Over the past couple years, one of the formats that’s seen a consistent uptick in support is Premodern. This community-created format first originated in 2012, and as the name suggests, only select cards printed prior to Mirrodin are fair game. Despite not showcasing any new designs, Premodern has flourished, with the highest attended Premodern event ever happening just last month!
Following the format’s success, it appears Premodern is finally coming to Magic Online. This is long overdue and is a welcome sight for all Premodern fans.
A New Contraption
According to Daybreak Games, starting today, Premodern is now available on Magic Online. From now until December 17th, players have the opportunity to play in Friendly Premodern League events. Then, from December 17th to January 20th, 2026, traditional Premodern Leagues will be available. Trials and Challenges will also be sprinkled in during the Holidays, though exact dates and times haven’t been announced yet.
Premodern is the first of many “Contraption” formats being added to Magic Online. The goal behind the Contraption endeavor is to try out a variety of different format ideas in short cycles. Every three to six weeks, a new format would replace the previous one, keeping the environment fresh.
In the case of Premodern, Wizards is already showcasing optimism that it will become a regular format on Magic Online. Nonetheless, putting Premodern through the Contraption process should give Daybreak a better idea of the format’s popularity in a digital space, while also giving them more time to sort out some technical difficulties. Following this Contraption cycle, Daybreak stated that they’ll reevaluate things to determine if Premodern will continue for a second cycle or if a separate format will take its place.
Notably, this Contraption system could have major implications moving forward beyond just helping Premodern enthusiasts have another place to play. There are other community-driven formats such as Canadian Highlander that might be worthy of test runs, and this gives Daybreak the perfect opportunity to gather data and potentially grow the Magic Online community. This system has the potential to be one of the most impactful upgrades for Magic Online in recent memory, and we look forward to seeing what new format ideas come to life moving forward.
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