Introduction:

Mental Magic is a variant on the traditional game of Magic the Gathering by Wizards of the Coast. In all cases where the rules of Mental Magic do not exist the current rules of Magic the Gathering are to be used (currently 5th ed.) Mental Magic combines the skills of blindfold chess with the enjoyment of Magic. The latest copy of this document can be found at http://photobooks.com/~j/mentalmagic.html or the text file can be downloaded from http://photobooks.com/~j/mental.txt

Comments and suggestions are welcome.

1. How to Play

   1. Setup

      A large stack of random cards (no land) is shuffled and divided into two piles. Each player selects one of these stacks and this stack is considered his or her deck. A large stack of basic land cards is divided into two stacks. Each player selects one of the land piles. This is that players "Utopia Library". Players determine randomly to see who plays first, and then each player draws 7 cards from their deck. The standard Paris mulligan rule is used and is the only mulligan rule used with Mental Magic.

      1. Optional Land Rule A few non-basic land may be inserted into either or both players main library. These lands are not Utopia, but can be used as any other land card. This is limited by the special rules on cards.

   2. Basic Game Play

      The player who is playing first does not draw (as per the Magic play or draw rule.) This player may take their turn as usual and lay a land, cast spells, attack as by the rules of Mental Magic and Magic the Gathering. Play then proceeds when the first player is finished with his or her turn to the second player. The second player then draws a card from their deck or draws a card from their Utopia library. Play continues switching from one player to the next as each player completes their turn until one player or the other wins the game as per the rules of Magic the Gathering.

   3. Special Rules on Cards

      Cards in Mental Magic are NEVER what they appear. Each card in Mental Magic when needed by a spell or effect can be any card printed by Wizards of the Coast for use with Magic the Gathering with the exception of Portal Cards, Astral Cards, Computer Cards and Ante Cards (see optional ante rule) that exactly match both the casting cost and color cost of the card in question . This has the effect of making a template for each card in Magic. Once a template is needed and used by a spell or effect that template may not be used again by either player for the rest of the game. Cards keep their template until they are removed from the game OR go into a players hand or deck. This means a B3 (printed on the card as a Dungeon Shade) cast as a Krovikan Horror is a Krovikan Horror in the graveyard, when a W1 (printed on the card as a COP White) is discarded and the templated as a Youthful Knight put on top of it, until it returns to owners hand at the end of any turn, whereupon it is an unnamed B3 with the casting restriction that it cannot be cast as an Dungeon Shade (or any used B3 template like Krovikan Horror.)

      1. Out of Play

         For the purposes of resetting a card (and require a new template) out of phase is not considered out of game for the purposes of this rule. (A Ring of Mau' Ruf will bring back a card that had been removed from this game but as ring of Mau' Ruf does not need a card type to be announced it does not use up a card template and effectively brings back and unnamed WW (for example.) Cards which are set aside or in other temporary out of game zones also do not lose their template.

      2. Discard Rule

         Cards which have been discarded may be templated, but do not have to be templated. If they are not templated at the time of discarding they are considered "unnamed card of casting cost U1" for example. They may not be later templated until they go into a players hand or library.

      3. Using Templates

         You may only use a template when their is a valid game reason to do so. You may not arbitrarily use templates without a game mechanism for doing so. The player who discards cards may choose their template (or leave them unnamed.) The player who puts cards from their library into their graveyard also may choose the templates (or leave them unnamed.)

      4. Dual Libraries and Graveyards

         Each player in a game of Mental Magic has two libraries (the Main Library and the Utopia Library.) Any spell that targets a players library, is treated as targeting one of a players libraries. Also, any spell that targets a players graveyard is treated as targeting one of a players graveyards (but not both.)

         
         

         Any effect that deals with a library or graveyard must complete all effects in the same graveyard. For example a Grindstone targeting the Main Library finding two spells that match color, must repeat the effect on the Main Library.

      5. Optional Ante Rule

         If both players agree a game of Mental Magic may be played for Ante. If so all ante cards are legal and have their normal affect (i.e. I switch my Jeweled Bird for the 10 dollars of Ante.)

      6. Running Out of Cards

         A player loses the game by being "decked" when they can not draw a card from either library and are forced to by the mandatory draw in their draw phase or a mandatory draw from a spell or effect.

      7. Specific Card Rulings

         1. Clairvoyance

            The cards are viewed by the opponent but they are not and may not be templated.

         2. Cursed Scroll

            When you name the card for a cursed scroll you do not name an actual card but rather name "spell of unnamed casting cost X". This does not and may not use up a template.

         3. Demonic Consultation

            You name a card to be found and thus use up it's template (the card will be in the consulting players hand but will be an unnamed card of that casting cost.) For Example: You may cast a Demonic Consultation for a Brainstorm and the 7th card or later that has casting cost U will go into your hand. It will then have to be cast as something other than a Brainstorm. The cards removed from play may not be templated.

         4. Demonic Tutor

            As you do not have to show the opponent a card no Template is used nor may one be used in the casting of this spell.

         5. Dream Cache

            You must draw from the Main Library but may substitute draws from the Main Library with draws from the Utopia Library in any combination drawing a total of 3 cards. You must announce how many cards will be drawn from each library at the start of the affect. Any Utopias put on the top/bottom of the Main Library must instead be shown to the opponent and put on the top/bottom of the Utopia Library.

         6. Enlightened Tutor

            As you must show your opponent an enchantment or artifact you must use a template for the card retrieved. Once the card is in the players hand it may be cast as any type of spell.

