Challenge Mode

Are you a master of Shandalar and the constructed gauntlet? Challenge Mode offers a new way to test your skill ahainst difficult AI opponents. Winning challenges also unlocks new cards. (Cards will show up in deck builder even if they are locked)

Here's how to play challenge mode: Choose the 'Gauntlet' option on the main screen. Check the 'Challenge Mode' checkbox. Fire up the gauntlet (1 game per match, and set # of matches to 50) and begin! If you're doing the first challenge (Challenge Set 1 - Tribal Trials), you'll notice that your opponent will start with a Kobold in play. That means everything is working.

General Rules:

To win a challenge you must win between 9 and 11 games in a row. Once you win that many games, a message will appear telling you which card you have unlocked. Keep playing until you get that message.

All challenge decks must be either Vintage or Legacy legal. Some challenges have additional deck building requirements, as described below. If your challenge auto-loses you at the beginning of the game, it is because your deck is illegal.

Warning: If you win a game before the AI has a single turn, challenge mode might get messed up. Wait until the AI has at least 1 turn before going crazy!

Challenge Descriptions and cards to get unlocked:

Challenge 1:
Tribal Trials (Mystic Enforcer) - opponent plays a tribal deck and gets a free creature
Vanguard Vengeance (City of Traitors) - opponent starts the game with a Vanguard Avatar
Chipping Away (Mystic Remora) - at the beginning of each game, opponent drains your life
Onslaught (Quirion Dryad) - each upkeep opponent gets a copy of a certain card
Shandalar 2.0 (Goblin Welder) - opponent starts the game with specific challenging cards in play
BANNED! (Cursed Scroll) - each round a different color or card type cannot be played
Planeswalker Decimation (Serum Powder) - Battle the Planeswalkers while losing by 10% of your life/poison/deck each turn.
Magic: The Puzzling (Conundrum Sphinx) - Solve several puzzles in a row. If you fail this challenge, make sure to restart the entire program before trying again.
That's Not My Deck (Mirari's Wake) - Build your deck, only to see the computer tinker with it a little. Only lands from Beta are allowed in your land slot.

Challenge 2:
Super Mulligan (Rout) - start the game with 0 cards in hand
What Hand? (Brain freeze) - skip your draw step
That's Big... (Goblin Charbelcher) - you deck can only include lands and cards with mana cost > 3
Epic (Manabond) - you can only play 1 spell the entire game
There can be only one (Street Wraith) - your deck must be at least 100 cards and have no duplicates
March of the Machines (Tangle Wire) - your deck can ONLY include artifacts
Land Ho! (Gemstone Mine) - your deck can ONLY include lands
Dude... (Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker) - your deck can ONLY include creatures

Challenge 3:
For each of the deck building challenges, you may only use basic and beta dual for lands.
Gather No Moss (Wall of Roots) - You may only use creatures with Defender. You can have 4 cards that break this rule.
Enchanted Evening (Illusions of Grandeur) - You may only use enchantments
Master Warlock (Donate) - You may only use sorceries
Urza Wannabe (Tezzeret the Seeker) - You may only use planeswalkers. You can have 6 cards that break this rule.
Instant Gratification (Might of Alara) - You may only use instants
Gimme! (Sower of Temptation) - You may only use copy / stealing cards that are not also creatures. You can have 4 cards that break this rule.
March of the Machines 2 (Umezawa's Jitte) - You may only use non-creature artifacts
Easy as 1, 2, 3... (Bloodbraid Elf) - Your deck must include exactly 4 one casting cost cards, 4 2 CC cards, ... up to 4 10 CC cards.
The Perfect Storm (Mind's Desire) - The turn you play a spell, you must win the game
Sliver Nation (Essense Sliver) - Fight an increasingly difficult horde of Slivers

Challenge 4:
Chaos Orb (Violent Umtimatum) - Randomly have a permanent of yours tapped, bounced, or destroyed each turn.
Pit Fighting (???) - Dive into the pit and battle a seasoned pit fighter. Watch out for the scorpions!
Life's a Lich (Phyrexian Negator) - Win the challenge without dying to your own Lich
Cascade (Bituminous Blast) - Every spell opponent plays has cascade
ABC's (Leyline of the Void) - Every card in your deck must start with the same letter.
Challenge Challenge (Helm of Obedience) - You can only use card you have unlocked via challenge mode. You may also use basics and beta duals for lands.
Enchanted (???) - Battle your way through an enchantment-enhanced group of opponents.
Budget deck for ya (Leatherback Baloth): beat the challenge with a mono-colored deck (no hybrids allowed) built only with commons and uncommons (this restriction does not apply to lands, but you're still restricted to Beta-only lands).
Archenemy's Cohort (Archenemy AVATAR) : beat the 8 powerful, legendary allies of the Archenemy and then the Archenemy itself ! Your deck must be at least 100 cards and have no duplicates, except for basic lands.

The '???' rewards are non-card unlocks. You'll have to discover what they are on your own, but they only impact Challenge Mode.