Social Contracts and Power Levels

Incite Insight card art

In 2023, I mentioned social contracts and power levels in a post. This post looks at these intertwined concepts.

Magic has rules for its formats. Generally, formats involve number of cards in a deck, permitted copies of each card in that deck, eligible sets to choose from, and whether or not you construct you deck in advance or build it via limited means (sealed, drafting, jumpstart, etc.—see here for more formats). But there are some rules that go unwritten; social contracts are one such rule. 

screenshot from the formats link above

Magic is competitive, but it is also about gathering to enjoy the amusing permutations and creativity that the game enables. That can be fun in any environment, but in most, the players involved want some degree of a 'level playing field.' To this end, a social contract in Magic is the (spoken or unspoken) assumptions or agreements players have when fielding their decks at (say) a local game store or other common get-together. Many players end up in playgroups, and that group will probably have such a device.

Social contracts revolve around the power level of a deck. The power level is how powerful/effective the deck is: how quickly it can win, how 'flexible' it is to succeed against multiple deck types, etc. Generally, the power level is 1–10, with 10 being the best possible. 

Power level is, of course, a judgment call. There are calculators (like this one) that try to quantify it, and you can use other measures (like card cost on the secondary market, rarity, etc.), but decks need synergy to be effective, and calculators cannot measure that; you can have tons of powerful or expensive cards in your deck but still be ineffective (I am very good at building decks like this).

Why would any playgroup want to enforce power level restrictions or other things in a social contract? There are many good reasons:

- to give new (or budget) players a chance

- to explore untested decks (which might need a longer game)

- to fool around with cards that would never see play in a more competitive environment

- to encourage trying new things

Only constructed events have social contracts/power levels . . . limited (sealed/draft) environments inherently have a level playing field. I have heard of social contracts most often in Commander, as that casual format has the least 'formal' restrictions (it has the largest pool of cards), and the greatest chance for imbalance. But every playgroup is different, and I'm sure some have very unique or unexpected social contracts.

If you are getting into the game and want to participate in a playgroup, asking about the social contract (power level) is a good thing to do up-front. It is one factor that can help you identify if the group aligns with your interests. It can also help avoid disappointment; I have heard of players who 'scoop' (quit the game by scooping up their cards before they are reduced to 0 life) if a player in the group fields a deck with power level greatly exceeding that of the others. 

As you gain experience in this game, you will pick up on some power levels inherently. For the rest, if you don't know, be honest about it to the group you're in. "This could be a 6, but I'm not sure." It will help them (and you) have the best possible time.