Pentaga

Pentaga is a team sport that allows the use of magic, which is played on Arcavios and other planes, and introduced to Strixhaven in Duel Decks: Pentaga. Pentaga teams usually contain 9-12 players, and can be played on a basic field or a randomized, magically created course that adds unpredictable geographic features to the match.

Pentaballs
Pentaga is characterized by the use of five different balls that are in play during the match:

The Rallyball
One team chosen at random begins the match with the possession of the Rallyball, an inflated ball around 25 inches (64 cm) in circumference. The Rallyball has no inherent magic to it, but players may cast spells or enchantments on the Rallyball. However, when the Rallyball touches the ground, it will be magically whisked back to the center of the field, and players will continue play wherever they are standing. The primary goal of the game is to get the Rallyball past the other team's defenses and into their goal to score points. These goals are protected by a wall of counterspells, ensuring that illusory copies of the Rallyball do not score points, and clearing the Rallyball of any player spells before the next round begins. Unlike a groundball, all players' field positions are reset after a goal, with the Rallyball now beginning in the possession of the team that was scored on.

The Slugball
While Pentaga does allow some amount of contact between players, such as tackles, the great potential size discrepancies between players often makes it a less than useful option. Additionally, players are not allowed to cast spells targeted at their opponents (but can cast spells targeting themselves or allies). Between these rules, the Slugball became the first ball added to the original sport. The Slugball is a heavy iron ball around 35 inches (89 cm) in circumference that begins the game on the far right of the centerline of the field. Like all the Pentaballs, it can be enchanted by the players and be deployed as a physical hazard by whoever has possession of it, such as throwing it at players or setting it up as a trap.

The Wingball
The Wingball is a small golden ball, around 5 inches (13 cm) in circumference, which begins the game on the centerline between the Rallyball and Slugball. When the game begins, the Wingball begins to fly erratically around the field. If a player can catch the Wingball in flight, its path will change to hug very close to the player in possession of it, and it will grant an enchantment to that player, giving them a limited range of flight and increased reaction time. While difficult, it is possible for another player to steal the Wingball from the player and claim the enchantment for themself.

The Heavyball
The Heavyball is a very large stone ball, around 55 inches (140 cm) in circumference and 220 lbs (100 kg), which begins the game on the far left of the centerline of the field, opposite the Slugball. If a player is able to lift the Heavyball for 5 seconds, it will give them its enchantment, causing their strength and size to increase over time as long as they stay nearby the Heavyball, but slowing their speed some as well. If a player on the opposing team is able to lift the Heavyball, they will also gain the enchantment, however, if another player on the same team lifts the Heavyball, the growing power effect will transfer to them from the first player, who will still retain whatever additional strength they have already obtained.

The enchantments of the Wingball and Heavyball nullify each other: If a player somehow possess both, they will receive none of the benefits, including already accrued strength from the Heavyball.

The Timerball
The newest addition to Pentaga is the Timerball, a small gray ball around 5 inches (13 cm) in circumference, which begins the game on the centerline between the Rallyball and the Heavyball. When the game begins, the Timerball will vanish to a random position on the field, waiting to be found by any player. When a player who possesses the Timerball is given a penalty, the Timerball will reveal itself and activate, reducing the severity of the penalty and potentially removing it entirely, before vanishing again to a random spot on the other team's side of the field.

The Timerball's reduction depends on the category of the penalty.

Player Positions
While the goalkeeper is the only position defined by Pentaga rules, there are common positions seen on most Pentaga teams:

Goalkeeper
One player designated as the goalkeeper is the only one allowed to defend a small area around a team's goal, though they are permitted to leave the area. While outnumbered in this area, they are permitted to cast Restricted-level spells that target other players, typically small harmless cantrips to disrupt the attacking players, should they come in multiples. Goalkeepers rarely rely on these spells, instead preferring larger scale enchantments that make scoring more difficult regardless of the number of attackers.

Striker
Strikers are players that focus exclusively on maneuvering around the opponent's defenses and scoring with the Rallyball. While these players may obtain the Wingball or Timerball, or even the Slugball or Heavyball, they will almost always be given to them by another position that has taken control of it, rather than attempting to gain control of it themselves. Striker mages most often use spells that can break or overwhelm defensive magic.

It is most common for a team to have two or three strikers, with hyper-offense teams with four or five and hyper-defense teams with one or even no dedicated striker being rarer but extant strategies.

Defender
The defender's primary goal is counter to that of the striker's, to set and maintain defenses to try to prevent them from scoring. Defenders will also devote some attention towards preventing possession of the other balls, for example disrupting attempts to obtain the Heavyball (often by obtaining it first), or seeking out the Slugball that has been laid as a trap.

It is most common for a team to have two or three defenders, with hyper-offense teams typically using two, or only one if that defender or the goalkeeper is a dedicated Heavyball user.

Slugger
A team's sluggers are the players focused heavily on the possession of the Slugball, either using it to the best effect if they have control of it, or trying to take control of it from the other team's sluggers if they don't. The slugger position is very versatile, being able to act as an additional striker or additional defender as the team or the game situation requires.

