Valor's Reach Tag Team | Illustration by Johann Bodin
Back in 2014, I was excited to play my new Abzan commander and highlight the Condemn in my deck. So when my friend finally cast his 6-mana commander, I got rid of it for good because back then, the tuck rule let me force a commander into the library and I won shortly after. I got to smile because I won, but it was months before that friend played Magic with me again.
How do you get in a good game of Magic when players of vastly different knowledge and skill come together?
If I could do it over again, I'd have pulled out cooperative Magic. It doesn't need to replace the other Magic you play, but these mini-formats can be a fresh way to approach the game and let you share strategies by making all the players at the table teammates.
What is Co-op Magic?
Fire Nation Cadets | Illustration by Rafater
Cooperative Magic is a casual way to play Magic where players work together to win, with no individual winner. This is often against a preconstructed deck with variable difficulty. For example, the Turtle Team-Up has up to four players each select a deck, then the Boss deck has powerful creatures and gets to freely play events to counteract you and your fellow players.
In co-op Magic the players often take their turn together, have separate battlefields and life totals, but otherwise play the same as normal. The enemy deck may have a life total, or take damage in the form of milling its deck. As long as all players agree, these rules can all be changed to make the experiences more casual and fun.
Here are a few more things co-op Magic is not: Two-Headed Giant, Planechase, Archenemy. These are all great multiplayer formats, but result in at least one human player losing. Any free for all, or 1v1 game is not cooperative because you have incentive to hide information from an opposing player and aim to defeat them.
Who is Cooperative Magic for?
Co-op Magic is great for casual gamers and beginners because it requires players to work together rather than against one another. It's a change of pace from most Magic and can be played with almost any cards. Of course pro players, spikes, Bracket 5 enthusiasts, and any other competitive players can also enjoy co-op Magic, there's just a vastly different mentality and playstyle for it to be inclusive.
#5. Battle the Horde (Born of the Gods Challenge Deck)
To Battle the Horde you really just need blockers because the horde automatically attacks you. Get creatures of toughness 5 or better and add in a little power and you'll find the true advantage of a good defense. You get rewards for defeating creatures and it doesn't take much to withstand the attacks.
One fun perk from the Theros Hero's Path are Hero cards (distinct from the hero creature subtype), which work like a separate emblem you start the game with.
- Game: Magic: The Gathering Challenge Deck
#4. Face the Hydra (Theros Challenge Deck)
To Face the Hydra, you'll have to put on a good offense. Strangely, the hydra heads are benign pingers and you have the powerful capability of attacking them individually. Once you have a decent attack force, the hydra heads are simply target practice.
- Includes a 60-card deck and a paper playmat
#3. Defeat a God (Journey into Nyx Challenge Deck)
It takes more than attacking or blocking to Defeat a God. You need to defeat all the revelers, a creature subtype created just for the god deck. You need a balanced approach and developing your board is an important practice for any deck.
This is a good benchmark for being able to navigate combat, as well as using removal. If your Constructed deck can't defeat a god, you've got significant issues to address during deckbuilding.
- 60 challenge cards
#2. Turtle Team-Up
The horde dials up the difficulty in the Turtle Team-Up kit with three rounds of progressively harder bosses and events. This is a bit like Archenemy in that there's a strong stack of effects to make it hard on the team, and you face down a single enemy three times.
- TEAM UP WITH THE TABLE AND TAKE DOWN THE BADDIES—When the evil Shredder attacks, Turtles fight back in this exciting new co-operative strategy format for Magic: The Gathering
- NEW CO-OP GAME MODE!—2–4 players battle for survival against an onslaught of villainous adversaries
- 4 READY-TO-PLAY DECKS—Play with your favorite of the four pre-built 60-card hero decks, then crack into the included Play Boosters to expand your strategies
- THE PERFECT TRAINING DOJO—Turtle Team-Up is the perfect training dojo for Magic players of any skill level to come together and play
- WELCOME TO THE GATHERING—Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game that weaves deep strategy, gorgeous art, fantastical stories, and a thriving fan community all together into a card game experience like no other
#1. Fan-made Co-op Modes
It's my pleasure to remind you that EDH originated as a fan-made format. Let that empower you to develop what you find fun. Like that Rule 0 you discuss before Commander matches, you can adjust the rules if you need to among your playgroup. Some fans go deep on story, lore and setup like with The Precursors, others stack up a token-heavy 100-card zombie Horde, or tweak it like with Overlord.
By now you sense parallels to co-op Magic, and building in cards that require the “boss” or “horde” to make decisions don't work smoothly. So just like the latest set has cards designed for Limited, for Standard, for Commander, and maybe a few for Vintage, certain cards simply weren't meant for your format and that's OK.
Co-op Magic celebrates creativity in Magic players and deck builders and these fan-made cooperative modes are guaranteed to be more fun for your whole playgroup.
What Playable Cards Should I Avoid Putting in a Co-op Magic Boss Deck?
You can absolutely build your own co-op boss deck with the playable Magic cards you own. The main things to avoid for the boss deck are cards that involve choices, including targeting, auras, activated abilities or information that would be hidden to the boss. The cards should work as written without any extra input needed.
Can I Use My Constructed Deck in Co-op?
Yes, since all co-op Magic is casual, you can roll up with your Bracket 1 commanders, your precons, and your good-stuff Constructed piles. Combo and control decks can get awkward depending on your mode of co-op, but if you accept that some cards will feel clunky when you have teammates, take on the challenge.
Can I Use My Limited Deck in Co-op?
Yes, a Limited deck is valid for use in co-op Magic. The caution here is that for longer games you run the risk of running out of cards in your 40-card library, and you have fewer key cards than a typical Constructed deck. Because you have less redundancy, there is definitely more variation on the game experience, and I suggest starting on a low difficulty with this challenge.
Gather Up
Dreadhorde Twins | Illustration by Johannes Voss
Don't get me wrong, I love a 1v1 beatdown where I make a tight play or trick my opponent into attacking into my trap, but that's most satisfying when my opponent actually understands what's going on and has tools to counteract me. With cooperative Magic there's a sensational story to share when players come together for a single cause and pull out the comeback of the year against a relentless horde of dinosaurs. It's amazing what a common enemy will do for people, and when that foe is a safe entity like your boss or horde deck, you can truly have a session where everybody wins.
Have you played any co-op modes of Magic? Ever made a format like this yourself? Please share your story with a comment or discuss it on Discord for some extra inspiration.
Hopefully this helps you play more Magic with more people. Now go find a person near you and give them a compliment; it'll make their day. See you in the next article!
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