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{DailyRef|limited-information/mulligan-factors-2015-08-26|Mulligan Factors|[[Marshall Sutcliffe]]|August 26, 2015}}
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[[Category:Magic theory]]