Are you a Modern player who misses a time before Horizons set power creep, breakneck release schedules, and Universes Beyond?
Do you yearn to summon a huge Tarmogoyf, combo kill with Pod and Splinter Twin, or swarm the field with artifact creatures?
Introducing PreFIRE - A community-built, open source retro format.
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PreFIRE is a community-built retro Magic: The Gathering format designed to capture the spirit of Modern from its inception through early 2019 — before the F.I.R.E. design philosophy, Modern Horizons and Universes Beyond reshaped the game.
Rather than simply freezing the 2019 cardpool, PreFIRE reimagines the banlist of Modern to bring cards that were never legal in the format, or that were banned at the time. This leads to a unique pool of cards that was never legal.
The format was conceived and created by Francisco Pawluszek, a passionate Modern player who wanted a home for iconic cards and strategies that defined an era, such as: Splinter Twin combos, Tarmogoyf battles, Birthing Pod toolboxes, and more.
PreFIRE is a fixed Magic: The Gathering format born to channel the gameplay and aesthetics of Modern Format Magic from its inception up to 2019 — right before the release of War of the Spark. This cutoff avoids the intense power creep introduced by FIRE philosophy and Modern Horizons sets.
But PreFIRE goes beyond simply returning to old Modern.
With the advantage of hindsight, PreFIRE features a custom banlist designed to enhance gameplay and broaden deckbuilding freedom.
Cards like Splinter Twin, Jace the Mind Sculptor, and Stoneforge Mystic have been unleashed and allowed to exist alongside decks like Grixis Death’s Shadow, resulting in new play patterns and unprecedented game experiences.
Being a fixed format, PreFIRE doesn’t need to worry about certain cards like Mox Opal or Birthing Pod spiraling out of control as more powerful cards get released, allowing these nostalgic gems to thrive in a regulated environment.
What’s more, problem cards that stifle deck diversity or lead to undesirable play patterns like Gitaxian Probe are banned, leading to more interactive and fun games overall.
These banlist decisions are constantly being evaluated as the metagame takes shape, so rest assured that player enjoyment is always a priority!
To ensure PreFIRE maintains its identity as a nostalgic format, cards and strategies iconic to classic Modern will take priority when making banlist decisions.
These cornerstone cards will always remain legal, even if the decks they feature in must be weakened to maintain format balance.
Bans will always target cards surrounding these pillars — never the pillars themselves.
This list is by no means exhaustive or fixed and may change as the format develops.