# Commander the Flag **Official Format Rules** **Version:** v1.0 Playtest — Updated Draft **Invented by:** Pol Persello (@polperse) **Invented on:** December 19, 2025 Commander the Flag is a fan-made casual 2v2 Commander format for *Magic: The Gathering*, built around territorial objectives, siege combat, team coordination, and dramatic flag captures. Each team defends a Tower that contains its Flag and a Flag Keeper. The goal is to break through the enemy Tower, defeat its Flag Keeper, capture the enemy Flag, and secure it in your own Tower long enough to win. This format replaces normal player life totals with team-based Tower rules. --- ## 1. Format Overview Commander the Flag is designed for two teams of two players. The format prioritizes: - meaningful combat - team coordination - clear tactical decisions - epic siege and recovery moments - reduced reliance on locks, infinite combos, and abusive global effects Commander the Flag is not intended to be a competitive format. It is strategic, thematic, social, and currently in playtest. --- ## 2. Win Condition A team wins the game if both conditions are true: 1. That team has its own Flag and the enemy Flag secured in its Tower Zone. 2. That team keeps both Flags secured in its Tower Zone for **3 consecutive team upkeeps**. A team cannot win if it does not control its own Flag, even if it controls the enemy Flag. ### 2.1 Tracking The Win Condition At the beginning of a team's upkeep, after all Flag securing and Flag returning checks for that upkeep have been resolved, check whether that team has both Flags secured in its Tower Zone. - If it does, that team gains 1 victory count. - If it does not, that team's victory count resets to 0. - If a team's victory count reaches 3, that team wins the game. --- ## 3. Teams, Shared Turns, And Player Resources Commander the Flag uses **shared team turns**, similar to Two-Headed Giant. Both players on a team take their turn at the same time. They untap together, draw together, move through phases together, declare attacks together, and end the turn together. Teammates may openly discuss strategy, look at each other's hands, and decide actions together. However, each player still controls only their own cards, permanents, mana, graveyard, library, and commander unless a card or Commander the Flag rule says otherwise. ### 3.1 No Normal Player Life Totals Commander the Flag replaces normal player life totals. Players do not start with individual life totals. Instead, each team has: - a Tower - a Wall HP total - a Flag - a Flag Keeper - Morale, once the Wall has been broken Effects that refer to a player's life total, losing life, gaining life, paying life, poison counters, or similar life-based resources are handled by the rules in this document. ### 3.2 Individual Players Still Exist Even though life totals are replaced, players still exist for all other rules purposes. Players may still be targeted by spells and abilities if those spells or abilities can legally target players. When those effects would affect life, damage, poison, or similar resources, apply the Commander the Flag replacement rules below. --- ## 4. Game Zones Commander the Flag uses all normal Magic zones and adds one special format zone. ### 4.1 Tower Zone The Tower Zone is a special zone separate from the battlefield. Each team's Tower Zone contains: - that team's Flag, if secured - that team's Flag Keeper, if it has not been defeated - that team's Wall HP - that team's Morale, if active Permanents and objects in the Tower Zone are not on the battlefield and cannot be affected by spells or abilities that affect creatures or permanents on the battlefield, unless a Commander the Flag rule explicitly says otherwise. Effects such as "each creature", "all creatures", or similar global battlefield effects do not affect objects in the Tower Zone. ### 4.2 Objects In The Tower Zone Objects in the Tower Zone are not creatures, permanents, artifacts, enchantments, battles, planeswalkers, players, or tokens unless a Commander the Flag rule explicitly says otherwise. The Tower Zone exists to track format objectives and defensive resources. --- ## 5. The Wall Each team's Tower begins the game with **20 Wall HP**. The Wall is not a permanent. It is a team defensive resource. While a team's Wall HP is greater than 0: - the enemy team cannot interact with that team's Flag Keeper - the enemy team cannot capture that team's Flag - that team does not have Morale ### 5.1 Damaging The Wall The Wall can be