Opening Hands and Mulligan Rules: How Many You Draw and Redraw

Setup sequence (CR §110–118)

• Each player shuffles their Main and Rune Decks separately and places them in their zones (CR 114, 114.1–114.2).
• Turn order is set by any fair random method all players agree on (CR 115); the First Player takes the first turn (CR 115.1.b.1), and modes of play may adjust first turns (CR 115.2).
• Each player draws 4 (CR 116).
• Players mulligan in turn order (CR 117).
• Play begins with the First Player (CR 118).

How the mulligan works (CR §117)

A player may choose up to two cards in hand and sets them aside (CR 117.1), then draws as many cards as they set aside (CR 117.2), then Recycles the set-aside cards (CR 117.3).

Recycle (CR 416.1) puts the cards on the bottom of the corresponding deck — Main Deck cards go to the bottom of the Main Deck (CR 416.1.a), runes to the bottom of the Rune Deck (CR 416.1.b). The mulliganed cards are not shuffled back in.

Tournament procedure (TR §406–407)

Before each game, players must present their Main Deck, Rune Deck and sideboard (if applicable) to opponents (TR 406.1.d); opponents may shuffle those decks (TR 406.1.e — required at high OPL, 406.1.e.2).

For game one, a designated player chooses to play first or last (TR 407.1), chosen by any agreed random method (TR 407.2); at high-OPL playoffs the higher Swiss-ranked player is automatically designated (TR 407.2.a).

For later games, the loser of the previous game chooses; after a draw, the previous starting player is kept (TR 407.4).

First-turn adjustments vary by mode (CR §485–487)

First-turn adjustments come from the Mode of Play (CR 115.2). Example, 1v1 match play (CR 486.7): the player going second channels an extra rune in their first Channel Phase. FFA three-player (CR 487.7): the first player skips their first draw, and the player going last channels an extra rune.

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