Pre-Innistrad Legacy is the format as it was at the height of the game's Golden Age. Decks are varied and extremely diverse, with a great deal of room for deckbuilding creativity. Though decks are certainly powerful, the most efficient or format-warping offenders have either already been banned or have yet to be printed. The format is both more open and operates at a more relaxed pace than Legacy has witnessed since.
Pre-WAR Legacy uses all the normal rules for playing ordinary Legacy. This explicitly includes using the current "Legend" rule and "London" mulligan rule. The only difference is the use of a different banned and restricted list; differences will be in boldface font for emphasis.
The following cards are banned:
Cards with a name originally printed in the War of the Spark expansion, or any set released at a later date (September 30, 2011).
9 cards that reference "playing for ante."
Ancestral Recall
Balance
Bazaar of Baghdad
Black Lotus
Black Vise
Channel
Chaos Orb
Demonic Consultation
Demonic Tutor
Earthcraft
Falling Star
Fastbond
Flash
Frantic Search
Goblin Recruiter
Gush
Hermit Druid
Imperial Seal
Land Tax
Library of Alexandria
Mana Crypt
Mana Drain
Mana Vault
Memory Jar
Mental Misstep
Mind Twist
Mind’s Desire
Mishra’s Workshop
Mox Emerald
Mox Jet
Mox Pearl
Mox Ruby
Mox Sapphire
Mystical Tutor
Necropotence
Oath of Druids
Shahrazad
Skullclamp
Sol Ring
Strip Mine
Survival of the Fittest
Time Vault
Time Walk
Timetwister
Tinker
Tolarian Academy
Vampiric Tutor
Wheel of Fortune
Windfall
Worldgorger Dragon
Yawgmoth's Bargain
Yawgmoth's Will
The following cards currently banned in Legacy are not banned in Pre-Innistrad Legacy:
Gitaxian Probe
Sensei's Divining Top
For ease of reference, the most recent sets that added cards to the format (i.e.: Legacy-legal sets preceding War of the Spark and having original printings) are as follows:
Magic 2012 (M12)
Commander (CMD)
New Phyrexia (NPH)
Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Magic 2011 (M11)
Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Worldwake (WWK)
Zendikar (ZEN)