How the mulligan works
A mulligan lets you throw back an opening hand you cannot play. Under the current rules you always draw a fresh seven, then put a number of cards on the bottom of your library equal to how many times you have mulliganed.
This is usually called the London mulligan, and the important part is that you always see seven cards before choosing what to keep.
The short answer
- Shuffle your hand back and draw a full new hand of seven
- Then put cards on the bottom equal to the number of mulligans you have taken
- Your first mulligan puts one card back, the second puts two, and so on
- You see all seven cards before deciding which ones to bottom
- The starting player declares first, then each other player in turn order
- All players who chose to mulligan do so simultaneously
- You can keep mulliganing until your hand would be zero cards
The procedure, step by step
Everyone draws their starting hand, normally seven cards. The starting player says whether they are keeping, then each other player does the same in turn order. Once everyone has declared, all the players taking a mulligan do it at the same time.
Taking a mulligan means shuffling your hand into your library, drawing a fresh hand of the same starting size, and then putting cards on the bottom of your library equal to how many mulligans you have now taken. The cycle repeats until nobody wants another one.
- Declarations happen in turn order, starting with the starting player
- Everyone who mulligans does it simultaneously, not one at a time
- You draw a full hand every time, regardless of how many you have taken
- The cards you bottom are your choice, in any order
- Once you keep, you cannot mulligan again
Each player draws a number of cards equal to their starting hand size, which is normally seven. (Some effects can modify a player’s starting hand size.) A player who is dissatisfied with their initial hand may take a mulligan. First, the starting player declares whether they will take a mulligan. Then each other player in turn order does the same. Once each player has made a declaration, all players who decided to take mulligans do so at the same time. To take a mulligan, a player shuffles the cards in their hand back into their library, draws a new hand of cards equal to their starting hand size, then puts a number of those cards equal to the number of times that player has taken a mulligan on the bottom of their library in any order. Once a player chooses not to take a mulligan, the remaining cards become that player’s opening hand, and that player may not take any further mulligans. This process is then repeated until no player takes a mulligan. A player can take mulligans until their opening hand would be zero cards, after which they may not take further mulligans.
Why seeing seven matters
Older mulligan rules dealt you a smaller hand each time, so a double mulligan meant looking at five cards and hoping. Now you always look at a full seven and choose which of them to keep.
That makes mulliganing far less punishing when you need something specific. A hand that needs one particular land is much more findable when you get to see seven cards and discard the two worst, rather than being handed five at random.
How far you can go
There is a floor. You can keep taking mulligans until your opening hand would be zero cards — so after a seventh mulligan there is nothing left to keep, and you must stop.
In practice nobody goes anywhere near that. Each mulligan costs a card of hand size permanently, so the decision is a trade between the quality of the hand and how many cards you will have left to play it with.
Frequently asked questions
How does the London mulligan work?
You shuffle your hand away and draw a full new hand of seven, then put a number of cards on the bottom of your library equal to the number of mulligans you have taken. You always see seven before choosing.
How many cards do I put back after two mulligans?
Two. The number you bottom always equals the number of mulligans you have taken, so the first puts back one, the second two, and so on.
Do I draw fewer cards each time I mulligan?
No. You always draw a full starting hand, normally seven cards. The reduction comes afterwards, when you put cards on the bottom of your library.
Who decides to mulligan first?
The starting player declares first, then each other player in turn order. Once everyone has declared, all the players who chose to mulligan take theirs at the same time.
Can I choose which cards to put on the bottom?
Yes. You pick which cards go back and in what order, after seeing your full new hand.
How many times can I mulligan?
Until your opening hand would be zero cards. That is a practical limit of seven mulligans, though keeping a hand that small is almost never worth it.
Rules referenced on this page
Quotations are from the Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules, published by Wizards of the Coast. Search the full rules for anything not covered here.
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