damaged in the following ways: - creatures attack the Tower and deal unblocked combat damage to the Wall - trample damage left over after blockers is dealt to the Wall - spells or abilities that can deal damage to "any target" or to a player may damage the Wall - effects that would cause players on that team to lose life reduce that team's Wall HP instead For Commander the Flag rules, the Wall may be chosen as though it were a player for spells and abilities that deal damage to a player. The Wall is not actually a player, permanent, creature, artifact, battle, or planeswalker. Direct spell or ability damage to the Wall cannot be blocked. Combat damage can be blocked normally. ### 5.2 Life Loss And Noncombat Damage While The Wall Is Up While a team's Wall HP is greater than 0, life loss and noncombat damage that would be dealt to a player on that team are applied to that team's Wall HP instead. If an effect would cause a player on that team to gain life while Wall HP is greater than 0, that team repairs that much Wall HP instead, up to a maximum of 20. If an effect would cause multiple players on the same team to lose life, gain life, or be dealt noncombat damage at the same time, apply that effect to that team's Wall HP only once. **Example:** If a spell says "each opponent loses 2 life", the opposing team loses 2 Wall HP, not 4. **Example:** If an ability says "whenever a creature dies, each opponent loses 1 life", the opposing team loses 1 Wall HP per trigger, not 2. ### 5.3 Poison, Infect, And Wither While The Wall Is Up While a team's Wall HP is greater than 0, that team's Tower is treated as an inert defensive object for poison, infect, and wither purposes. Poison counters do not affect the Wall. Wither and infect do not place counters on the Wall. Effects that would give poison counters to a player on that team do nothing while that team's Wall HP is greater than 0. ### 5.4 Repairing The Wall A team may repair its Wall only while that Wall HP is greater than 0. Once a team's Wall reaches 0 HP for the first time, that Wall is considered broken for the rest of the game and cannot be repaired by any means. There are two ways to repair your Wall before it breaks: 1. If an effect would cause a player on your team to gain life while your Wall HP is greater than 0, your team repairs that much Wall HP instead. 2. Your team may use the Heal Wall special action. ### 5.5 Heal Wall Heal Wall is a special format action. During your team's first main phase, players on your team may sacrifice 1/1 creatures to repair your Wall. For each 1/1 creature sacrificed this way, your team repairs 1 Wall HP. Heal Wall has the following restrictions: - it can only be used during your team's first main phase - it cannot be used during the second main phase - it cannot be used outside your team's turn - it cannot be used if your Wall has already reached 0 HP this game - your Wall HP cannot go above 20 - your team cannot repair more than 5 Wall HP per turn this way This restriction is intended to prevent abuse from tokens created after combat. --- ## 6. Morale When a team's Wall reaches 0 HP for the first time, that team gains **20 Morale**. Once Morale is active, it remains active for the rest of the game. Morale represents the defenders' remaining will to keep fighting after the Tower has been breached. Morale is not life, but it is used for effects that would normally require or affect life once the Wall has been broken. Morale cannot go above 20 and cannot go below 0. ### 6.1 Paying Life If an effect requires a player on your team to pay life while your team has Morale, your team pays that much Morale instead. If your team does not have enough Morale to pay the full cost, that cost cannot be paid. ### 6.2 Losing Life If an effect would cause a player on your team to lose life while your team has Morale, your team loses that much Morale instead. If an effect would cause multiple players on the same team to lose life at the same time, apply that effect to that team's Morale only once. ### 6.3 Noncombat Damage To Players If an effect would deal noncombat damage to a player on your team while your team has Morale, your team loses that much Morale instead. If an effect would deal noncombat damage to multiple players on the same team at the same time, apply that effect to that team's Morale only once. ### 6.4 Gaining Life If an effect would cause a player on your team to gain life while your team has Morale, your team gains that much Morale instead. Morale cannot go above 