BulkJank

ALL WILL BE BULK
(ALPHA)

BULKJANK

(NOTE 12/16/2023: Those playtesting the "Pocket BulkJank" system can ignore this page, though they are intended to integrate with each other)
(Dev note: the BulkJank interpretation of the JANK! format is currently in alpha. I understand this document is extremely wordy, so thanks for reading it through :). Please be willing to help your opponent understand the rules so they know what options are available to them)

Welcome to BulkJank, the most advanced and yet still most accessible realization of the the semi-competitive, limited constructed JANK! format.

Decks utilize a point buy system, as well the algorithmically generated BulkJank List, to make the most out of your left over cards. With the deck building restrictions reducing the ceiling of power, even the most optimized decks still have kitchen-table pile vibes after being b u l k i f i e d

BulkJank List

In a cutthroat survival of the jankiest, Fblthex ensures only the most *bulky* of cards become compleated.

All cards in BulkJank decks must be on the BulkJank List, which is algorithmically generated to contain cards throughout Magic's history that you might find in a bulk bin :).
(Dev Note: To put it in context, as of May 2023, the BulkJank List contains 17301 cards, about 70% of all of Magic's card pool. It contains 2722 rares, over 200 more rares than all of the Pioneer format. The list also contains just under half of all rares that are currently Standard legal)
The BulkJank List is refreshed once a year in autumn, around when Standard rotates. Updates are applied to it periodically throughout the year to add cards. For deck stability, only once per year in autumn can cards be removed from the list. (Note: the vast majority of cards remain on the list when the yearly refresh occurs)
The list's goal is to encourage changes to metagames, temper power level, and generally ensure the barrier of entry is extremely accessible. With the list's self regulating nature, cards that become popular are likely to be filtered out when the list refreshes once a year, encouraging new strategies to ever evolve.

(Dev note: right now in this early stage, I am running the list update script manually monthly / weekly-ish to add new cards to it. Eventually, this will be an automated task on a server. Once again, cards can only possibly be removed from the list in the yearly refresh in autumn.)

BulkJank List can be found here

And here's the code for those interested in how the BulkJank algorithmn works.

(Dev note: Though all cards on the Bulkjank List should be easy to acquire, I understand it can be quite a process trying to brew with the restrictions. We're working to add new tools to the site to help deckbuilding and brewing, but for now, simply adding the following to any scryfall.com search will generally produce results that are on the list.

legal:vintage -is:digital -is:reserved usd<=.25

This search string includes current algorithmnically determined thresholds, which are subject to change upon yearly refresh. It can serve as a good starting point for brewing, just be aware that there are hundreds of cards on the list that are not covered by this filter, and cards in the filter that are not actually on the list. Always double check the list, and your spelling :^) )

Deck Construction

Maindeck: Minimum 65 cards / maximum 33 points
Sideboard: Up to 13 cards, any number of points
- Maindecks cannot begin a game with more points than their maximum.

Point Buy System: Points are based on the lowest printed rarity of a card, which is displayed on the BulkJank list. Use the list to determine points.

Commons: 0 points
Uncommons: 1 point
Rares: 2 points
Mythics: 3 points

BulkJank decks are at base Singleton, with only 1 copy of a unique card name, excluding basic lands and cards that have no limits (eg: Rat Colony, Dragon's Approach, etc) but allow for the following amounts of card copies:

2 Quads (2 sets of up to 4 copies of a card)
3 Trips (3 sets of up to 3 copies of a card)
6 pairs (6 sets of up to 2 copies of a card)
- Quads, Trips, and Pairs apply to both maindeck/sideboard in total (example: if a maindeck has 2 quads, it's sideboard cannot contain any quads, etc.)

Feats can be taken for further deck customization. See the "Optional Feats" section further below.

Leyline of Jank

A mechanic to help smooth out mana and draws while providing additional avenues for strategy.

The Leyline can be performed at any time a player could normally cast a sorcery during their turn. This is special action that does not use the stack. Taking a mulligan consumes a charge of Leyline.

Each player starts the game with three charges of the Leyline to perform one of the three abilities below:

Dig Through Jank

DIG THROUGH JANK: (pitch a card to dig for land)

Put a card from your hand on the bottom of your library: Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a land card, or until 3 cards are revealed. If you revealed a land, put it into your hand. Otherwise, put the top card of your library into your hand. (This does not count as drawing a card.) Put the remaining revealed cards on the bottom of your library in a random order.

