The list of all banned and restricted cards, by format, is here.
Next B&R Announcement: May 20, 2019
A DISCUSSION OF NEXUS OF FATE
There's been a lot of community discussion surrounding Nexus of Fate, including recently at 2019 Mythic Championship I in Cleveland. We want to take this opportunity to reinforce that we have no current plans to ban Nexus of Fate in the tabletop Standard and Arena Traditional (best of three) formats.
Our data gathered from MTG Arena, Magic Online, and Mythic Championship I all show that Nexus of Fate decks, while part of the competitive metagame, are not problematic from a balance perspective. In fact, the current Standard environment is proving to be one of the most balanced and robust in quite some time. Nexus of Fate decks, all variants grouped together, represented about 14% of the MC Cleveland metagame and just one of the Top 8 decks. This is very much in line with what we see as a healthy metagame share, and we're still seeing the metagame continue to evolve.
The complaints surrounding Nexus of Fate mainly focus on the amount of time those decks take to win, and the fact that the card is only available in premium treatment. The latter has implications with respect to potentially marked cards in competitive play. While there's validity to both these concerns, the bar for banning a card in Standard is high.
Unlike nonrotating formats, where the best option for making balance adjustments in a timely fashion is by banning cards, we prefer whenever possible to use Standard's rotation to help phase out problematic cards and pave the way for new strategies in a natural and predictable cycle. We respect the effort players make to assemble the cards they need to create their favorite deck and don't take disrupting that process lightly. This is especially true for Standard, which we know is often where players first experience building Constructed Magic decks.
Likewise, in competitive play, we have solutions for marked cards (not just copies of Nexus of Fate) causing unfair play, up to and including judge-issued proxies. We'll continue to employ those solutions going forward. While not ideal, we prefer this to making a ban based on logistical reasons rather than balance reasons.
As always, we'll continue to monitor the evolution of the Standard environment and are willing to make changes when needed. That said, we don't currently anticipate needing to make changes to the Standard banned list.
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My Commander decks:
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
i dont think nexus of fate is the toxic card, but wilderness reclamation, they should, if at all, ban this card. in my LGS there are so many decktypes around this card (temur reclamation, bant reclamation (with just 1 dawn of hope as win con, UG reclamation) and all tend to stall the game. i am always happy when i manage to win game 1, cause in like 3 out of 4 times it happens that you wont finish the game in time.
so if there is anything that needs a ban, its that enchantment
So. When can we a expect commander B&R list update? Can't wait to see paradox engine go.
What, nobody plays K-Grip in your group?
On the ban announcement, the interesting thing to me is the other options they mentioned to address "marked cards." Judge-issued proxies seems like a good solution to extremely limited supply that I haven't heard of before. Is that a thing that's already happening?
So. When can we a expect commander B&R list update? Can't wait to see paradox engine go.
What, nobody plays K-Grip in your group?
On the ban announcement, the interesting thing to me is the other options they mentioned to address "marked cards." Judge-issued proxies seems like a good solution to extremely limited supply that I haven't heard of before. Is that a thing that's already happening?
Not sure if your post was sarcastic or not, since sarcasm doesn't travel across the web. But, yes. We do.
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Thanks to SpiderBoy4 @ High-Light Studio's for the awesome banner
“I once had an entire race killed just to listen to the rattling of their dried bones as I waded through them.” —Volrath
I still don't understand how Sensei's Divining Top (which involves no shuffling at all) got banned in Modern and Legacy with the argument that it takes to much time. But Nexus of Fate is for some reason perfectly fine.
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Drop your knees to the floor
Hands to the sky
Give a round of applause
For the great Miss Y!
I still don't understand how Sensei's Divining Top (which involves no shuffling at all) got banned in Modern and Legacy with the argument that it takes to much time. But Nexus of Fate is for some reason perfectly fine.
If repeated shuffling took up too much time, they'd ban all fetches. Top consumes more time because it can come down early. If it's activated every turn, with the player thinking about how to put the cards in question back, checking their hand, looking again, thinking... that really adds up. Way more than repeated shuffling.
On the ban announcement, the interesting thing to me is the other options they mentioned to address "marked cards." Judge-issued proxies seems like a good solution to extremely limited supply that I haven't heard of before. Is that a thing that's already happening?
The judge issued proxies are referring to the card is only printed as a foil, thus having potential to stick out in decks. The judge can issue you proxies at the start of the event in place of them, but you still have to own and have the copies with you when you play.
Yeah I am disagreeing here. Proper shuffling takes a while the only reason why that is not bothering everyone is that most people don't shuffle properly.
