Two by Four

Playtest cards aren’t legal for play in any tournament format other than Mystery Booster Limited formats. On the other hand, we expect they will spice up a wide variety of non-tournament games (as long as everyone’s on the same page about using them!).

For many playtest cards, you’ll need to make a generous assumption that basic game rules would be updated to allow them to work. The Mystery Booster 2 Playtest Card Notes section (reproduced here in individual Gatherer rulings) provides guidance for fitting these cards into the existing rules structure.

Playtest cards use a modified version of game symbols, such as {T} and {W}. These modified symbols should be treated as the standard symbols during play.

The effect of a base power 4 counter or base toughness 4 counter overrides any existing effects that set that creature’s base power or toughness, as appropriate. Any existing effects or counters that raise, lower, or switch a creature’s power and/or toughness continue to apply to the creature’s new base power or toughness. Any base power- or toughness-setting effects that start to apply after the counter is placed on the creature will overwrite the counter’s effect. (For the rules-savvy, yes, this applies in layer 7b.)