How many cards are generally in a player’s starting hand in a tournament?

In a Magic: The Gathering tournament, players typically begin the game with seven cards in their starting hand. This starting hand size is a consistent rule applied across various formats, including Standard, Modern, and Limited events. Having seven cards at the start allows players to have a more strategic opening, providing them with a broader range of potential plays and strategies right from the outset. This uniformity in hand size helps ensure a standardized experience across different games and tournaments, which is crucial for consistent gameplay and maintaining competitive balance. Other hand sizes, such as five or six cards, do not adhere to the standard rules found in tournament play and would thus not apply in this context.