Boreal rules
If you’ve spent any time navigating the dense forests of Old School Magic, you’ve probably stumbled across a few peculiar formats. Some, like Swedish 93/94, wear their restrictions like a finely tailored coat neat, structured, and a touch conservative. Others, like Eternal Central, revel in a bit of chaos, slinging unrestricted Strip Mines like they’re going out of style. And then there’s Boreal, a format shaped by the frostbitten minds of the Montreal Old School scene, where strategy meets savagery, and the elements conspire against the unprepared.
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Boreal is built on the foundation of Swedish 93/94, but where Swedish thrives on tight restrictions, Boreal embraces a wilder frontier. Here, Fallen Empires joins the fray, adding a deeper layer of tribal warfare, and Strip Mine runs free at four copies per deck, ensuring that no mana base is ever truly safe. This is a format that rewards cunning, punishes complacency, and reminds us why early Magic was such a beautiful, brutal affair.
​What’s Legal in the North?
The heart of Boreal 93/94 lies in its card pool—a carefully cultivated collection of sets that capture Magic’s formative years.
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Sets Allowed: Alpha, Beta, Unlimited, Arabian Nights, Antiquities, Legends, The Dark, Fallen Empires
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Deck Size: Minimum 60 cards (with an optional 15-card sideboard)
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Reprint Policy: Only old-frame, original-art reprints are permitted. If it looks like it walked out of 1994, you’re good.
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Proxies: Encouraged and embraced. We play for the love of the game, not the price of the cards.
The Laws of the Land
No format worth its salt exists without a few guardrails. Boreal takes a lighter touch than some of its cousins, but that doesn’t mean you can bring your Contract from Below and expect to get out unscathed.
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Banned Cards
Some things are just too broken (or too ante-related) to survive in the cold:
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Bronze Tablet
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Contract from Below
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Darkpact
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Demonic Attorney
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Jeweled Bird
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Rebirth
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Tempest Efreet
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Restricted Cards
The usual suspects. If it’s on this list, you only get one copy. Make it count.
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Ancestral Recall
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Balance
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Black Lotus
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Braingeyser
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Chaos Orb
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Channel
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Demonic Tutor
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Library of Alexandria
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Mana Drain
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Mind Twist
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Mox Emerald
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Mox Jet
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Mox Pearl
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Mox Ruby
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Mox Sapphire
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Regrowth
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Sol Ring
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Time Walk
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Timetwister
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Wheel of Fortune
Breaking the Rules (Sort Of)
Every format has its quirks, and Boreal has a few tricks up its sleeve. Here, a handful of cards that are restricted in other Old School environments roam freely in playsets. Whether that’s a blessing or a curse depends entirely on what side of the table you’re on.
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Noteworthy 4-ofs (Yes, you can play four copies.)
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Strip Mine – Land? What land?
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Time Vault – It’s a different kind of combo when you’ve got the full playset.
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Mishra’s Workshop – No shortage of mana for the artifact hoarders.
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Maze of Ith – More mazes, more problems.
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Recall – Just when you thought they were out of gas…
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Shahrazad – Hope you brought a snack.
How It’s Played
Boreal 93/94 follows the modern Magic ruleset, but keeps a few Old School twists for flavor.
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Mana Burn: Yes. Play loose with your mana, and you’ll pay the price.
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Chaos Orb: Must be flipped from at least 12 inches above the battlefield. No flicking, no tricks—just good, clean destruction.
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Fallen Empires Mechanics: Pump knights, thrulls, and orcs, oh my! If it came from Fallen Empires, it’s fully legal.
Why Play Boreal?
Boreal isn’t just a format—it’s a mindset. It’s for players who love the brutality of Old School but want a little more breathing room. It’s for those who think four Strip Mines are better than one and who believe that mana denial is just another form of skill expression. It’s a format where every land drop is a gamble, every game a survival match against both your opponent and the cold, unyielding landscape.
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But most of all? It’s a format built on community. In Montreal, we play Boreal because we love the game, because we respect the history, and because we believe Old School Magic should be fun, first and foremost. Whether you’re a hardened veteran of the format or a newcomer looking to test the waters, there’s a place for you in the north.
Join the Fight
Boreal 93/94 is played regularly in Montreal and beyond. If you’re looking to test your skills, build a deck, or just find a community that shares your love for early Magic, you’re in the right place.
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