The time has come to update the list of cards not allowed in our format. As we announced last week we added a new category to it, banned as Companion. Without further delay here is the list.
Banned as Companion
Banned as Commander
Banned as Card
Unbanned as Card
Racist Cards
We decide to stick with the decision made by WotC to have these cards removed from the game. These cards are not allowed in any event. None of the following bans needs further explanation
Cleanse
Stone-Throwing Devils
Pradesh Gypsies
Jihad
Imprison
Crusade
Invoke Prejudice
Date of entry of changes: 19/06/2020
Date of next announcement: 14/09/2020
Further Explanation
While Lutri seems like an average card similar to Dualcaster Mage, it offers an extra card available to any URx decks. The restriction placed on this card was meant for non-singleton formats. Making this a free addition to many decks without any deckbuilding constraint.
Yorion is only in the list to clear some doubt players might have. Leviathan decks can only have 100 cards exactly plus 1 if you choose to play a companion. The restriction of this card asks for a deck that would not be legal in our format.
One of the strongest and fastest combo decks available right now had to be stopped. The combo involved only the commander and mostly any other creature on the battlefield. "One" piece combos should not be legal. It was a consistent turn four victory in most scenarios.
Having a pseudo affinity for artifacts on a commander was a pretty easy way to cheat the tax on this one. The way it offers recursion to cards in your graveyard proofed how hard it was to interact with. Having the ability to give card advantage every single turn while also finishing games with explosive fast combos ended not being fair enough for our format
These three cards share the reason for being banned. They were intended for multiplayer formats where the power level of each individual card can have a higher ceiling. While in 1 vs 1 format they proved to be way too strong playing in favor of control decks and we already know how they have been dominating the format.
With the printing of Breach, many fast and noninteractive combos emerged. While in the beginning, they seemed fair they proved how obnoxious they could be. This strong card recursion spell has excessively potential to be available in combo decks.
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We knew this card could not coexist with Urza or Emry and since Emry is no longer legal in the format. There is no reason to keep it on the banned list.
As always we are looking forward to your feedback.
Your comitee:
Wojciech Kopański, Justo Chacon, Piotr Dyczkowski, Diego Rivera, Ondřej Mašík.