20. If an effect would cause multiple players on the same team to gain life at the same time, apply that effect to that team's Morale only once. ### 6.5 Checking Or Setting Life Totals If an effect checks a player's life total, use that player's team's current Wall HP if the Wall has not been broken, or that player's team's current Morale if Morale is active. Effects that would set a player's life total to a specific number are ignored unless the playgroup agrees before the game to handle them differently. ### 6.6 Morale And The Flag Keeper Morale modifies your Flag Keeper during assaults. - While your team has 16 to 20 Morale, your Flag Keeper gets +1/+1. - While your team has 6 to 15 Morale, your Flag Keeper gets no modifier. - While your team has 1 to 5 Morale, your Flag Keeper gets -1/-1. - While your team has 0 Morale, your Flag Keeper loses Defensive Aura, Heavy Armor, and Defensive Slash. These modifiers only matter during an assault against your Flag Keeper. ### 6.7 Poison After The Wall Is Broken If an effect would give poison counters to a player on a team that has Morale, that team loses 2 Morale for each poison counter instead. Players do not receive poison counters in Commander the Flag. ### 6.8 Wither And Infect After The Wall Is Broken If a source with wither or infect would deal damage to a Flag Keeper, that damage does not place -1/-1 counters on the Flag Keeper. Instead, the defending team loses that much Morale. That source is treated as having dealt damage for trigger purposes, but no damage is marked on the Flag Keeper from wither or infect damage. --- ## 7. The Flag Keeper Each Tower is protected by a Flag Keeper. At the beginning of the game, each team randomly chooses or is assigned one Flag Keeper from the official playtest list. The Flag Keeper exists only in the Tower Zone. ### 7.1 Flag Keeper Properties A Flag Keeper: - has permanent shroud - cannot be targeted by spells or abilities - cannot leave the Tower Zone for any reason - can only be damaged or destroyed through combat during an assault against the Tower - cannot be copied, cloned, stolen, exiled, bounced, reanimated, or replaced The Flag Keeper functions as a defensive boss, not as a normal creature. ### 7.2 Defeated Flag Keepers When a Flag Keeper is destroyed, it remains defeated for the rest of the game. It does not return to the Tower Zone and cannot be revived, restored, copied, or replaced unless a future Commander the Flag rule explicitly says otherwise. Defeating the Flag Keeper is a permanent milestone. --- ## 8. Commanders Each player has a commander and follows the normal Commander rules for that commander, except where Commander the Flag rules say otherwise. Commanders are not the only creatures that can capture Flags. Any creature with base power 2 or greater can capture or pick up a Flag if the relevant requirements are met. Commander damage does not cause a player or team to lose the game in Commander the Flag. --- ## 9. Tower Combat And Assaults During combat, an attacking team may declare attacks against: - an enemy Tower - an enemy Flag Keeper, if that Tower's Wall HP is 0 - an enemy creature carrying your team's Flag - a dropped Flag, if attempting to recover or contest it Players cannot normally be attacked directly in Commander the Flag. The attacking team may attack with creatures controlled by either teammate. The defending team may block with creatures controlled by either teammate, following normal blocking rules and restrictions unless a Commander the Flag rule says otherwise. ### 9.1 Attacking The Tower When creatures attack a Tower while its Wall HP is greater than 0, they are attacking the Wall. The defending team may block with creatures on the battlefield. Unblocked combat damage is dealt to the Wall. Trample damage left over after blockers is dealt to the Wall. ### 9.2 Assaulting The Flag Keeper When a Tower's Wall HP is 0, attackers may declare an assault against that Tower's Flag Keeper during combat. Assault process: 1. The attacking team declares which attacking creatures are participating in the assault. 2. The defending team declares blockers from the battlefield. 3. Blocked creatures fight their blockers on the battlefield. 4. Unblocked creatures reach the Flag Keeper. 5. Relevant Flag Keeper abilities trigger or apply. 6. Combat damage involving the Flag Keeper is resolved using the special Flag Keeper combat rules. 