The X-Files: I Want To Believe

An Old School(-ish) Magic Event

One-Time Special Event

Friday, June 6, 2025

Time TBD (appx. 6PM-10PM)

Rules Publication Date: May 22, 2025

Rules Status: Locked

The X-Files: I Want to Believe Rules

The X-Files: I Want To Believe is a special one-time Old School Magic: the Gathering event. Players take on the role of an FBI Agent from the X-Files Unit, investigating seemingly inexplicable phenomena. Pogs are used as game pieces to represent the mysteries a player is pursuing, typically remaining face-down until a player uses a slammer to try to expose the mystery to the world.

Tournament Structure

Straight Swiss for 4-5 rounds (TBD). 50 minute rounds. No intentional draws. Players who would draw a match resolve the match with Orb flips.

A player's finish in the tournament is based on the number of Secrets they acquire. Secrets are victory points players earn by Exposing Mysteries in games they win: whenever a player wins a game, they acquire one Secret for each Mystery they Exposed during that game. At the end of the tournament, a player's final standing is calculated in descending order of the number of Secrets they acquired, with ties broken by standard ranking (match points, opponent match win percentage, match win percentage, opponent game win percentage, game win percentage).

Collusion for purposes of gaining Secrets will result in both players losing one million Secrets.

Prizes will be awarded based on finish and spice. All players who finish with an undefeated match record will win a prize, regardless of Secrets. Additional prizes awarded to any player who wins a game via the Full Investigation Win Condition.

Deck Construction & Game Rules

Deck construction follows standard PAC rules, with these additions:

• Special X-Files Cards featuring show characters are legal and unrestricted. Players will receive printed copies of all X-Files Cards for their decks.
• All decks must include at least 4 X-Files Cards, including after sideboarding.
• All X-Files Cards except one have the special ability Plot Armor: "This creature can't be the target of Swords to Plowshares, Psionic Blast, or Terror."
• You can play Swords and friends Saturday, have some fun Friday. (Note: X-Files Cards are not legal Saturday.)
• Time Vault is banned because the Full Investigation Win Condition provides a win condition for this deck without requiring a winning card in the deck.
• Karakas and The Abyss are banned because their mechanics are too powerful given the role of the X-Files Cards in the format.

Mysteries & The Field

As an X-Files Agent, you go out into the Field to seek new Mysteries.

• Mysteries are represented by special game-piece pogs.
• Mysteries begin the game in a random order face-down, in a special zone called the Field. Each player has their own Field.
• Players cannot look at the face-up side of a Mystery in any Field unless an effect allows them to do so.
• If a Mystery pog is damaged, it must be replaced by the tournament organizer (TO). Don't be a cheater and mark your pogs, or we'll make sure your spouse/partner/mom/children know what you did, and they'll never respect you again.

Think of the Field as your Library, except for pogs.

Dossier

As an X-Files Agent, you keep the Mysteries you are working on in your Dossier.

• The Dossier is a new zone where Mysteries drawn from the Field are stacked face-down. Each player has their own Dossier.
• In rare circumstances (involving Espionage abilities, see below), a Mystery might enter a Dossier from a location other than the Field.
• Players cannot look at the face-up side of a Mystery in any Dossier unless an effect allows them to do so.

Think of your Dossier as your hand of pogs, except you can't look at it. They're Mysteries after all.

Probe Action

When you want to investigate the Mysteries you have accumulated, you Probe the contents of your Dossier.

• When the game allows, players may Probe their Dossier by striking the stack of pogs in their Dossier with a provided slammer. The provided slammer will be a 1/4" plastic slammer if you want to practice. Players MAY NOT use their own slammer, or modify the provided slammer in such a way that it would affect its performance.
• To legally strike a Dossier, the pogs in it must be placed face down in a single vertically centered stack standing on top of a neoprene (aka normal) playmat or a Spellground playmat, at least 2 inches (5 cm) from any edge of that playmat.
• To legally strike a Dossier, the provided slammer must be thrown vertically and released at least 6 inches (15 cm) above the top of the stack of pogs.
• Mysteries which land face up after a slammer legally strikes a Dossier become Exposed Mysteries.
• Exposed Mysteries remain in their Dossier until their effects resolve (important because some Espionage abilities apply to Mysteries in a Dossier) or an ability exiles them.
• If an Exposed Mystery is exiled before resolving, it no longer counts as an Exposed Mystery, and its effects will not resolve.
• After a Probe action, exile all Mysteries it Exposed. Shuffle all its un-Exposed Mysteries and return them to the Dossier face-down.
• If a Probe action would occur but the Dossier is empty, and there are un-Exposed Mysteries scattered around as a result of another Probe action, shuffle the un-Exposed Mysteries into a new Dossier for the Probe action (note: this will typically only be possible as a result of Special Agent Fox Mulder's Espionage ability).

