Most Canadian Old School communities use the Boreal banlist, originally proposed by the Montreal Tundra Wolves. Generally, it allows 4 copies of some contentious cards to give a slightly larger deckbuilding space.
Legal sets
- Alpha, Beta, Unlimited Editions
- Arabian Nights
- Antiquities
- Legends
- The Dark
- Fallen Empires
Restricted cards
| Restricted cards (20) 1 Ancestral Recall 1 Balance 1 Black Lotus 1 Braingeyser 1 Chaos Orb 1 Channel 1 Demonic Tutor 1 Library of Alexandria 1 Mana Drain 1 Mind Twist 1 Mox Emerald 1 Mox Jet 1 Mox Pearl 1 Mox Ruby 1 Mox Sapphire 1 Regrowth 1 Sol Ring 1 Time Walk 1 Timetwister 1 Wheel of Fortune |
Noteworthy 4-ofs
These cards see restrictions in some other Old School formats. You can play up to 4 in Boreal.
| Noteworthy 4-ofs (6) 1 Maze of Ith 1 Mishra’s Workshop 1 Recall 1 Shahrazad 1 Strip Mine 1 Time Vault |
Banned cards
Only ante cards are banned.
| Banned cards (7) 1 Bronze Tablet 1 Contract from Below 1 Darkpact 1 Demonic Attorney 1 Jeweled Bird 1 Rebirth 1 Tempest Efreet |
Rules differences and erratas
Mana burn: Like other North American formats, you lose life equal to the unused mana at the end of each step or phase.
Chaos Orb: Text is changed to:
1, Tap: Choose a nontoken permanent on the battlefield. If Chaos Orb is on the battlefield, flip Chaos Orb onto the battlefield from a height of at least one foot. If Chaos Orb turns over completely at least 360 degrees during the flip, and lands resting on the chosen permanent, destroy that permanent. Then destroy Chaos Orb.
Falling Star: Text is changed to:
Choose any number of non-overlapping creatures on the battlefield. Flip Falling Star from a height of at least one foot. If Falling Star turns over completely at least 360 degrees during the flip, it deals 3 damage to each chosen creature it lands resting on. Any creatures damaged by Falling Star that are not destroyed become tapped.
For Chaos Orb and Falling Star, you can move the card(s) you’re choosing before you flip. Be reasonable. If the sleeves overlap, the cards are considered touching.