7. If the Flag Keeper receives lethal damage, it is destroyed. ### 9.3 Evasion During Assaults During an assault against a Flag Keeper, evasion abilities such as flying, reach, landwalk, menace, fear, intimidate, shadow, or similar abilities apply normally when determining whether defending creatures can block attacking creatures. For example, if a flying creature assaults the Tower and the defending team has no creatures with flying or reach, that flying creature cannot be blocked by the defending team's ground creatures and reaches the Flag Keeper. However, no evasion ability allows an attacking creature to bypass the Flag Keeper or capture the Flag directly. If an attacking creature is not blocked during an assault, it reaches the Flag Keeper and must fight the Flag Keeper before any Flag can be captured. The Flag Keeper itself cannot be bypassed by flying, landwalk, unblockable effects, or similar evasion abilities. ### 9.4 Flag Keeper Combat Damage During an assault, each unblocked attacking creature that reaches the Flag Keeper may deal combat damage to the Flag Keeper according to normal combat damage timing. The Flag Keeper deals combat damage equal to its power to each unblocked attacking creature that reaches it. This is a special Commander the Flag combat rule. The Flag Keeper does not divide its combat damage among attacking creatures. If a blocked creature deals trample damage to the Flag Keeper, that creature is considered to have reached the Flag Keeper for damage purposes and receives combat damage from the Flag Keeper. If the Flag Keeper has first strike or double strike, use the appropriate combat damage steps. If the Flag Keeper has double strike, it may deal its full combat damage to each relevant attacking creature during both the first-strike combat damage step and the regular combat damage step, if it survives long enough to do so. ### 9.5 Flag Keeper Abilities Flag Keeper abilities function only during an assault against the Flag Keeper. They do not affect attacks against the Wall. They do not affect creatures outside the assault. ### 9.6 Defensive Aura Defensive Aura reduces damage dealt to the Flag Keeper by 1 from each source. This applies to all damage, including combat damage. Damage reduced this way cannot be reduced below 0. ### 9.7 Heavy Armor Heavy Armor reduces damage dealt to the Flag Keeper by 2 from each source. This applies to all damage, including combat damage. Damage reduced this way cannot be reduced below 0. ### 9.8 Defensive Slash Defensive Slash deals 1 pre-combat damage to each creature attacking that Flag Keeper. This damage: - happens before normal combat damage during an assault - does not replace normal combat damage - can combine with other defensive abilities - is normal damage, but is not combat damage - does not apply deathtouch, lifelink, wither, infect, double strike, or any other damage-modifying ability unless a rule or Flag Keeper explicitly says otherwise --- ## 10. Capturing The Enemy Flag To capture the enemy Flag, all of the following must be true: 1. The enemy Wall must have 0 Wall HP. 2. The enemy Flag Keeper must have been defeated in combat. 3. The capturing creature must have base power 2 or greater. Any creature with base power 2 or greater can capture the enemy Flag. It does not have to be a commander. Temporary power boosts, +1/+1 counters, Equipment, Auras, anthem effects, and similar modifiers do not allow a creature with base power 1 or less to capture or pick up a Flag. ### 10.1 Carried Flag Once captured, the Flag becomes carried. While a creature carries a Flag: - it gains Ward {2} from the Flag - it is considered the Flag Carrier - if it leaves the battlefield for any reason, the Flag becomes dropped - it cannot change controllers - it cannot be cloned as a way to duplicate the Flag ### 10.2 Ward From The Flag The Flag grants Ward {2} to its holder. Whenever a Flag Carrier becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter that spell or ability unless that player pays {2}. ### 10.3 Retreat And Securing The Flag The creature that captured the Flag does not secure it immediately. The Flag remains carried for at least one full opposing team turn. At the beginning of the carrier team's next upkeep, if the Flag Carrier is still on the battlefield, the Flag becomes secured and enters that team's Tower Zone. The creature itself does not enter the Tower Zone. --- ## 11. Dropped Flags If a Flag Carrier dies, is exiled, is bounced, phases out, or otherwise leaves the battlefield, the carried Flag becomes dropped. A dropped Flag remains dropped until a creature successfully