Legacy
The eternal format where nearly every card ever printed is legal. Legacy is powered by dual lands, Force of Will, and decades of the game’s most efficient spells.
What is the Legacy format?
Legacy is an eternal, non-rotating format in which nearly the entire history of Magic is legal, save for a focused banned list. It is one of the two “eternal” formats alongside Vintage, and it is defined by extremely powerful, efficient cards: original dual lands provide flawless mana, Force of Will lets combo decks protect themselves for free, and one-mana spells like Brainstorm and Swords to Plowshares set the pace. Legacy rewards deep game knowledge and tight play, and while it demands a significant collection to build, decks stay legal essentially forever, making it a lifelong investment for dedicated players.
Card pool and staples
Legacy’s card pool spans virtually every set ever released, which is why its staples read like a highlight reel of the game’s best designs. Revised-era dual lands (Underground Sea, Tropical Island, and the rest) are the backbone of its mana; Force of Will and Daze provide free interaction; and engines like Delver of Secrets, Sensei’s Divining Top decks of the past, and reanimation targets shape the metagame. Because so many staples are old and were printed in limited quantities, Legacy is one of the more expensive formats to assemble — original dual lands and Reserved List cards command high prices, and reprints for eternal-legal staples are always in demand.
Banned and restricted cards
Legacy uses a banned list rather than Vintage’s restricted list, so a Legacy-banned card cannot be played at all. Legacy bans the Power Nine (Black Lotus, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, the Moxen, and Timetwister) and other broken fast mana that Vintage instead restricts to a single copy. It also bans cards that proved format-warping in play, such as Sensei’s Divining Top and Deathrite Shaman, along with all ante cards, Conspiracy cards, and physical-dexterity cards. Everything not on the banned list is legal in unlimited (four-copy) quantities, which is what gives Legacy its consistency and power.
How to check if a card is Legacy legal
Scan a card with Tappr and the legality table shows its live Legacy status — legal or banned — from Scryfall. Because Legacy legality applies to almost the whole card pool, most scans will read “legal,” but the scanner is the fastest way to confirm the handful of banned cards and to catch cards on the Reserved List, whose scarcity drives their price. Tappr shows the current TCGplayer and Cardmarket value at the same time, which is invaluable for the high-dollar dual lands and vintage staples common in Legacy.
Common questions
01 Are the Power Nine legal in Legacy?
No. The Power Nine are banned in Legacy. They are only legal in Vintage, where they are restricted to a single copy per deck instead of being banned outright.
02 What makes Legacy so expensive?
Legacy relies on old, limited-supply staples like the original dual lands and other Reserved List cards that will never be reprinted. Their scarcity drives high prices, which you can check for any card by scanning it with Tappr.
03 Does Legacy rotate?
No. Legacy is an eternal, non-rotating format. Once a card is Legacy legal it stays legal unless it is specifically added to the banned list.
04 How do I know if a card is banned in Legacy?
Scan the card with Tappr — its Scryfall-sourced legality table shows whether the card is legal or banned in Legacy, reflecting the current banned list.
Related Formats
The most powerful format in Magic, where almost every card ever printed is legal — including the Power Nine. Vintage tempers its broken cards with a restricted list rather than bans.
ModernThe deep, non-rotating format built on the modern card frame. Modern spans two decades of powerful cards, from 8th Edition forward, and rewards specialized, highly-tuned decks.
Commander (EDH)The most popular way to play Magic. Commander is a multiplayer, singleton format built around a legendary commander, 100-card decks, and 40 life — social, expressive, and endlessly customizable.
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