Official ruleset
Format Rules
The Pauper Duel Commander France ruleset: deck construction, rarities and game rules.
The rules in 30 seconds
Enough to play your first game. The full ruleset follows.
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100 cards
99 cards + 1 commander (or 98 + 2 with partner).
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Uncommon Commander
The commander must have been printed at uncommon at least once. Vehicles and Spacecraft qualify on the same terms.
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Common Cards
The 99 cards in the deck must have been printed at common at least once (Pauper legality).
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Color Identity
All cards must match the commander's color identity.
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No Duplicates
Maximum 1 copy of each card, except basic lands.
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Ban List
Cards on the PDC ban list are not allowed.
Coming from Pauper or Duel Commander?
What changes, line by line.
| Criterion | Pauper | Duel Commander | PDC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Players | 1v1 | 1v1 | 1v1 |
| 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 |
| Life total | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Commander damage | — | No | No (rule 3.4) |
| Ban list | Pauper Format Panel | Duel Commander committee | PDC France committee — banned as commander / in deck, announcement every two months |
Sources: the PDC ruleset above, duelcommander.org for Duel Commander, the official Pauper rules.
1. General
Pauper Duel Commander France (PDC Fr) is a two-player (1vs1) Constructed Magic: The Gathering format.
Games of Pauper Duel Commander France are played using the Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules, except as modified by these rules.
Comprehensive RulesUnless otherwise specified, games follow the Commander rules defined in the Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules.
For the purpose of these rules, card rarities are defined as follows (you can refer to Scryfall):
Scryfall- 1.4.a A common card is a card that has been printed at common rarity in any legal paper or Magic Online printing.
- 1.4.b An uncommon card is a card that has been printed at uncommon rarity in any legal paper or Magic Online printing.
- 1.4.c A card may be both a common card and an uncommon card.
2. Deck Construction
A deck consists of exactly 100 cards, including its commander(s).
Except for basic lands, a deck may not contain more than one card with the same English name.
All cards in a deck must have a color identity contained within the color identity of its commander(s).
A commander must be an Uncommon Creature, Vehicle, Spacecraft or Background (when applicable).
Players may only cast one of their commanders from the command zone per game (the first one cast).
Every non-commander card in a deck must be a common card.
Cards appearing on the Pauper Duel Commander France banned list are not legal.
BanlistAny non-legal cards in Vintage are banned.
3. Game Rules
Each player begins the game with 20 life.
The London Mulligan is used.
The starting player skips the draw step of their first turn.
Commander damage is not used.
A commander may be cast from the command zone. Commander tax applies as defined by the Commander rules.
Edge cases
The questions that come up at tournaments.
Can I play a partner or a Background?
Yes. A Background counts as a commander (rule 2.4) and partner mechanics work normally. The deck then holds 98 cards plus both commanders, for 100 total. Note that only one of your commanders may be cast from the command zone per game — the first one cast (rule 2.5).
Is a card printed at common only on Arena legal?
No. Rarity is read from legal paper or Magic Online printings (rule 1.4). An Arena-only rarity counts for nothing: it cannot make a card common, nor make a commander uncommon.
Does my commander have to be legendary?
No, and that is what makes the format. Any Creature, Vehicle, Spacecraft or Background printed at uncommon at least once can be your commander (rule 2.4).
Can a card be both common and uncommon?
Yes (rule 1.4.c). A card printed at common in one set and at uncommon in another can therefore be played in the deck as well as be a legal commander.
Are cards that are not Vintage-legal playable?
No: any card that is not legal in Vintage is banned (rule 2.8). That covers Un-set cards and cards restricted to specific formats.
How do I check that a deck is legal?
The site validator runs the format’s nine checks — size, singleton, rarities, color identity, ban list — against a decklist in MTGO format.
Who goes first, and do they draw?
The starting player skips the draw step of their first turn (rule 3.3). The London mulligan is used (rule 3.2).
Updated on 3 August 2026 — 17 banned cards.