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What can BDE mean for you?

What can BDE mean for you?

  • @BDEgameowners
  • BDEgame @ Etsy

Value

The best cards for this format are not expensive. No costly resource management required.

Simple

Reduce keyword soup and simplify your life. It plays more like a party game than a trading-card game!

Competitive

Ever faced against a deck that was out of your league? No more! 2-6 players use a single large deck. No power level imbalance between players and no one is left out from the fun!

Unlimited

Have you ever been mana screwed? Not here! Everyone has infinite mana so you can get to the fun part immediately.

Bond

Connect with Magic players and non-Magic players alike - bridge the gap and enjoy something together. This is something they can play too.

Customize

Make the Big Deck your own. Tens of thousands of unique cards means you can make your personal Big Deck to adapt to friends play styles. 

Fantasy Gaming

BDE Rules

1

One Big Deck

One shared big deck

One shared graveyard

One card draw per turn

One spell per turn (Rule of Law)

20

Starting Life

Start at 20 life

7

Hand Size

7 card starting hand size

Discard down to 7 cards at end of your turn

∞

Unlimited mana

Pay any cost, any time. No restrictions.

A game of BDE

How do I build my own Big Deck?

No Duplicates

Unique cards only. No duplicates of any card in the deck for any reason. This makes the gameplay experience unique and chaotic. If you're a Commander player, I'm sure you understand.

No X

Cards should rarely - if ever - have an X in the mana cost or anywhere in the text. These cards are usually not suited for this format. (Fireball, for instance)

No search

Cards shouldn't allow players to search the library (i.e. Demonic Tutor). This is not a good experience for new players and slows the game down. This includes keyword abilities such as transmute.

No infinity

No card ability should result in an infinite:

Combat

Any other recommendations?

These are optional quality-of-life improvements. They significantly aid new players in the game and reduces the things you need to explain to them.

Limit permanent types

Consider limiting the card types in the Big Deck to Creatures, Artifacts, Enchantments, Sorceries, and Instants. Non-basic lands with useful effects may be included - but consider how to explain that lands are not spells to a new player.

Keep it simple

Just like Lexivore taught us, consider omitting a card if the rules text is longer than 5 lines. Take Takklemaggot as an example - no one wants to read all that.

Prevent keyword soup

If a card has a keyword, consider omitting the card unless it is a very simple keyword (i.e. Flying) or unless the keyword rules are described in the rules text on the card. Take a look at Shield Bearer If you don't know what it feels like for a new player to encounter keyword soup.

Don't be hasty

Back in my day, we called it "Unaffected by summoning sickness". Our tests show that being able to play a creature and attack on the same turn is quite overpowered in this format. Some exceptions can be given to the ever-valuable Bonded Fetch, of course.

Frequently Asked Questions

​​Where's the deck list?

  • We do not have an official Big Deck list. We highly encourage players to consider the deck-building rules outlined above and build their own personal Big Deck.

  • We may (in the future) recommend specific cards which our (unprofessional) studies have shown to be excellent for this format.

  • You can refer to some existing Type 4 deck lists for some ideas.​

 

I don't have time to build one. Where can I buy one?

  • We have a limited number of BDE decks available via Etsy. These decks are optimized for the new player experience following the recommendations we have outlined above. We can say from personal experience that the experts enjoy it too.

​

Why have all players play from one deck?

  • Our studies have shown that power imbalance between players is real. Constructed formats are very hard for casual players due to the investment of money and time required to have competitive decks. Draft formats somewhat equalize this, but those who know how to build decks are still at a major advantage - and there is a large time commitment for a draft before you can actually start playing the game. Playing from one Big Deck turns Magic: the Gathering into something more like a party game which is a lot easier for new, casual, or old-timer players to enjoy. And believe it or not, the experts can enjoy it too!

 

Isn't this just Type 4 / DC10 / Limited Infinity?

  • First of all, for the select few of you who actually know what those things are, I want to wish you a special welcome!

  • For those uninitiated, Type 4 is a casual format for Magic: the Gathering which gives players unlimited mana but restricts payers to one spell per turn. This format is commonly played as a cube draft, although it is noted that some groups may play from a shared deck.

  • The definitive article series on Type 4 was published way back in 2005 on StarCityGames.com, which is now almost 20 years old. 

  • The limited content on the web describing Type 4 implies that this format is extremely rare - not even known by the majority of Magic players.

  • BDEgame @ Etsy
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