Exposed Mysteries

Once a Mystery is Exposed, its secrets are unleashed on the world.

• The effects of all Exposed Mysteries go onto the stack immediately after being Exposed and resolve simultaneously, unless interrupted by an Espionage ability.
• Choices for all Exposed Mysteries are made before any resolve.
• If a player wins a game, they acquire one Secret for each Mystery they Exposed during that game.
• Mysteries that are legally Exposed by means other than striking the Dossier with a slammer (such by Special Agent Dana Scully's ability) count as Exposed Mysteries for purposes of acquiring Secrets.
• Exposed Mysteries that are exiled before their effects resolve (such as by Deep Throat's ability) do not resolve and do not count as Exposed Mysteries for purposes of acquiring Secrets.

Espionage Abilities

Espionage abilities are special actions on X-Files Cards that may be activated once per turn, per X-Files Card permanent during a Probe action. They represent an important character interrupting the normal outcome of an investigation and influencing the results.

Once per Probe action, if it has not already used this ability this turn, an X-Files Card's Espionage action can be used either:

1. Before a player strikes their Dossier with a slammer.
2. After Mysteries are Exposed, but before choices are made and their effects resolve.

Players follow normal priority rules (Active Player, Non-Active Player, or APNAP) when deciding to use Espionage abilities. Players may not cast spells or use any abilities other than Espionage abilities during a Probe action.

Within the "before" and "after" striking portions of a Probe Action, Espionage abilities form a mini-stack and resolve in last-in, first-out (LIFO) order. These mini-stacks work just like the normal Magic stack, except they only contain the activated Espionage abilities. You can think of them as similar to Interrupts in the original Magic rules.

Believe Action

X-Files Agents know the truth is out there. Players may Believe once per turn when they could cast an Instant:

Choose one:

• {1}: Add 3 Mysteries to the top of your Dossier.
• {3}: Probe.

Full Investigation Win Condition

Mulder never got to the bottom of everything, but you might. A player wins the game if all of the following occur at the same time:

1. The player has no Mysteries remaining in their Field
2. The player controls an X-Files Card
3. The player Exposes at least one Mystery with a Probe action

If Mysteries Become Seen Accidentally

Accidents happen. Un-Exposed Mysteries that are accidentally seen by any player are handled as follows:

• A player makes their own Mystery accidentally seen: Shuffle the seen Mystery into the Dossier or Field it came from.
• A player makes their opponent's Mystery accidentally seen: The opponent may choose to (a) Expose the seen Mystery immediately, (b) shuffle it back into their Field or Dossier, or (c) exile it. A Mystery that is Exposed due to (a) counts as a Secret if the opponent wins the game.
• A player illegally makes any Mystery intentionally seen: That player loses the game. Their spouse/partner/mom/children will hear about it and shame them appropriately.
• A Mystery seen naturally during a Probe action (for example, because it naturally flips in the air or on the table, then lands face down) is not considered accidentally or intentionally seen. Pay attention!
• A Mystery seen as an accidental side effect of an otherwise legal Probe action (for example, because your opponent's slammer knocked over your Dossier after it legally struck their own Dossier) is considered accidentally seen.
• If a slammer is thrown illegally, any Mysteries which become seen are treated as accidentally or intentionally seen based on whether the slammer throw was illegal accidentally or intentionally. Illegal slammer throws may not be re-attempted regardless of whether they were accidental or intentional.
• Any player with a medical issue that prevents them from throwing a slammer may designate another person to throw the slammer for them.

If a Mystery becomes seen in a way not covered by the above, players should come to a mutually agreeable resolution. If they can't, both players have to sing a duet of their choosing to reestablish their friendship.

X-Files Cards

Mysteries

Espionage Examples

Example 1

It's your turn and you control Special Agent Dana Scully. You have 6 Mysteries (POGs) in your Dossier (the POGs you've added to your stack), and really need to hit the 3 damage one to kill your opponent's creature. You Believe, paying 3 to Probe (use the slammer). You flip over 3 POGs, which become Exposed Mysteries. None of them are the 3 damage one, so before officially completing the Believe action and letting the Exposed Mysteries resolve, you use Scully's ability to also Expose the top Mystery of your Field (the POGs you haven't added to your stack yet). It's the 3 damage one! You and your opponent have no more actions you wish to take, so the Believe action completes and the effects of all Exposed Mysteries (including the 3 damage one) resolve. If you win the game, this Probe action earned you 4 Secrets, 3 from flipping over POGs and 1 from Scully's ability.

