During the era when Wizards still produced duel decks, a friend and I were playing a couple of them and were really enjoying the variance brought out by the limited number of uncommons and rares included in the decks. So we got together and decided to come up with a format based on that idea. What if we not only allowed a certain number of rares and uncommons but required it; and what if you couldn't run 4x of those cards in your deck.
After several iterations of the format over the years and adapting to the continuous addition of new types of cards, we landed on what seemed to bring about the right amount of variance in the games while getting to enjoy some of the lesser played rares and mythics.
We had previously dubbed the format "super pauper" for its pauper like feeling, the idea was everyone could build a deck without spending a ton of money and have a relatively enjoyable but competitive experience with a higher level of variance than any other format in magic. The spirit is... "Think Duel Deck!" So without blabbering on further below outlines the format rules and legality.
Set Legality
All nonsilver bordered sets are legal.
Sticker cards are not permitted.
Rules
Each deck must contain at least 60 cards.
Each deck may include a sideboard of up to 15 cards.
Each deck and sideboard may contain up to a total of 2 mythic rares, 6 rares and 16 uncommons. The remainder must be commons.
When determining a card's rarity, you may have it count for any rarity that it has been printed at online or in paper.
You may not include more than 1 of each rare or mythic rare with the same name in your deck and sideboard.
You may not include more than 2 of each uncommon with the same in your deck or sideboard.
You may continue to include upto 4 of each common with the same name in your deck and sideboard.
You may not include more than the 1 planeswalker in your deck and sideboard.
If either side of a card is a planeswalker, it counts as your planeswalker.
Banned Card List
25 cards with the Card Type “Conspiracy.” 9 cards that reference "playing for ante." All cards that bring a sticker or an Attraction into the game are banned. Wizards sanctioned event also require that all cards whose art, text, name, or combination thereof that are racially or culturally offensive are banned in all formats. Please visit Wizard's ban list for the list of cards ban in this way.
Ancient Tomb is banned.
Brainstorm is banned.
Crop Rotation is banned. (8/25)
Elvish Spirit Guide is banned.
Lotus Petal is banned.
Simian Spirit Guide is banned.
Atog is unbanned. (8/25)
Deadly Dispute is unbanned. (8/25)
Deathrite Shaman is unbanned.
Dig Through Time is unbanned.
Expressive Iteration is unbanned.
Gaea's Cradle is unbanned. (8/25)
Grief is unbanned.
Hightide is unbanned. (8/25)
Kuldotha Rebirth is unbanned. (8/25)
Memory Jar is unbanned.
Oath of Druids is unbanned. (8/25)
Oko, Thief of Crowns is unbanned. (8/25)
Prophetic Prism is unbanned. (8/25)
Psychic Frog is unbanned.
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer is unbanned.
Survival of the Fittest is unbanned.
Vexing Bauble is unbanned.
Windfall is unbanned.
Wrenn and Six is unbanned.
Watch List (Possibly will be banned in near future):
Force of Will
Artifact lands
As we find problematic cards for our format we will take swift and appropriate action to our specific ban list, either because a card is too powerful for the format or is not in the spirit of the format.