The earth shook, and the ground rumbled in protest. A new banned / restricted list had been released!
How would this affect our decks and the tournament scene?
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| Just do it! |
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Here is a list of the updates. You can find the original Wizards article here:
EXTENDED
Jace, the Mind Sculptor - Banned
Mental Misstep - Banned
Ponder - Banned
Preordain - Banned
Stoneforge Mystic - Banned
MODERN
Blazing Shoal - Banned
Cloudpost - Banned
Green Sun’s Zenith - Banned
Ponder - Banned
Preordain - Banned
Rite of Flame - Banned
LEGACY
Mental Misstep - Banned
VINTAGE
Fact or Fiction – No longer Restricted
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What does this mean for our decks / top decks and the tournament scene?
EXTENDED
Ummm… this format still exists? Nothing all that exciting here save the fact that since they actually made some kind of announcement INVOLVING it, it could mean that it’s not dead! Will extended still be the PT format of choice or will it be switching to Modern? The mere fact that extended MAY be relevant offers more questions than it answers… should we be looking to pick up cards for this format or no?
The rationale for these banning was that “No one wanted to play vs. Caw Blade or the most popular decks from Standard that just rotated…”. Isn’t that what extended IS though? Just the last 2 years worth of top decks? If theY were going to ban things based on the dislikes of the players, why is JUND still free to trounce people with their Bloodbraid Elves and Blightnings? How about Valakut?
I’m not going to recommend any pickups for this format until we know more about whether it’s REAL or not. If no one likes to play against the top decks from last season, it goes without saying that no one likes extended…
MODERN
Looks like they just banned every card that showed up in the top 8 of PT Philadelphia? If you review my article called "Breaking Down Modern & PT Philly" you’ll see that with the banning of Ponder / Preordain they have cut the 2 most played spells from the top 8! While this does help slow the combo decks that dominated the first ever Modern tournament, it also keeps control down as a result. There were ALREADY no control decks that had any kind of showing, and this is going to further eliminate them from having any chance to compete. I can see this format becoming a fast aggro format since now there really are no other options. You can’t play combo, you can’t play control… what’s left?
I honestly didn’t see THIS one coming: Green Sun’s Zenith. Apparently it’s so powerful that it needs to be banned as it was “restricting” the card choices since it in itself was so versatile. So much for the old T1 GSZ into Dryad Arbor / Gaddock Teeg toolbox. Maybe this will give Glittering Wish a chance to shine? (See what I did there? I’m THAT clever! :S)
Blazing Shoal… you’re kidding me, right? The poison / infect deck is really good, if not consistent. I think the main reason why it performed so well was because it was UNEXPECTED. This deck is now a known part of the format, and when it’s so fragile that a well-placed lightning bolt = a 3-for-1 and ruins their entire deck, I don’t understand why it would be banned. Yes, it goes against their “we don’t want consistent T2 wins” philosophy, but it’s a creature based strategy that their “golden boy” dismember or ANY other piece of removal just destroys. Also: That deck used 4x Preordain / Ponder, so you’ve already killed it wizards… they only HAD 8 ways to win and needed that deck manipulation to draw it! (4x Blighted Agent / 4x Inkmoth Nexus)
Cloudpost had a single showing in the T8. Blood moon / Magus of the Moon kept it basically in check, and combo was winning faster than they could. Did you REALLY need to destroy an entire archetype for its only T8 finish? The deck is insane, but can obviously be beaten with the tools that we already had at our disposal. Ghost Quarter / Tectonic Edge CAN go in every deck, afterall…
LEGACY
Oh Metal Misstep… the boogeyman in every format.
//Rant
On a personal note, I HATE Mental Misstep and Dismember. They blend the color pie to the point where we may as well not have any distinction between them. This is bad for magic, as it allows decks to play with cards not typically “suited” to their “theme”. Blue counters, black removes. Now ANY color counters / removes, so why play U or B? Simplified, but valid nevertheless…
//End Rant
Mental Misstep was holding back many of the archetypes in Legacy. Goblins couldn’t resolve a T1 Lackey on the play. High Tide couldn’t resolve Candelabra. Storm couldn’t resolve their Dark Rituals. The crushing grip of Mental Misstep was causing decks to either play 4, or lose to your opponents 4. Having “must plays” in any color is bad… having “must plays” that can be used in EVERY deck is even worse.
Good riddance Mental Misstep! :P
LEGACY
They unrestricted Fact or Fiction… I guess this could make “Chains of Mephistopheles” decks viable? LOL IDK.
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I know poor James Wegg’s Modern deck got nerfed by the announcement… how about YOUR decks?
Did the bans influence your deck choices for any formats?
Did they make you not want to play a particular format?
Do you think Extended will be back, or is it gone forever?
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Don’t forget that your replies earn you entry into THE CONTEST, so LMK what you think! :)
Cheers,
Carl Szalich
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