Note that you had to use Scully's ability prior to resolving the 3 POGs you flipped over, because they only resolve at the end of the Believe action and you can only use an Espionage ability during a Believe action. For example, if you flipped over the draw 3 cards POG, you could not choose to draw your 3 cards to see if you drew Lightning Bolt before deciding whether or not to use Scully's Espionage ability. It's too late to use her ability after you draw the cards.

Example 2

It's your opponent's turn. You control The Smoking Man, and they control Assistant Director Walter Skinner. They decide to Believe, paying 3 to Probe. Before using the slammer, your opponent decides to use Skinner's Espionage ability and looks at 3 un-Exposed Mysteries in their Dossier. They decide to exchange 2 of them for new Mysteries from the top of their Field using his ability. You have nothing you want to do before they slam the POGs, so they proceed to use the slammer. They flip over 2 POGs: the 4/4 Alien token POG and the exile up to one permanent POG. You decide to use Smoking Man's Espionage ability to make the choices for the exile POG. The 4/4 Alien isn't in play yet, so you can't target it, but you decide to exile one of your opponent's lands instead. If you win the game, you do not receive a Secret because the exile POG is not an Exposed Mystery for you. It is your opponent's Exposed Mystery, so they get a Secret for it if they win the game. You merely had the ability to make all choices for it.

Note that while you could have chosen to use Smoking Man's ability to make all choices for the 4/4 Alien POG, doing so would not give you the Alien. The Alien POG doesn't have any choices (it doesn't say "target player puts a 4/4 Alien into play"), so the controller of the POG (whoever flipped it over) is the one who gets the token.

Also note that you could have used Smoking Man's Espionage ability before your opponent struck their Dossier with the slammer, but then you would have to look at a random Mystery from their Dossier, and would only gain any in-game advantage if your opponent ended up revealing that Mystery with their slammer.

Example 3

It's your turn, and you control Deep Throat. Your opponent controls Special Agent Fox Mulder. In your end step, your opponent Believes, spending 3 mana to Probe. Before they use the slammer, they use Mulder's ability to Believe again and add 3 more Mysteries to their Dossier for 0 mana, bringing the total to 9 POGs. Then they use the slammer, revealing 4 Mysteries. One of them is the extra turn Mystery, and you definitely don't want them to do that, so you use Deep Throat's Espionage ability to exile it. After that, there are no more responses, so the Believe action ends and the remaining 3 revealed Mysteries become Exposed Mysteries and resolve. Your opponent doesn't get an extra turn, and if they win the game, they only get 3 Secrets as a result of this Probe action.

Alternatively, your opponent could have chosen not to use Mulder's ability in that way, and instead just proceeded to use their slammer. In this case, they would have 6 POGs in their stack. Suppose they revealed 2 of them: gain 3 life and deal 3 damage. Now, both of you can choose whether to use Espionage abilities, in APNAP order. You are the active player, so you decide first. You're not that worried about any of them, so you decide not to use Deep Throat's ability. Next it's your opponents chance to play an Espionage ability before the Believe action ends. They decide to use Mulder's to Believe, choosing to Probe. They took an action, so you get priority to respond, but choose to do nothing.

Now, before the 2 Exposed Mysteries from the original Probe action resolve, your opponent shuffles the 4 un-Exposed Mysteries into a new Dossier. Before they strike it, you can both choose to use Espionage abilities, but both decline. They use their slammer but only flip over 1 POG, add 3 mana. You both get a chance to use Espionage abilities again, and now you decide you do want to exile that deal 3 damage Exposed Mystery from the original Probe action. So, you use Deep Throat's ability to exile it. Now, neither of you has more Espionage actions you can take, so Mulder's Believe action ends, resolving the add 3 mana ability, and then the original Probe resolves, resolving gain 3 life. Your opponent would get a total of 2 Secrets as a result of these Probes if they win the game.

Note that those two probes resolve separately, in last-in-first-out order. So, for example, you could have an original Probe reveal the 3 damage POG, with a Mulder Probe inside it reveal the switch life totals POG, and the order of effects being applied would be (1) switch life totals, then (2) 3 damage. However, if both of those POGs were revealed as part of the same Probe action, the player who Exposed them would get to choose their order of resolution.

Revision History

• Feb 8
• Added Terror to the list of spells from which Plot Armor provides protection.
• Added medical exemption for throwing a slammer.
• Clarified the mechanism of Assistant Director Walter Skinner's Espionage ability.
• Various wording clarifications and tweaks.
• May 22
• Banned Karakas and The Abyss.
• Changed Espionage abilities to be once per turn.
• Clarified rules around exiling pogs and Exposed Mysteries.
• Added Espionage examples.
• Various wording clarifications and tweaks.