Magic The Gathering: What Is Background?

Commander Format is an immensely popular format for Magic: The Gathering and has completely different rules to regular Magic. In addition to having different rules, there are also a couple of new card types introduced in the format that you can only play in Commander Format. 

One of these card types is an enchantment called 'Background,' and we're here to explain everything that you need to know about the card.

What Is Background in Magic: The Gathering Commander Format?

Background is a type of legendary enchantment that is only available in Commander Format, an alternative format of Magic The Gathering. They can played as a second commander at the start of the game when you play your first commander, assuming that your first commander contains the text 'Choose a background'. 

It's important to remember that since it's a separate card, it's classed as an entirely separate entity from your first commander. This means that you can target it with cards that target the Commander, but cards that specifically refer to a 'creature' usually can't target the enchantment unless it also happens to be a creature, of which there are very few. 

What's the Difference Between Commander Format and Regular Magic: The Gathering?

There's actually a huge difference between Commander Format and the standard Magic The Gathering format. In regular Magic: The Gathering, the deck must consist of at least sixty cards, and you can only have four cards of the same name (excluding your basic lands, of which you can have an unlimited amount). You have 20 life, and once that hits zero, you've lost the game. 

In Commander Format, you have to have a total of 100 cards in your deck. You can only have one card of any given name (except for basic lands), and you have 40 life in total. You also have what is referred to as your Commander, which is a card that is automatically played at the start of a game and is a legendary creature. You can activate the effects of these commanders as long as you meet the requirements on the card itself. 

This is a very basic overview, and there are some other differences that we haven't touched on here, but those are the major differences between the two formats. As you can see, there are a lot of changes in the Commander Format when compared directly to a regular Magic The Gathering game.