Catfight is a fan-made Magic the Gathering format by ReyaaDawnMTG that focuses around Nine-Lives Familiar, a Cat that starts with nine lives and returns to the battlefield with one less lives after it’s killed. It’s the only creature you’re allowed to play in your 40 card singleton deck.
I can’t lie: I love these kinds of quirky fun formats. Will definitely build a couple of cat decks and bring them to my game nights for friends to test out.
The Golden Rule:
You can’t make the cat do what the cat doesn’t want to do
The player wins by reducing your opponent’s life (that starts at 9) to 0 or by killing their cat 9 times so it can’t come back.
All cards in the deck must either be lands or non-creature spells with mana cost of exactly 1.
- Rules document
- Explainer video: A new way to play Magic the Gathering - Fast, Fun, Budget, & Competitive
Deckbuilding rules
- 40 cards (+ the cat)
- No creatures other than the cat, this includes Dryad Arbor)
- Singleton except for basic lands
- Each spell must have CMC of 1 (X / Kicker / Talent etc are allowed)
- 9 card sideboard
Gameplay
- Each player starts with Nine-Lives Familiar in play with 8 revival counters
- Non-combat damage dealt to players is prevented
- Players start with 9 life
- Regular rules of Magic apply, including win cons
Special rules
You can’t
- Exile the cat
- Bounce the cat
- Put the cat into library
- Make the cat lose its revival ability
- Turn the cat face down (or similar)
- Permanently gain control of your opponent’s cat
Ban list
- The Ozolith
- Price of Betrayal
- Ice Floe
- Swift Reconfiguration
- Lurking Jackals
- Honest Work
- Ancestral Recall
- Mishra’s Workshop
- The Original 10 Dual Lands
- Ante Cards
- Silver Border and Acorn Cards (Unfinity Eternal cards are legal)
- Conspiracy Cards