May 21, 2026
Shuffle up and stir the drama
Magic the Gathering format: Fun 40
A homemade throwback card game sparked cheers, nitpicks, and one very loud Mox meltdown
TLDR: A fan rebuilt old-school *Magic: The Gathering* as six 40-card decks meant to feel faster, prettier, and more fun to play at home. Commenters loved the nostalgia but also poked holes in the “not too many power cards” claim, while others cracked jokes about “Candy” cards and modern crossover weirdness.
A retro-loving Magic: The Gathering fan cooked up six custom 40-card decks to recreate the late-90s feel of the game at home after a nostalgic event packed with trading, tiny decks, and big feelings. His dream formula? More back-and-forth action, fewer miserable tactics like discard and land destruction, and a heavy dose of pretty old-school cards, from white-bordered oddities to iconic power cards like Moxen and Sol Ring. Basically: make it fun, make it fast, and make it look gorgeous.
But the real show started in the comments, where readers immediately turned into rules lawyers, romantics, and comedians. One confused soul kicked things off with the all-important question: what on earth does “Candy” mean here? Another reader loved the 40-card idea so much they compared repeat matches to chess, saying smaller decks make games feel more deliberate and tense. Then came the spiciest jab: the author says power cards are only good “if not found in abundance” — and a commenter instantly pointed out that every single deck appears to be stuffed with the right Moxen and Sol Ring anyway. Ouch.
And because no internet discussion can remain normal for long, one commenter swerved into trivia about Magic creator Richard Garfield being descended from President James Garfield, while another praised old cards partly because they don’t force players to battle Sephiroth, the Ninja Turtles, and My Little Pony in the same game. In other words: nostalgia is in, crossover chaos is out, and the comment section is having a blast.
Key Points
- •Fabien Sanglard created a six-deck Magic: The Gathering format called "Fun 40" after attending a side event at Beasts of the Bay’s "Quest for Urza’s Chalice."
- •The inspiring event used custom boosters, 40-card decks, and encouraged trading among more than 80 participants over three days.
- •The format’s design principles emphasize interactive games, comeback potential, limited discard and land destruction, mild prison effects, and smaller 40-card decks.
- •The article details six decks: white-green, green-red, mono-black, mono-red, Bant, and red-black, with specific card choices and themes for each.
- •Sanglard notes one house-rule adjustment, making Imperial Seal an instant, and says Gauntlet of Might was removed from the red deck because it was too strong.