(Editor’s Note: The Spotlight Deck Folder section has been updated to clarify how to use the community decklists for the event.)

Welcome to the first MTG Arena Community Spotlight! In this event, we're taking a look at a fan-made format that's different from anything on MTG Arena. It's called Gladiator, and if you're looking for an experience full of card variety, interesting choices, and back-and-forth matches, then it's got you covered!

Gladiator was established in mid-2020, and its fans have been playing and growing this format for years with frequent discussion and regular tournaments. There's a lot to enjoy about it, so let's learn more!

Community Spotlight: Gladiator Event

Dates: August 11, 8 a.m. PT (15:00 UTC)–August 15, 8 a.m. PT (15:00 UTC)
Format: Gladiator
Structure: Play until event ends
Entry: No cost to enter
Rewards:

  • 1 Win: 1 rare individual card reward (ICR)
  • 2 Wins: 1 rare ICR

What Is Gladiator?

The rules of Gladiator are:

  • Decks must contain no fewer than 100 cards and no sideboards, with a maximum of one copy of each card other than basic lands (similar to the Singleton format), or cards with no deck limit, like Persistent Petitioners.
  • Matches are best two-out-of-three (but without sideboarding between games).
  • All cards available on MTG Arena are legal in their original versions, except for the following banned cards:
    • Field of the Dead
    • Natural Order
    • Nexus of Fate
    • Oko, Thief of Crowns
    • Teferi, Time Raveler

An oversized deck with a Singleton limit means you'll need a robust game plan that can adapt to many different circumstances, while the multiple-game matches mean you'll see a lot more of both your own deck and your opponent's deck.

To hear even more about Gladiator directly from the folks who love it, tune into the Weekly MTG Twitch stream on Thursday, August 11, at 2:30 p.m. PT, or visit the Gladiator Discord. 

Spotlight Deck Folder

To show off what's possible in Gladiator, and to give folks who are new to the format a jumping-off point, the Gladiator community has provided some decklists for MTG Arena players to try out. Look these up in the client while the event is active!

  • Azorius Control – SupremePhantom (He/Him)
  • Belzenlok Combo – JokerBoney (They/Them)
  • Boros Control – Aiamethyst (She/Her)
  • Esper Reanimator – ElleMNOP (She/Her)
  • Gruul Monsters – Wooormy (He/Him)
  • Jund Sacrifice – BenjaminWheeler (He/Him)
  • Mono-Blue Skies – BenjaminWheeler (He/Him)
  • Mono-Red Aggro – DwaginFodder (She/Her)
  • Mono-White Aggro – Rootpotato (They/Them)
  • Rakdos Midrange – Blightning (They/Them)

When choosing a deck for the event, or even just while in the Decks tab of the client, scroll to the bottom of your decks collection to find the "Community Spotlight: Gladiator" deck folder:

  • You can submit a deck directly from this folder to the event if you have collected all the cards in the decklist.
  • You can copy the community deck to your collection of decks and craft the remaining cards to complete the deck.
  • You can copy the community deck to your collection and modify the deck as you see fit.