Starter cards - legal?

[dandan]

I have asked this question in the Community forum and have searched to no avail so I hope you rules gurus can help.

Is Starter Type I legal?

Before you say No look at http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/rb30

Randy Buehler said that Starter would count as a subset of Eighth but I have seen no further mention of this. Is it or isn't it?

[DEA]

off crystal keep
Portal cards are not allowed unless they have the same name as a legal card. In this case, they play as the legal card text and not the Portal card text. Starter cards follow the same rules as Portal cards.

maybe when wotc decides to update it we'll have a better answer

[dandan]

Kind of vague, isn't it? It also contradicts Randy. Not that there are any tournament worthy Starter cards that aren't in 8th, but I would like to know if all Starter cards are Type I legal or not. (it has a slight bearing on my campaign to make Portal Type I legal)

[Jebus]

Perhaps I can shed some light on this.

There are two sets known as Starter:  Starter (released in 1999) and Starter 2000 (which contained cards from both 6th and the original Starter).

These two sets contain cards that were printed only in Starter and Portal.  Those cards are not legal for tournament play in any format.  However, just like Portal, they contain cards that are in legal sets.  Those cards are legal for tournament play (starter Time Warp for example).

Cards printed in the Eight Edition "Core Game" (the 8th Edition Starter Box) are tournament legal as all cards in it were already printed in tournament legal sets.  Even if they weren't though, it is considered a part of 8th Edition, so would be legal anyway.

[Tristal]

The most notable oddity here is that Vengeance (3W, Destroy target tapped creature) was not in 8th packs, but since it's in the latest Starter iteration, it's T2 legal.  This is pretty much the only useful card out of the lot that I remember. (Come on, SEA EAGLE?)

Sorry, no Grim Tutors for you guys. ;)

[dandan]

So Randy Buehler says Starter is counted as being part of 8th, Jebus says both Starter 1999 and Starter 2000 don't count as being part of 8th and so are not legal, Tristal seems to suggest Starter 2000 does count as being part of 8th but Starter 1999 doesn't and DEA basically agrees with Jebus based on Crystal Keep.

My head hurts....

At least I feel a little better that my search for information before I posted this question didn't find anything clear!!

[rvs]

ask@wizards.com

I'm sure Rune wants to answer this one :p

[dandan]

Question asked (with the usual addition of Portal as well)

I am amazed that it is this difficult to find out. I didn't want to ask as 'Is set XYZ legal in format ABC?' is usually asked by newbies who seem incapable of using any form of Search. I have looked, honest.

Of course if Wizards don't know I may have to declare Starter Type I legal unilaterally. Of course, you all know that Starter is merely the very thin end of the wedge in my cunning plan. Portal - 3 sets of cards- are coming. Join the movement and be on the winning side.

[Jebus]

So Randy Buehler says Starter is counted as being part of 8th

He means the 8th Edition Starter set which is known as the "Core Game".  Not previous versions of Starter.

Jebus says both Starter 1999 and Starter 2000 don't count as being part of 8th and so are not legal

Of course they aren't part of 8th.  They were printed years ago.

Tristal seems to suggest Starter 2000 does count as being part of 8th but Starter 1999 doesn't

I don't see Tristal saying anything like this.  Vengence was reprinted in the latest 8th Edition starter, the "Core Game", which makes it legal in Type 2 and of course Type 1 (of course it was already Type 1 legal as it was also in 7th, which also made it Type II legal prevsiously as well ).

You seem to be lumping in the 8th Edition starter with Starter and Starter 2000. Randy did not meant that the old starters were a part of 8th.  only the new starter.

The reason he stated this is because they seperated the Starter cards with 8th Edition (as opposed to 7th, which lumped them in Boosters as well), but wanted to keep them legal for tournament paly.

[dandan]

I understand now. Sorry for being so dim.

However, Randy mentions that the card Vengeance would be in the Starter game but not in 8th. However the list of cards for the Starter box doesn't include Vengeance but Starter 1999 did include it. I guess changes were made after his article.

So Starter is not Type I legal (although obviously a large number of Starter cards are legal because they were printed in 7th or 8th).  Thanks for the help.

[Jebus]

I understand now. Sorry for being so dim.

However, Randy mentions that the card Vengeance would be in the Starter game but not in 8th. However the list of cards for the Starter box doesn't include Vengeance but Starter 1999 did include it. I guess changes were made after his article.

So Starter is not Type I legal (although obviously a large number of Starter cards are legal because they were printed in 7th or 8th).  Thanks for the help.

Vengeance was included in the Core Game.  The list you are looking at must be incorrect.