picks it up. A dropped Flag: - is a valid combat objective - is not a permanent - is not on the battlefield - cannot be targeted by spells or abilities - cannot be copied, cloned, stolen, exiled, bounced, destroyed, or otherwise affected by noncombat effects - can only be interacted with through combat using the Pick Up rules While a Flag is dropped: - creatures from the Flag's owner team may attack the dropped Flag to recover it - creatures from the opposing team may attack the dropped Flag to recapture or secure it again - enemy creatures may block those attacks to protect or contest the Flag --- ## 12. Recovering Your Own Flag To recover your own Flag from an enemy Flag Carrier, you must defeat that carrier through combat. The Flag Carrier may be attacked directly, as though it were a planeswalker. The final damage that defeats the carrier must be: - combat damage - dealt by a creature with base power 2 or greater Direct damage spells, sacrifice effects, exile effects, bounce effects, and similar noncombat effects do not recover the Flag. If the Flag Carrier leaves the battlefield outside combat, the Flag becomes dropped instead. ### 12.1 Picking Up A Dropped Flag A creature can pick up a dropped Flag if: - it has base power 2 or greater - it attacked the dropped Flag with the intent to recover, recapture, or secure it - it was not stopped by blockers That creature becomes the new Flag Carrier and gains Ward {2} from the Flag. If a team picks up its own Flag, that Flag is considered recovered. If a team picks up the enemy Flag, that Flag is considered captured again. ### 12.2 Returning A Recovered Flag A recovered Flag does not immediately return to the Tower. At the beginning of the carrier team's next upkeep, if the Flag Carrier is still on the battlefield, the Flag returns to its team's Tower Zone. This creates symmetry between capturing an enemy Flag and recovering your own Flag. --- ## 13. Evasion Against The Wall Landwalk abilities such as islandwalk, swampwalk, forestwalk, and similar abilities function against the Wall. When a creature with landwalk attacks a Tower, if the defending team controls a land of the relevant type, that creature cannot be blocked and its combat damage is dealt directly to the Wall. Landwalk does not affect the Flag Keeper directly during an assault and does not allow a creature to bypass the Flag Keeper. --- ## 14. Control, Auras, And Flag Carriers A creature carrying a Flag has one mission: return to its Tower Zone. While a creature carries a Flag: - effects that prevent attacking or blocking do not stop it from transporting the Flag - its tapped, untapped, stunned, unable-to-attack, or unable-to-block status does not prevent it from retreating with the Flag - it gains Ward {2} - it cannot change controllers - it can be attacked normally by opponents during the retreat - it is conceptually retreating, not actively joining normal combat --- ## 15. Alternative Win And Loss Effects The only way to win Commander the Flag is through the Flag victory condition. Effects that say a player wins the game, loses the game, cannot win the game, or cannot lose the game are ignored. Effects that would cause a player to lose the game for drawing from an empty library, having poison counters, or similar state-based conditions are also ignored unless Commander the Flag rules explicitly convert them into Wall HP or Morale loss. Playgroups may choose before the game to allow alternative win conditions, but they are not part of the default v1.0 playtest rules. --- ## 16. Additional Balance Rules The following balance rules apply: - Flags cannot be copied, cloned, or duplicated. - Flag Keepers cannot be copied, cloned, or duplicated. - Creatures carrying Flags cannot be stolen, cloned, copied, or have their control changed. - Global effects that say "each creature", "all creatures", or similar do not affect Flag Keepers in the Tower Zone. - Global effects that say "each creature", "all creatures", or similar do not affect secured Flags or other objects in the Tower Zone. - A creature with base power 1 or less cannot capture or pick up a Flag, even if its current power is 2 or greater due to modifiers. - A Flag Keeper cannot be bypassed by flying, landwalk, unblockable effects, or any similar evasion ability. --- ## 17. Spirit Of The Format Commander the Flag is built around siege gameplay, coordination, and table stories. The intended experience is: - break the enemy Wall - survive the Flag Keeper - capture the Flag - defend