TLR Overview

What is Tiny Leaders: Reborn?

Tiny Leaders: Reborn (TLR) is a fan-created Magic: The Gathering format that is designed for one-on-one play. It's a singleton format, inspired by Commander, but with a unique compact structure that emphasizes strategic deck-building, interactive gameplay, and diverse strategies. The format aims to highlight skill expression and meaningful decision-making in every game. Thus, the play experience is more like Legacy, if it were singleton and only 50 cards.

Key Rules of Tiny Leaders: Reborn

Here’s a brief overview of the main rules that define Tiny Leaders: Reborn:

  • 1v1 Play: TLR is primarily intended for one-on-one games.

  • Deck Size: Your deck must contain exactly 50 cards, including its commander(s). This means both the minimum and maximum deck size are 50 cards.

  • Commander Requirement: Each deck is led by a legendary creature or planeswalker designated as its commander.

  • 3 Mana Value Restriction: Every card in your deck, including your commander(s), must have a mana value of 3 or less. 

  • Singleton Rule: Other than basic lands, every card in your deck must have a different English name. This singleton limit also applies to the combined deck and sideboard.

  • Color Identity: A card can be included in a TLR deck only if every color in its color identity is also found in the color identity of the deck’s commander(s). The color identity of a card is determined by any mana symbols in its mana cost or rules text, plus colors defined by characteristic-defining abilities or color indicators.

  • Starting Life Total: Each player begins the game with 20 life.

  • Sideboard: You may have a sideboard of no more than 10 cards.

  • Commander Tax: Casting your commander from the command zone costs an additional {2} for each previous time the player casting it has cast it from the command zone that game.

  • Commander Movement: If a commander is in a graveyard or in exile, its owner may put it into the command zone as a state-based action.

  • Forced Mulligan (for multiple commanders): If a player is using more than one commander, they take a forced mulligan at the start of the game by drawing cards equal to their starting hand size and choosing one to place on the bottom of their library. This counts as their first mulligan.

  • "Wish" Effects: If a player is allowed to bring a card from outside the game into a TLR game, that player can only choose cards from among their sideboard.

The Philosophy of Tiny Leaders: Reborn

The core philosophy of Tiny Leaders: Reborn is built upon several key principles:

  • Metagame Diversity: A healthy format supports a variety of viable decks and strategies, avoiding excessive dominance by any single archetype.

  • Competitive Balance: While power levels will vary, the format should remain balanced enough that no strategy is overwhelmingly superior.

  • Counterplay & Interaction: Decks should have meaningful ways to interact with opponents, preventing non-games where one player has little agency.

  • Format Identity: Tiny Leaders: Reborn retains its unique playstyle by adhering to its structural rules, such as 3 MV or lower commanders and 50-card decks, while evolving naturally over time.

  • Player Engagement & Enjoyment: The format should be fun, rewarding to play, and accessible to a broad audience, from casual to competitive players, but leans competitively.

Although Tiny Leaders: Reborn is a competitive 1v1 format, its unique constraints offer plenty of different ways to enjoy the game. The defining rules encourage players to construct decks with cards that are perhaps "off the beaten path," leading to quirky interactions and surprising strategies where winning might not always be the sole purpose. Whatever way you choose to enjoy this format it truly does have everything for every type of player.