Pioneer

Pioneer is a constructed format that allows expansion sets and core sets from Return to Ravnica forward, save for the Pioneer ban list. It is legal for tabletop Magic: The Gathering and Magic Online. MTG Arena does not support Pioneer yet, but uses Explorer to bridge while the older cards are added. Once Pioneer Masters is released in December 2024, Explorer will be renamed to Pioneer on MTG Arena.
==Description==
The format was introduced on October 21, 2019, and was officially codified on January 30, 2020, when it was featured on Grand Prix Brussels. StarCityGames soon after moved away from Legacy as an SCG Tour format, replacing it with Pioneer.
However, the COVID-19 outbreak severely hampered the format's ability to grow and amass a following. The pandemic meant that paper tournaments were out of the question, and with it most of its purpose for being. Those playing online would either lean towards Modern or Legacy, with their existing player base and occasional supplemental products, while MTG Arena was not prepared to absorb twenty sets of cards at short notice. Official tournament support used Historic as a secondary Constructed format, due to it being available immediately, and so more resources were allocated to managing it. This led to the perception of Pioneer being a dead format.
The post-MPL organized play promises Pioneer in the system, and as the first Regional tour format. While Arena's Historic format spun off into its own format and identity, Explorer was introduced as the real bridge that would be true-to-paper and will eventually become Pioneer.
==Deck construction==
All the regular rules for constructed formats apply. Decks must contain a minimum of sixty cards. There is no maximum deck size; however, you must be able to shuffle your deck with no assistance. Like other constructed formats, a sideboard of at most fifteen cards can be used. With the exception of basic lands and cards like <c>Rat Colony</c>, a player's combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than four of any individual card.
===Set legality===
Cards from all regular core sets and expansions since Return to Ravnica (including exclusives that only appeared in Welcome Deck 2016 and Welcome Deck 2017) are legal.
===Banned List===
The original stated Pioneer plan was to run it on MTGO and ban “aggressively and off-cycle”, which meant whenever R&D felt like they had the justification: any day, any time. But, since organizations were quickly committing to tabletop events, it was announced that banned list announcements/changes would be made only on Mondays. This synced Pioneer with other constructed formats.
As of December 16th, 2024, the following cards are banned in Pioneer tournaments:
==References==
==See also==
*Pioneer Masters
==External links==
*
Category:Release day maintenance