Illustrated by Slawomir Maniak
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Speed
How quickly most games are decided.
Speed
 
Slow
Average
Fast
 
 
 
Speed
A bit above average
Because most creatures are relatively small and efficient, MID is a slightly faster format on average. Two-drops and an impactful curve are very important, and many one-drops are played with regularity.
Given the power level of the commons, it is important to play cards that make a significant impact on the board. Durdling with pure card draw is not recommended.
Prince/Pauper
Power difference between rares and commons.
Prince/Pauper
 
Pauper
Average
Prince
 
 
 
Prince/Pauper
Just: Pauper
Due to very powerful commons and the synergistic nature of the format, MID is potentially one of the most Pauper sets of all time.
Of course, powerful rares and mythics are still present, but the abundance of efficient removal at common means that they do not always take over games.
Many of the most powerful cards are synergy-driven uncommons, which are better than most rares and appear frequently in games.
Synergy
Importance of cards working together.
Synergy
 
Unimportant
Average
Important
 
 
 
Synergy
Extremely important
Hand-in-hand with the Pauper nature of the format: Synergy is essential to deckbuilding in MID.
The top commons perform well on their own but are best when paired with synergistic themes in a given color pair.
Uncommons are format-defining in MID, as they are individually very powerful but also synergy engines.
Removal
Effectiveness of the available removal.
Removal
 
Ineffective
Average
Effective
 
 
 
Removal
Extremely efficient
Removal in MID is cheap and efficient, especially in Blue, Black and Red.
White and Green rely on uncommons for effective removal, but could make due with passable commons.
The efficient removal, combined with powerful common creatures, has an interesting effect on the format: While still crucial, removal is often considered a tier below more powerful creatures and synergy.
Balance
Power balance between colors and decks.
Balance
 
Unbalanced
Average
Balanced
 
 
 
Balance
Unbalanced
Unfortunately, the format is widely regarded as unbalanced. Blue has extremely powerful and synergistic commons and Black has cheap and efficient removal. White and Green are less powerful but still have synergistic decks and strategies, but the raw power level of most Red cards is lacking.
Despite this, some highly synergistic decks could make use of Red's spells-matter theme, particularly Red-Blue and even Red-Green. Still, outside of these carefully built synergies, it is recommended to avoid those color pairs, in particular Red-Green.
The color imbalance is likely the biggest problem with an otherwise very popular and well-received set.
Lands/Colors
How many lands and colors generally see play.
Land Total
17 Lands
Color Total
2 Colors
For the most part, MID is a two-color format with a normal 17-land curve.
17 lands is generally recommended to enable a good curveout, and there are no significant mana sinks to consider.
Two colors are usually all you need, but see below for more information on splashing.
Mana Fixing
Ability to fix for more than two colors.
Mana Fixing
 
Difficult
Average
Easy
 
 
 
Mana Fixing
Not easy nor important
Fixing is not easy nor very important in MID, given the synergistic two-color nature of the format and lack of must-play bombs.
Some borderline-playable green cards can enable a splash, but are better off being avoided. However, Evolving Wilds can easily enable a splash.
There is some support for four- and five-color decks, which can lean on Jack-o'-Lantern.