Jank Cycle

JANK CYCLE: (cycle a land)

Reveal a land card that isn't a basic snow land from your hand and put it on the bottom of your library: Put the top card of your library into your hand. (This does not count as drawing a card)

Amulet of Jank

AMULET OF JANK: (help multicolor manabases)

The next time a land enters the battlefield tapped under your control this turn, untap it (only occurs for one land per Leyline use.)

If that land would produce more than one mana this turn, either through its mana abilities or through entering the battlefield, it instead doesn't produce that extra mana (Dev note: prevents cards like Crumbling Vestige, Lotus Field, Bounce Lands, etc from being mana ramp tools)

Optional Deck Feats

The following 6 Feats are deck modifications that can be taken for further customization:

Triple Play

Your main deck size is reduced by 10 cards and 4 points (55 cards/ 29 points). Sideboard is reduced by 2 cards (11 cards).

You have no Quads.

Double Down

Your main deck size is reduced by a further 10 cards and 4 points (45 cards/ 25 points). Sideboard is reduced by a further 2 cards (9 cards).

You have no Quads or Trips. (Triple Play required as prerequisite)

Down to One

Your main deck size is reduced by a further 10 cards and 4 points (35 cards/ 21 points). Sideboard is reduced by a further 2 cards (7 cards).

Your deck is singleton, with no Quads, Trips, or Pairs. (Triple Play and Double Down required as prerequisite)

Janky Fresh

As long as at least 5 of your total points are from cards that are currently Standard legal, you get +1 maindeck point.

Rewards keeping things all the more spicy

Standardize

As long as all cards in your deck are Standard legal, you start with an extra Leyline of Jank.

Gives a boost to players with newer cardpools.

Unga Bunga

You have no sideboard. You get +1 maindeck point.

For those who don't want to think too much

BulkJank Nuances

Second Wind

If a player's library has zero cards in it after any number of cards have been removed from it, or if that player would attempt to draw from their empty library, that player may shuffle all cards they own in their graveyard and exile into their library. This only occurs once per game per player, and only if that player's library began with less than 45 cards in it.

(Note: It occurs *after* a mill or similar effect ends, and *before* attempting to draw a card from an empty library)

Super Multiples

Cards that allow a deck to have more than a normal amount of copies of a card, but still a fixed number (I.E. Seven Dwarves, Nazgul) must use an available Quad slot.

Leylines and Libraries

Anytime an active effect you control is giving you the ability to view card(s) from the top of your library or play with them revealed, you may NOT use a Leyline of Jank. (Experimental Frenzy, Future Sight, Ranger Class Level 3, Etc)

Leylines and Mulligans

The act of a taking a Mulligan also consumes an available charge of Leyline of Jank.

Companions

Lutri, the Spellchaser cannot be your chosen Companion. This is due to singleton-ness being an inherent component of Jank.

Companions occupy a sideboard slot as normal.

Attractions

Attraction decks are 10 cards and singleton as normal. These decks may be worth up to 6 points, not sharing points from the rest of your deck.

Jank the Shark

Just as in normal Magic, in-Magic-universe Universes Within cards are considered the same card as their crossover Universe's Beyond counterpart. If one of them is on the BulkJank List, then either can be played as if they were the same card.

Best of 1: Preview and Preboarding

JANK! events are generally run as best of one events, with a preview and preboard to allow for sideboarding and give an idea of what you'll be up against.

Beginning with the randomly chosen starting player, perform the following actions:

Preview

Indicate to your opponent your opponent any feats you've chosen, shuffle your library, then reveal the top 10 cards. If you have a sideboard, shuffle all cards of your sideboard and reveal the top 2 cards.

(Preview in best of one only)

Preboard

After the Preview phase, sideboard cards can be exchanged with cards from the main deck. Following substitutions, the limits of points for main decks cannot be exceeded.

(Preboard in best of one only)

Begin

Draw the opening hands as normal. Mulligan as normal, except that the act of a Mulligan also consumes an available charge of Leyline of Jank.

Post-Game

When asked, reveal your hand, library, and sideboard to your opponent after the game ends.

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