a question about results at gatherer

[Phaewryn]

I'm confused by the website at http://gatherer.wizards.com

Can anyone explain (yes I clicked help and read their instructions which were no help already) what it means when you look up a card, and tab to Sets and Legality, when it looks like this:

This card has restrictions in the following formats:
Format    Legality    
Modern    Legal    
Urza Block    Legal    
Legacy    Legal    
Vintage    Legal    
Freeform    Legal    
Prismatic    Legal    
Tribal Wars Legacy    Legal    
Singleton 100    Legal    
Commander    Legal

So is it legal or does it have restrictions as it says above?! I'm unsure how to read this. It clearly states "This card has restrictions in the following formats" but then also clearly states "Legal". And I have no idea how to interpret that. I'm not just asking about this one card, I'm trying to learn how to understand their website and the results on every card. Are they just trying to say "This card has restrictions AS LISTED BELOW"?

[G. Moto]

     If you read it horizontally each of the words in the left column are the formats and the left hand column is the legality. For example; a card printed for a commander deck/set would be COMMANDER LEGAL but it would not be MODERN LEGAL (unless it was printed in another set previous to that commander set). Different formats have different restrictions as far as card's power levels and the number of certain ones you can have in a deck. My recommendation for you is to stick to the MODERN, STANDARD, 100 Singleton and  EDH/COMMANDER formats first then go forward. These formats will allow for you to use the second to largest card pool available while at the same time being current/up to date enough for you to get a handle on the game.

[ladof]

Also, to add to G Moto, if it is not listed, it is not legal.

As an example, Black Lotus was not printed in a block outside of Vintage, so it is not listed for Modern and not legal in Modern.

[WWolfe]

Also, the Unhinged & Unglued cards aren't legal in any sanctioned format.

[Phaewryn]

If I save a deck here on deckstats, and it says it's legal for such and such, is that always 100% accurate, or should I take that with a grain of salt?

When does the time-frame for standard cards run off the back end? What sets are current for standard? For how much longer? I don't have any new cards, so I need to know what's worth investing in a box of and what's about to be outdated soon. I know oath of the gatewatch is new enough, is battle for zendikar also worth buying at this point, or it is almost too old to use?

[G. Moto]

Both of the zendikar blocks, magic origins, and all the tarkir blocks are still standard legal. Once the new sets start coming out the Tarkir blocks will start to fall out of rotation. Also the legality checker is pretty good on deckstats, as long as you know what format you're trying to play.

[WWolfe]

BFZ is still good to buy along with Oath. Khans and Fate Reforged will rotate out with the release of the next set. If you're looking to buy cards now that will be legal in standard for a while BFZ & Oath are the way to go. If you can afford to wait because you have a fair amount of cards, then wait until Shadows over Innistrad comes out in April.

As far as legality for sets on this site, it's pretty accurate. The one exception I've noticed is that it still lists Extended as a format, some shops or play groups may still play it but as far as sanctioned tournaments it's no longer a recognized format by Wizards. (crap I miss Extended)

[G. Moto]

Just try and keep this in mind: Newer sets mean New Standard, Oldest sets mean no longer Standard. Just like what WWolfe said, when the new Shadows over innistrad comes out the old Tarkir blocks will fall out of the Standard scene and become MODERN legal.

[EBWonder]

The traditional ruling on standard is the last two blocks plus the last base set.

Current standard:
Battle for Zendikar Block (Battle for Zendikar, Oath of the Gatewatch)
Khans Block (Khans of Tarkir, Fates Reforged, Dragons of Tarkir)
Magic Origins (base set)

With the new two set block formation, the sets will change twice a year (Spring and fall)
When Shadows over Innistrad is released in April, we lose Khans and fates, but keep dragons and origins.
When the next block is released (I'm guessing in january) we lose Orgins and dragons. from that point it'll be three blocks before rotation.