It is most common for a team to have one slugger, occasionally with a second who can help protect the other, or recover the ball when it is used as a projectile.

Spider
A team's spiders have a hybridized role rather than a specialized one. Spiders prefer to stay around the centerline of the field, with their primary goal being to recover the Rallyball whenever it is dropped and whisked back to the center of the field, then take it back to their team's strikers, and to be the first line of defense preventing the same from happening to them. Spiders try to keep their eyes on where everyone is to best position themselves, whether they should move upwards to become a backup striker, fall back to become a backup defender, or hold their position to recapture a dropped ball. Spiders will often be trying to keep all five of the Pentaballs in mind while on the field, being the most common capturers of the Wingball and Timerball, while assisting interference on the Slugball and Heavyball where possible. While spiders will defend them, they are uncommon users of the Slugball and especially Heavyball due their reduced effectiveness in the middle of the field.

It is most common for a team to have three spiders, and extremely rare for a team to have one or fewer dedicated spiders.

Other positions
Other named positions exist, but are not present on every team composition, or are just specialized/hybridized forms of positions above:

Goalseeker
An uncommon variant of the goalkeeper who switches roles to striker once they have possession of the Rallyball, falling back to goalkeeper only when they've scored or dropped the Rallyball trying, rather than passing it to their strikers. This strategy is mostly employed by goalkeepers with natural flight or powerful teleportation spells that allow them to quickly cover ground both to the opposing goal and to fall back to their own goal, while being able to avoid many of the hazards in between.

Wallbreaker
A wallbreaker is a variant of the defender who is dedicated to obtaining the Heavyball as early as possible and and preventing others from getting it. Around the final quarter of the match, the wallbreaker will switch from defender to striker, having amassed a great deal of strength from the Heavyball to allow them to plow through physical and magical defenses.

Rider
A rider is a variant of the spider that is more dedicated to obtaining the Wingball, either seeking it out themselves or waiting for another player to find it and steal it from them whenever they pass through the midzone of the field. Once they have the Wingball, they will move up to become a primary striker, and a striker may fall back to become a backup spider in their place.

Prowler
A prowler is a player who seeks total control over the Timerball, locating it as fast as possible and finding ways to steal it from the other team when they take possession of it. The prowler is high-risk, high-reward strategy; a good prowler can allow a team to perform several otherwise-illegal actions during a game while preventing the other team the same luxury, while a bad prowler effectively puts a team down one player as they do nothing useful.

The prowler is an extremely rare position, with Grimbly Hanigan ("Sticky Fingers") being the only current permanent prowler position player in higher levels of the game.

Action Categories
Spells and physical actions against players can fall into one of numerous penalty categories, which determine how penalties will be applied when used and how the Timerball will impact that penalty.

Permitted
Any spell that targets the caster, their allies, one or more Rallyballs, or the field itself is permitted unless it is specifically not allowed in a lower section. Any spell that targets the caster's opponents is not permitted unless otherwise allowed in the Restricted category.

Restricted
Restricted actions are only allowed in specific circumstances, and their penalty is completely avoided by use of the Timerball.
 * Goalkeepers may register up to three spells with referees that may target their opponents when two or more of them are in the goal zone. These spells should be cantrips that cause minimal damage, physical or otherwise, only disruption or movement. Goalkeepers that use their Restricted spells in illegal areas will receive slightly different penalty times for using it in the proper zone but not outnumbered, when using it the improper zone but on their half of the field, and a much higher time when used on the opponent's side of the field.
 * The enchantments implicitly granted by the Wingball, Heavyball, and Timerball may not be removed unless the caster themselves controls that Pentaball.
 * A player may not be thrown directly into the ground unless they are both airborne and posses the Rallyball.

Disruptive
Disruptive actions are actions that are prohibited in Pentaga due to causing uninteresting gameplay when allowed. Their penalty is usually completely avoided by the use of the Timerball, allowing their use in limited capacities rather than unrestricted ones.
 * Pentaballs must remain in the field of play, they can not be attempted to be removed from the game by throwing them out of bounds, into other planes of existence, into time holes, vortexes, bubbles, etc., etc.
 * Pentaballs must not be eaten or otherwise contained within the body of a player.
 * Goalkeepers may not use summons or duplicates.
 * Goalkeepers may not be so as large as to completely obscure the goal with their own bodies. If the goalkeeper possesses the Heavyball, it will prevent them from growing to such a size.

Unsporting
Unsporting actions are prohibited in Pentaga due to potential risk to players, audience, equipment, or the player performing the action. Unsporting actions aimed at the user will normally have their penalty completely negated by the Timerball, with other actions usually not being completely negated, with the resultant penalty depending on the damage actually done.

Forbidden
Forbidden actions are prohibited in Pentaga even with the use of the Timerball, though it will still be activated. Actions that would intentionally cause permanent harm or death to players are forbidden and will be nullified by a properly set up Pentaga playing field. Actions illegal outside the context of Pentaga are usually classified as Forbidden as well.

Known Pentaga Players
Below is a chart of the known Pentaga players and their teams and positions, primarily seen in Duel Decks: Pentaga currently.