MTG Community in an Uproar Over Commander Rules Committee Banlist
Bird is NOT the word as Nadu and other powerful cards hit the Commander ban list in the latest update. And fans are not happy.
Welcome in, Praetors and Planeswalkers! The Commander Rules Committe has been fairly light with their updates for a while, but they’ve chosen violence today! In the latest update, they’ve added four new cards to the ban list. According to the report, these cards go against the spirit of the casual format, and have become a bit too oppressive. The bans have already been divisive, with one card becoming completely unplayable. Whether or not you agree, it’s hard to deny these are some of the nastiest cards in EDH.
Mana Crypt
One of the most powerful cards in any format, Mana Crypt’s ban has probably been a long time coming. A free version of Sol Ring for the low cost of a potentially damaging coin flip, this artifact allowed players to make late-game plays as early as turn 2. While this card is primarily seen in cEDH, its presence in casual games does make certain commanders a bit insurmountable. However, it hurts for anyone who spent the hefty price tag to purchase it.
Dockside Extortionist
An oppressive goblin that was the staple in almost ANY red deck, Dockside’s banning hurts. While it was an nasty force in Commander, it was also a much-needed enabler in high-cost decks. All it did was force interaction, so the banning seems odd. Either way, I can hear the wails of all my Red deck friends from across the country.
Nadu, Winged Wisdom
The least surprising ban on the list, Nadu disappearing was much needed. He wasn’t only oppressive (he was), but most of his combos took a million years to play out. He was so easy to exploit in either the command zone or the 99 that he made for some very unfun game states. Still, it’s weird to see him banned before Thoracle. Speaking of weird bans…
Jeweled Lotus
WHAT?!?!?! The card that can LITERALLY only be played in Commander is…banned in Commander? This is an insane choice, and even with the justification, I can’t wrap my head around it. Sure, it gives you three mana for a Commander, but it’s one card in 99, it only produces one color, and without consistent recursion it only works once. Commanders are so easy to get rid of that this just seems…bad. The real gut punch is that this card just got a full art reprint, and is now banned in the only legal format. I think the logical step is to make a separate banlist for cEDH and let high power players keep all their shiny toys.
You can check out the full RC article here. And remember, if everything seems dark…Rule Zero still exists.
What are your thoughts on the banlist?
