MTG Archenemy
Archenemy Format
Why Play This Format?
- Multi-player games consisting of one archenemy against a three-or-more player team
- Great to play with friends, especially those of varying skill levels
- Scheme deck adds an exciting and chaotic element
Different Ways to Play
Play Rules/Modifiers
An Archenemy game consists of one player playing as the archenemy facing off against three (or more) other players in a team.
Each player on the team brings a normal deck of 60+ Magic cards. Each team member starts with 20 life.
The archenemy player brings a normal deck of 60+ Magic cards. They also bring a scheme deck, which must contain 20 or more oversized scheme cards, and can’t include more than two copies of any one scheme. The archenemy starts with 40 life and always goes first. They still draw a card during their first draw step.
On each of the archenemy’s turns, at the start of their first main phase, they reveal the top card of their scheme deck and set that scheme in motion. Schemes can provide powerful advantages for the archenemy or setbacks for the heroes. Most schemes have an ability that immediately triggers when they’re set in motion, after which those schemes are put on the bottom of the scheme deck. Some schemes, however, are labeled “ongoing”; after an ongoing scheme is set in motion, that scheme remains face up and active until an ability says to “abandon” it, at which point that scheme is put on the bottom of the scheme deck.
The other players take their turns simultaneously. They take their beginning phase together, then their main phase, then declare attacks at the same time during their combat phase, and so on.
When the archenemy is declaring attackers, they must choose for each attacker which player (or planeswalker) that creature will attack. The team members then declare blockers together, and they may block attacks aimed at their allies.
If a player on the team goes to 0 life and loses the game, remove all cards they own from the game. The game continues until the archenemy loses, or until all the team members have lost the game.
The Supervillain Rumble Variant
Instead of one archenemy against three or more other players, this variant features three or more players each playing with a scheme deck and fighting it out in a free-for-all multiplayer game.
In this variant, each player plays as an archenemy with their own scheme deck. Each player starts with 40 life. Determine the starting player randomly. At the beginning of each player’s first main phase, that player sets a scheme in motion from their scheme deck.