TLR Brief History

Tiny Leaders Reborn: A History

Tiny Leaders Reborn (TL:R) is a player-driven Magic: The Gathering variant format that evolved from the original Tiny Leaders format (TL:O). Developed by members of the French Magic community, TL:R emphasizes active metagame monitoring, expanded deck-building options, and grassroots organization through digital platforms. It is played using 50-card singleton decks, led by a commander, with all cards having a mana value (MV) of three or less.

Origins of Tiny Leaders (TL:O)

The original Tiny Leaders format was created in 2013 by Charlotte Tackaberry, developed with Steven Hamonic, and later with their friend and Level 2 Judge, Matthew Turnbull. The format, often described as a hybrid between Commander (EDH) and Legacy, gained early popularity in North America and was featured on platforms such as Magic: The Gathering’s official website , TCGPlayer, and ChannelFireball.

In Europe, particularly in France, the format spread quickly in cities like Paris and Caen. Tournaments of 20+ players became common during the years of 2016 & 2017, and Tiny Leaders was included in high-profile events such as Demonic Tournament Commander, drawing over 50 players each day during its debut weekend.

However, by late 2017, concerns over format balance emerged due to the dominance of a deck known as Mono-Blue High Tide. At a major event, three identical Baral, Chief of Compliance (Mono-Blue High Tide) decks made the Top 4 on both tournament days, prompting concerns that the format had become stagnant. Although the TL:O committee later banned High Tide and The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, the delay in response contributed to a growing perception that the format was "solved" and lacking support.

Founding of Tiny Leaders Reborn

In response, a group of French players founded Tiny Leaders Reborn in early 2018, aiming to revitalize the format. The founding Tiny Leaders: Reborn Committee included:

Olivier Manin (Discord: @OlivierDicé) from Paris
Arnaud (Discord: @Plaguerat) from Caen
Clément Sillière (Discord: @noskcaj1992) from Caen

The TL:R team sought to refine and expand upon the original format’s framework by introducing:

In order to encourage more aggressive strategies a reduction in starting life total from 25 to 20.
To broaden deck design space, a change was made allowing commanders with a color identity of four and five colors as long as their MV is three or less.
Frequent banlist updates, testing cycles, and metagame analysis.
Modern rule alignments, such as updating the mulligan system to adopt Wizards’ own mulligan system used for their official formats.
Community-driven tools, including a Discord server with strategy-specific channels and attempted a deck database support via Moxfield, which is still in the works.

Relationship with Tiny Leaders Original (TL:O)

The TL:R team attempted to merge the two format branches by contacting Steven Hamonic. Early conversations were positive, but talks ultimately broke down over disagreements about color identity restrictions. TL:R's openness to four-color and five-color commanders conflicted with TL:O’s strict three-color cap.

Rather than focusing on this divergence, TL:R shifted toward building a self-sustaining infrastructure. While TL:O has remained inactive in recent years, community members and leaders from TL:R prefer to respect the legacy of the original project and emphasize that both efforts had their place in the evolution of the format.

However, in 2025, with the inclusion of Charlotte, the Original Creator of Tiny Leaders, into the Tiny Leaders Committee, a formal relationship between the two formats was established. TLO, including its rules and Blogspot archive, would remain in stasis, preserving the history, origins, and foundational work of Charlotte, Steven, and Matt. In this way, TLO functions as a time capsule, documenting the beginnings of the format.

Committee Structure & Evolution

TL:R is led by a Core Committee, initially composed of three founding members. To increase feedback from the wider community, the format introduced Committee Consultants. These individuals are active players or community organizers who collect tournament data and advise the Core Committee, particularly during banlist discussions. While their input is essential, all final decisions are made by the Core.

In its early development, the committee explored expanding the Core to five members to avoid potential deadlock. However, shifts in local player bases, the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and changes in community infrastructure led to a period of contraction and restructuring. During this time, several founding members stepped back from leadership or day-to-day involvement, prompting a gradual transition in how the format was stewarded. This period ultimately marked a handoff from its original local foundations toward a broader, more distributed committee model.

Current State of the Committee

At the beginning of 2025, the Core Committee underwent another leadership transition, Since then, the Tiny Leaders Reborn Committee has expanded not only in size but also in structure.

The committee now includes specialized roles such as Advisors and Local Play Organizers and has grown to over a dozen active members. Each member contributes to the development and promotion of the format through responsibilities ranging from rules management, meta analysis, tournament support, media production, and community outreach.

Those interested in learning more about the individual members of the Committee can find more information [here - page coming soon].

References

Verhey, Gavin. "Tiny Leaders, Big Fun." Wizards of the Coast, February 17, 2015.
Tiny Leaders Original Committee. "Tiny Leaders Official Blog."
"Tiny Leaders." MTG Fandom Wiki.
Magic-Ville. « Retour sur Tiny Leaders », Magic-Ville Gazette, March 2024. (in French)
Olivier Manin. Firsthand account of the history and formation of Tiny Leaders Reborn, shared via direct communication, June 2025.

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