Pauper is a Magic: The Gathering format where every card in your deck must have been printed at common. Build a deck of at least 60 cards, start at 20 life, and win by reducing your opponent to 0. Wizards' Pauper page says the format is built around cards that are readily available, and lists a typical game at about 20 minutes. If you've never played Magic before, this guide walks you through Pauper one step at a time, with no experience needed.
Last checked: October 3, 2026. The format rules below come from Wizards' official Pauper page. The banned list can change, so check it before you buy cards for a deck.
Download the free printable quick guide (PDF)
Two pages you can print and keep next to your cards while you learn.
Want the full official rules? Visit Wizards' official How to Play page (magic.wizards.com).
What do you need to play Pauper?
No commander, no singleton rule, build it however you like. Not sure whether a card is Pauper-legal? Ask us at the counter, we're happy to help.
What makes a card Pauper-legal?
Every card in a Pauper deck must have been released at common rarity in a Magic set or product. Lightning Bolt, Journey to Nowhere and Mulldrifter, pictured above, are all Pauper-legal because each one has been printed at common.
Beginner trap
The rare in your binder might be legal. If a common version of a card was ever released in a Magic paper product or on Magic Online, any version of that card is legal. A foil, a promo or a copy with different art can all be played, even if the copy in your hand was printed at a higher rarity.
It works the other way too: being a common doesn't make a card safe, because a few commons are banned. More on that below.
Common promo cards only count if the card meets that same rule, and lands that were printed with both a common set symbol and the L rarity code are included too.
What do Pauper cards actually look like?
Rules stick better once you've seen the cards. Here are eight real Pauper-legal cards, grouped by the job they do. A good first deck usually wants a bit of each: ways to handle your opponent's creatures, ways to find more cards, and creatures of your own. These are examples, not a shopping list. Tap or click any card to see it full-size.
How do you check if a card is legal in Pauper?
Tap step 4 to open Wizards' official banned and restricted list.
- Look the card up by name on Scryfall or Gatherer.
- Check all of its printings, not only the copy in your hand.
- Find a common printing. If there is one, the card is legal.
- Check the banned list. A few commons are banned, and the next section explains why.
Scryfall also shows a Legality section on every card page that tells you whether the card is legal, not legal or banned in Pauper.
What are the deck-building rules?
- 60-card minimum main deck, with no maximum.
- No more than 4 copies of any single card, counting your main deck and sideboard together. Basic lands are the exception, run as many as you want.
- An optional sideboard of up to 15 cards to swap in between games.
Are any commons banned in Pauper?
Yes. Some common cards turned out to be too strong for the format, so they are banned. A banned card can't be in your deck or your sideboard, even though it was printed at common. The Pauper Format Panel helps look after the list, and it is posted on Wizards' banned and restricted page. The list changes from time to time, so check it before you buy cards for a deck, or ask us.
Why do people play Pauper?
Wizards describes Pauper as a way to build decks with your favorite commons from throughout the history of Magic. The cards are accessible, powerful card combinations still happen, and Wizards lists a typical game at about 20 minutes, which makes it a friendly place for a new player to learn.
Three Pauper myths, busted
“Commons are weak, so Pauper must be boring.”
FactWizards says powerful card combinations still happen in Pauper, and some commons have proven strong enough to get banned.
“I need rare cards to take part.”
FactEvery card in a Pauper deck was printed at common, and Wizards describes the format's cards as readily available.
“If it's a common, it's legal.”
FactA few commons are banned. Check the banned list before you build around a card.
How do you set up a game?
- Shuffle your deck. Decide who goes first (a die roll, or however your group likes to settle it).
- Draw 7 cards. Don't like your hand? You may mulligan: shuffle it back in and draw 7 again, then put a card on the bottom of your library for each mulligan you've taken.
- The player going first skips their first draw step.
What happens on your turn?
- Untap: untap everything you control.
- Upkeep: any "at the beginning of upkeep" triggers happen.
- Draw: draw 1 card.
- Main Phase 1: play a land, cast spells.
- Combat: attack.
- Main Phase 2: play more spells, or your land if you haven't yet.
- End Step: end-of-turn triggers, then cleanup.
You can only play 1 land per turn, in either main phase. A cost like 2R means pay 2 generic mana (any color), then 1 red mana: tap that many lands to pay it.
How does combat work?
- Declare attackers: turn your attacking creatures sideways and pick a target: your opponent, or a planeswalker of theirs.
- Declare blockers: the defending player assigns any of their untapped creatures to block.
- Combat damage: attacker and blocker deal damage equal to their power, all at once.
- After: lethal damage destroys a creature. Unblocked damage hits the defending player.
Spells and abilities don't happen the instant you play them, they go on the stack first, and the most recently added one resolves first, like a stack of plates. Players get a chance to respond before anything on the stack resolves.
How do you win?
| Life hits 0 | The most common way. Everyone starts at 20. |
| Empty library | Would you draw with 0 cards left? You lose right away. |
| An effect says so | Rare, but some cards have their own win condition. |
A match is best 2 of 3 games. Lose game 1? You may swap in sideboard cards.
Common keywords
| Keyword | What it means |
|---|---|
| Flying | Can only be blocked by creatures with flying or reach. |
| Trample | Extra damage beyond lethal spills past a blocker. |
| Deathtouch | Any amount of damage from it is lethal. |
| First / Double Strike | Deals damage before other creatures, or twice. |
| Vigilance | Doesn't tap when it attacks. |
| Removal | Community term for a spell or ability that destroys or neutralizes a creature. |
What are the best tips for your first game?
What to bring to your first night
- Your deck: 60 or more cards, plus a sideboard of up to 15 if you have one.
- Something to track your life total, like dice, a pen and paper, or a phone app.
- A legality check already done on any card you're unsure about.
- The printable quick guide from this page, and your questions. We're happy to answer them.
Quick reference
| Deck | 60 cards minimum, every card printed at common, no more than 4 of any card (basics excepted) |
| Legal? | Any common printing makes a card legal, unless it is banned |
| Start | 20 life, draw 7 (mulligans allowed) |
| Your turn | Untap, upkeep, draw, main 1, combat, main 2, end step |
| Win | Reduce your opponent to 0 life, or outlast an empty library |
Printable quick guide
Everything above fits on two printable pages. Print it double-sided and keep it at the table.
Download the printable guide (PDF)
Official Magic rules (free)
Wizards of the Coast posts the official rules for free.
- How to Play: Wizards' own beginner walkthrough.
- Pauper format page: the official overview of the format and its deck-building rules.
- Banned and restricted list: the current Pauper banned cards.
- Comprehensive Rules: every Magic rule in full detail, for when a card does something tricky.
Where can you play Pauper near Newport, TN?
Landfall Outpost is a Magic: The Gathering store at 138 North St, Newport, TN 37821, and new players are always welcome. We're starting Pauper events at the store in October 2026, so it's a good time to build your first deck. We're happy to help you check that a deck is Pauper-legal before you play. Pick up singles, sealed product and supplies in our Magic: The Gathering collection, and check our events page or ask us in the store to see what's on the schedule. Free on-site parking.