Archenemy is a special MTG game mode, where a single player battles against multiple opponents. It was introduced in 2010, in a product with the same name Archenemy. Since, it returned twice; first in Archenemy: Nicol Bolas (2017), and more recently with Duskmourn Commander decks.
These precons will introduce Archenemy to many players who might’ve never heard about it before. On top of that, with this release, the rules of Commander Archenemy were updated. Whether you’re just learning about Archenemy or if you’re just looking for the new rules, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, you’ll find everything you need to know about it, including:
- How to play Archenemy?
- What are the rules for Commander Archenemy?
- What are scheme cards?
- Which products contain scheme cards?
There’s quite a lot to talk about, so let’s jump right in.
What is Archenemy?
Archenemy is a special game mode, where one player (archenemy) plays against multiple – typically three opponents (heroes). That doesn’t seem balanced, does it?
In order to put both archenemy and the heroes on equal footing, the archenemy has access to a scheme deck, full of powerful scheme cards. At the beginning of archenemy’s first main phase, they reveal the top card of the deck, and get its effect. Here’s one example of a scheme card.
Now this is quite a potent effect, and can easily make up for the fact that one player battles against three others. The heroes will need to work together in order to have a chance to defeat the villain.
Besides, the schemes, there are some other rules that differ from regular gameplay. Let’s check them out.
Archenemy Rules
The following rules are the new ones, currently used for Commander Archenemy. We’ll discuss the changes from the old rules a bit later.
These are the most basic rules that you need to know. In the FAQ section you’ll be able to find details about specific scenarios, but this should give you a good overall understanding of Archenemy.
Game Setup
- Each player uses a regular Commander deck. The archenemy also uses a scheme deck, which must contain at least 10 scheme cards. (It can’t include more than two copies of any one scheme.)
- The archenemy’s starting life total is 60. Heroes share their life total, which is also 60.
Gameplay
- The archenemy always begins the game and draws the card for the turn.
- On each of the archenemy’s turns, at the start of their first main phase, they revealed the top card of their scheme deck, and set that scheme in motion.
- The heroes take their turns simultaneously. They take their beginning phase together, then their main phase, and so on.
- When attacking, the archenemy must declare which creature attacks which player. While the heroes do share a life total, this can still matter for some cards.
- When blocking, a hero can block the attacking creature, even if it is attacking another teammate.
Ending the Game
- If archenemy’s life total is reduced to zero, the heroes win. On the other hand, the archenemy wins when heroes’ life total is zero or less.
- Of course, alternate win conditions, such as Darsteel Reactor or milling a player out, will also do the trick.
What Changed?
So, how do the new Commander Archenemy differ from the old, regular rules?
The biggest change is that the heroes share their life total. That’s a major upgrade, as it significantly improves the game play.
Besides that, there were two more changes:
- The archenemy’s life total was increased from 40 to 60.
- The scheme deck minimum life total was reduced from 20 to 10.
If you want to play with the old rules, you can definitely do so too, as archenemy is first and foremost a casual format.
List of MTG Archenemy Products
At the beginning, we mentioned the three products containing scheme cards. Here’s a bit more information about them.
Archenemy
The first four Archenemy boxes were introduced in 2010, so 14 years ago. The contained 60-card casual decks plus 20-card scheme decks. The decks names were:
- Assemble the Doomsday Machine (white, blue, black)
- Trample Civilization Underfoot (white, green)
- Scorch the World with Dragonfire (red, green)
- Bring About the Undead Apocalypse (black, red)
The product had its fans, but it wasn’t super popular, so it wasn’t until 2017, that archenemy and scheme cards appeared again.
Archenemy: Nicol Bolas
This was a boxed set of four regular decks, plus a single 20-card scheme deck. This way, it could be used as a self-contained MTG board game.
The archenemy was supposed to be Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker with its Grixis (blue, black, red) deck. The heroes, on the other side, were represented by Gideon Jura, Chandra, Pyromaster, and Nissa, Worldwaker.
Magic story at the time was about the battle of planeswalkers versus Nicol Bolas, so this product was well-timed. On top of that, it was fairly priced, and it was reasonably popular.
Duskmourn Commander Decks
Speaking of popular, Commander precons are perhaps the most popular Magic the Gatering products. The most recent ones are Duskmourn Commander decks, priced similarly like the other modern precons, but with a relevant twist. There are 10 new scheme cards in each deck.
So, if you ever wanted to try archenemy, this is a perfect way to do so. You pay for the precon, and also get the scheme cards on top of that. If your play group is up for that, archenemy is an amazing way to spice up your Commander game nights.
Additional Archenemy FAQ
Here are some more details about archenemy. If you won’t find the answer to your question, don’t hesitate to leave a comment at the and of the article, and we’ll get back to you.
To play archenemy, you’ll need 4 players, 4 regular decks, and 1 scheme deck with at least 10 scheme cards.
Ongoing is a supertype that can appear on some schemes. An ongoing scheme remains in play face-up until a specific condition is met, then the archenemy needs to abandon it.
No, you don’t need to. The added scheme cards are entirely optional.
The scheme cards are oversized, so players don’t accidentally shuffle them in their regular decks.
This is a special take on the whole archenemy shtick. You play a regular game of Magic, or multiplayer Commander, with one additional change. Each player also plays with a scheme deck, and it works just as if each player was an archenemy.
Conclusion
So, that’s all about archenemy. Do you like the format? Have you played it before? Let us know in the comments. Also, don’t forget to check everything we know about Duskmourn Commander decks, if you’re planning to start playing this special game mode.
Until next time, enjoy Magic, and may you always successfully defeat the archenemy. Unless, you’re the archenemy. In that case, may all your schemes and plans come to fruition.