Independent format reference
A carefully maintained resource for players discovering the Premodern Magic format and veterans returning to the tournament table.
Browse deck primersFormat primer
Premodern is a community-created constructed format for Magic: The Gathering. It gathers the cards from Fourth Edition through Scourge into one time-bounded card pool: roughly the old-frame era from 1995 to 2003.
01 / Card pool
The format sits between 93/94 and Modern. The format’s own rule of thumb is old-frame cards printed between 1995 and 2003 that were Standard legal during that period. Portal and promo cards are outside the pool.
02 / Rules
Premodern uses the current Magic rules and Oracle card text, with a ban list maintained for the format. That keeps the cards old while the rules remain consistent with the wider game.
03 / Character
The goal is to give iconic and enjoyable cards a place to shine when they no longer fit elsewhere. Premodern began in 2012, invented by Martin Berlin, with its ban list maintained using input from the community.
Source: the Premodern Magic overview, rules, and legal sets.