the carrier - recover from disaster - win through teamwork Players are encouraged to avoid strategies that undermine the format's core play pattern, such as hard locks, infinite combo kills, repeated non-games, or interactions that bypass the siege structure entirely. --- ## 18. Flag Keeper Appendix The following Flag Keepers are part of the v1.0 playtest pool. ### 18.1 Weak Flag Keepers Weak Flag Keepers may later be used in pairs if a "Weak Garrison" variant is tested. #### Lantern Moth Adept **Stats:** 2/1 **Abilities:** - First Strike - Defensive Slash **Flavor:** A mystical moth that burns invaders as they enter. **Gameplay:** Kills 1/1s, weakens 2/2s, and dies easily. #### Clockwork Page **Stats:** 1/3 **Abilities:** - Undying - Defensive Aura **Flavor:** A minor defender, annoying but fragile. **Gameplay:** Excellent against chip damage, but not a real threat. ### 18.2 Intermediate Flag Keepers Intermediate Flag Keepers are the core of the format. #### Runestone Gargoyle **Stats:** 3/3 **Abilities:** - Protection from a random color - Defensive Aura **Protection color:** Determine the protected color randomly at the beginning of the game. **Flavor:** A runic guardian attuned to a specific kind of magic. **Gameplay:** Forces attackers to assault through another color. #### Ashclaw Duelist **Stats:** 3/2 **Abilities:** - Double Strike - Defensive Slash **Flavor:** Two daggers, two cuts before falling. **Gameplay:** Brutal against swarm attacks, but dies to concentrated damage. #### Mirrorlake Otter Mage **Stats:** 2/4 **Abilities:** - Protection from a random color - Defensive Aura **Protection color:** Determine the protected color randomly at the beginning of the game. **Flavor:** Fluid magic makes it difficult to wear down with chip damage. **Gameplay:** Excellent wall without being oppressive. #### Grimroot Stag **Stats:** 4/4 **Abilities:** - Gym - Defensive Aura **Gym:** This Flag Keeper gains a training counter after each combat it survives. Remove 2 training counters from it: put a +1/+1 counter on it. **Flavor:** An ancestral beast that pressures attackers without tricks. **Gameplay:** Honest boss, clear read. #### Stormcoil Serpent **Stats:** 3/5 **Abilities:** - Yummy - Defensive Aura **Yummy:** For every 3 creatures this Flag Keeper kills, put a +1/+1 counter on it. **Flavor:** An electric serpent that controls space. **Gameplay:** Punishes repeated medium-sized attacks. #### Bastion Badger **Stats:** 3/3 **Abilities:** - Deathtouch - Defensive Slash **Flavor:** Small, but lethal on entry. **Gameplay:** Forces coordination. You cannot just throw creatures into it. ### 18.3 Strong Flag Keepers #### Obsidian Tortoise Matriarch **Stats:** 5/6 **Abilities:** - Protection from a random color - Heavy Armor **Protection color:** Determine the protected color randomly at the beginning of the game. **Flavor:** Impenetrable shell plus magical affinity. **Gameplay:** Pure defensive boss. Requires a real commitment. #### Ironfur Dire Bear **Stats:** 6/5 **Abilities:** - Double Strike - Heavy Armor **Flavor:** Two claws, iron hide. **Gameplay:** The "you do not enter with trash" guardian, but it falls to a plan. --- ## 19. Future Considerations These items are not final rules, but are active playtest topics: - Whether weak Flag Keepers should be used in pairs. - Whether recovered Flags should return immediately or require a full turn cycle. - Whether all creatures should gain haste while their team's Flag is captured. - Whether Heal Wall's 5 HP per turn cap needs adjustment. - Whether Morale thresholds should be tuned after testing. - Whether wither and infect should always convert to Morale loss, or only when damaging Flag Keepers. - Whether poison-to-Morale conversion should be 1:1, 2:1, or scale another way. - Whether defeated Flag Keepers should ever return in longer games. --- ## 20. Community Submissions Custom Flag Keepers and format variants are planned for future community development. For now, submissions should be routed through the Commander the Flag community Discord once it exists. Suggested submission format: - Flag Keeper name - stats - tier: weak, intermediate, or strong - abilities - flavor text - gameplay role - notes about possible balance concerns Community submissions should support the core siege-and-capture structure of the format and avoid hard locks, non-combat wins, or designs that make the Flag Keeper impossible to meaningfully assault. --- **End of Rules** **Commander the Flag — v1.0 Playtest Updated Draft**