Community format · Magic: The Gathering · 1 versus 1

Pauper Duel Commander

Competitive 1v1 Commander, played with commons.

100 cards, an uncommon commander, 20 life: the depth of Commander, the accessibility of Pauper.

New here?

Four steps from “what is this format?” to your first game.

The format's rules in video, before the four steps. Watch on YouTube

01
Learn the rules

100 cards, an uncommon commander, 20 life, commons only. The summary takes thirty seconds.
The rules in 30 seconds
02
Pick a commander

Any uncommon creature, a Vehicle, a Spacecraft or a Background. See what people are playing.
Most played commanders
03
Build your deck

Start from a list that has proven itself, then check your own for legality.
Browse decklists
04
Find players

The Discord for opponents and questions, the tournaments to play in person.
Join the community

100 cards

99 cards + 1 commander (or 98 + 2 with partner).
Uncommon Commander

The commander must have been printed at uncommon at least once. Vehicles and Spacecraft qualify on the same terms.
Common Cards

The 99 cards in the deck must have been printed at common at least once (Pauper legality).
Color Identity

All cards must match the commander's color identity.
No Duplicates

Maximum 1 copy of each card, except basic lands and cards that allow more.
Ban List

Cards on the PDC ban list are not allowed.

1v1, 20 life, no politics and no commander damage: every decision counts.

99 commons and a single uncommon commander. The Pauper card pool, without the rarities that drive other formats’ prices.

Any uncommon creature can be your commander — it does not need to be legendary. That is the real difference from Duel Commander.

One copy per card. Deckbuilding brings back commons forgotten for twenty years.

A committee, a ban list with published reasoning, an announcement every two months, and tournaments across France.

Across 214 recorded player entries, the most played commander accounts for just 6%.

What changes, line by line.

Coming from Pauper or Duel Commander?
Criterion	Pauper	Duel Commander	PDC
Deck	60 cards minimum + 15-card sideboard	Exactly 100 cards, commander included	Exactly 100 cards, commander(s) included
Copies	Up to 4 per card	Singleton (basic lands excepted)	Singleton (basic lands excepted)
Commander	None	Legendary creature, planeswalker with “can be your commander”, legendary Vehicle or Spacecraft, Background — any rarity	Creature, Vehicle, Spacecraft or Background printed at uncommon — no need to be legendary
Rarity	Commons only	No restriction	99 commons + an uncommon commander
Ban list	Pauper Format Panel	Duel Commander committee	PDC France committee — banned as commander / in deck, announcement every two months