         7. Gaea's Blessing

            You may target cards in either graveyard of either player but only one graveyard. If Utopia cards are put back (they must be placed into a Utopia library) then the card drawn must be drawn from a Utopia library.

         8. Mulch

            Yes, you may target either library with this card. Yes, this is a very powerful spell in Mental Magic. Green deserved something...

         9. Rowen

            As with all effects that target a single library, the entire effect must target the same library (in other words you can draw two lands instead of the regular draw phase draw with Rowen.)

         10. Timetwister

             You must shuffle your main library back into your main deck and the Timetwister becomes the only card in your main graveyard. You may substitute some of the 7 cards with cards from the Utopia Library.

   4. Utopia

      The Utopia library is stack of the land Utopia. The land Utopia reads:

      [easybox]Tap: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.

      0:Utopia becomes a forest, island, mountain, plains or a swamp until the end of the turn. Play this ability as a mana source.

      0:Utopia is snow-covered. Play this ability as a mana source.

      0:Utopia is non-snow covered. Play this ability as a mana source.[/easybox]

      If any permanents of a color are in play or in the processes of being cast you are considered to have a traditional basic land of the type that produces the color mana associated with that color.

      Utopia is considered a basic land

      1. Rulings

         Each player along with having a Utopia library has a special "Utopia Graveyard" where all discarded/destroyed Utopia lands go to.

         You may replace any draw from your Main Library with a draw from the Utopia library. Multiple draws from a single affect may be divided in any fashion between the main deck and the Utopia library. The decision as to how many cards are to be drawn from each library is made before any of the cards are drawn.

         You may not replace a draw from your Utopia Library with a draw from your Main Library.

         With Utopia in play and a blue permanent you are considered to have Islands in play but you do not have any cards which are actually Islands, so a Tsunami will kill no lands but you may be Islandwalked and Islandhome creatures will not die.

         When Utopia cards are to be put into a players library they are instead shown to the opponent and then put into the Utopia library. Any associated effects stay in the same library the cards were placed into.

         Utopia lands which have become a basic land (by any means) are no longer considered Utopias.

2. Tournament Rules

   1. The Decks

      The libraries for all Mental Magic Tournaments are to be pre-created by the judges and the cards chosen for playability (no unusable cards {R}{R}{R}{R}{3} for example) and limited use of very restrictive cards. Also a close watch should be taken for very abusive cards (BX). All libraries will be placed at tables across from the opposing libraries. The libraries remain fixed through the entire tournament with players moving to a different position after each game (similar to duplicate bridge.) The players play the decks after shuffling them but not looking at the contents of their libraries.

      Optional Rule: The players are given 5 minutes to inspect there decks before the start of each match. There are no sideboards in Mental Magic tournaments.

      The recommended library size for tournaments is 40 cards for the main library and 30 cards in the Utopia library.

      The optional Ante Rule is not used in tournaments.

      1. Sealed Deck

         An alternate method of deck construction for Mental Magic Tournaments is to use sealed starters (any format will do.) The players uses the 22 basic lands in the starters as their Utopia Library. The remaining cards are used as the Main Library. Players are allowed to look through their sealed decks before the start of a match. Optional Sealed Rule: Each player may choose to remove exactly three cards from their Main Library for use as a sideboard.

   2. Match Victory

      Due to the length of time of games of Mental Magic matches will be only a single duel. If neither player wins by the end of time, the active player must their turn. At that time the player with the higher life total wins unless either player can demonstrate a complete lock (Judges discretion as to what this means.)

   3. Card Templating

      Players must be able to state the actual card name (and have the required resources) to successfully cast a spell. The name must be clear enough to demonstrate knowledge of the card name and clearly not another card. This is not meant to penalize bad pronunciation (as certain cards like Nevinyrral's Disk are difficult to pronounce) but to force memory of card names. The judge in cases of dispute, may have the player write out the card name as a means of resolution.

   4. The Judge

      The Judges ruling in all cases will be final. They will make mistakes but someone has to decide and they are it.

   5. Challenges

      If two players cannot agree on what a card does or on reality a challenge may be made. If a challenge is made a judge is called and one player, then the other states what they consider the card to do (or what is reality) and the point of contention. The Judge will decide who is right. Any player losing two challenges in a match will lose the match. Challenges should be watched by the judges for possibilities of cheating or stalling. The Judge should consider notes as the primary evidence in the case of failure to agree with reality.

   6. Note Taking

      Note taking is allowed and is Highly Recommended for mental magic. In cases of failure to agree on reality notes are about the only basis the Judge has to go on. A recommended note system of B1:Demonic Tutor, W1: Balance is suggested, with two column one for each players spells.

   7. Time

      As time is very limited in a tournament environment and it is very easy to think about what card to play for a great deal of time in Mental Magic strict time restrictions are to be enforced. During the initial part of a round players may only consider what to play for 45 seconds. During the final 15 minutes of a round players may only consider what to play for 15 seconds. Taking longer than this will be considered stalling and will be dealt with as per the standard tournament rules.

   8. Special Tournament Card Rulings

      Chaos Orb and Falling Star may only target a single card. The target is announced upon RESOLUTION of the effect and the drop commences. The target card must have any obstructions covering it removed before the drop. This includes counters and other cards.

The above rules were originally published by 'Team War Zone' on June 3, 2004. They are believed to be free for use and should you own them and wish them to be pulled down, please contact us.