That being said fetches are a one and done thing. If they are in the graveyard they often stay there. Nexus on the other hand goes back into the deck and the longer the games goes the more you draw Nexus and the more you start shuffling.
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Drop your knees to the floor
Hands to the sky
Give a round of applause
For the great Miss Y!
Only surprise is Pauper TBH. Gush lives to see another day.
Also I liked this:
We respect the effort players make to assemble the cards they need...
Yes. Effort. That is what we are talking about.
They revel in the suffering of their player base for the sake of making more money off luxury sets, then get thanked for throwing a bone with a 300+ msrp booster box of ultimate masters on a limited run.
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I expect No Bans until July at the earliest. Modern Horizons comes out in June. And Standard looks fine unless War of the Sparks prints something super broken which is possible with 36 Walkers.
The judge issued proxies are referring to the card is only printed as a foil, thus having potential to stick out in decks. The judge can issue you proxies at the start of the event in place of them, but you still have to own and have the copies with you when you play.
Ah. Well that's unfortunate. I hoped they might be talking about the availability issue with BAB promos and similar cards.
I think Standard is doing fine in every way except Bo1. That format is a dumpster fire. What still boggles my mind, however, is that Rampaging Ferocidon is banned. I picked up a foil playsets at release to combat all of the Anointed Procession/Hidden Stockpile decks in my meta, and it gets banned. Super powerful cards like Teferi, Hero of Dominaria and Nexus of Fate are an acceptable power level, but Rampaging-flipping-Ferocidon isn't?
I think Standard is doing fine in every way except Bo1. That format is a dumpster fire. What still boggles my mind, however, is that Rampaging Ferocidon is banned. I picked up a foil playsets at release to combat all of the Anointed Procession/Hidden Stockpile decks in my meta, and it gets banned. Super powerful cards like Teferi, Hero of Dominaria and Nexus of Fate are an acceptable power level, but Rampaging-flipping-Ferocidon isn't?
Agreed. Standard is not at the peak of logical consistency these days.
I think Standard is doing fine in every way except Bo1. That format is a dumpster fire. What still boggles my mind, however, is that Rampaging Ferocidon is banned. I picked up a foil playsets at release to combat all of the Anointed Procession/Hidden Stockpile decks in my meta, and it gets banned. Super powerful cards like Teferi, Hero of Dominaria and Nexus of Fate are an acceptable power level, but Rampaging-flipping-Ferocidon isn't?
I'm actually glad Rampaging Ferocidon is still banned. If BO1 being a mess is a legitimate concern then I don't think giving red more toys would help the matter.
I'm actually glad Rampaging Ferocidon is still banned. If BO1 being a mess is a legitimate concern then I don't think giving red more toys would help the matter.
It would be a good card as it beats the cards that would otherwise beat the red deck.
Imagine a white lifegain deck that cant gain life, stopping a Lyra lifelink, the lifegain from Wildgrowth Walker, all that kind of stuff makes it a really REALLY good card to counter the lifegain stuff a lot of decks are doing to not die to burn to the face.
Token decks are also really badly harmed out by the card, and the entire green/white mechanic was kinda about making tokens.
Its also a nice card against the "phoenix" cards, as you deal damage to them for putting them in play , especially against the 0/1 egg that turns into a 2 damage penalty.
Simply put, the cards REALLY good in standard and hates out a lot of decks even accidentally, simply by being a good card for red decks in general.
In a vacuum the card wouldnt be too powerful, but all the card does is really harmful for the format, instead of being a answer to a strong archetype, it pushes the Red deck even more than what it already does.
So. When can we a expect commander B&R list update? Can't wait to see paradox engine go.
Based on their usual shedule and assuming nothing weird happens - monday, april 29th should be the next announcement.
Yep. I am expecting the usual "Commander is in a great place right now. Various playgroups have different experiences but #NewSet has added some tolls and flavour to improve everyone's experience." And not a whole lot of news from the newly formed Council.
Standard is pretty sweet right now. You can play all sorts of cool decks and win some matches. I am...somewhat concerned at Dominaria and Ixalan rotating out, since we'll lose some multilands and staple planeswalkers, but we'll see.
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The "Crazy One", playing casual magic and occasionally dipping his toes into regular play since 1994.
Currently focusing on Pre-Modern (Mono-Black Discard Control) and Modern (Azorious Control, Temur Rhinos).
Find me at the Wizard's Tower in Ottawa every second Saturday afternoons.
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https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/march-11-2019-banned-and-restricted-announcement-2019-03-11?blorp
Announcement Date: March 11, 2019
No changes to any formats.
The list of all banned and restricted cards, by format, is here.
Next B&R Announcement: May 20, 2019
A DISCUSSION OF NEXUS OF FATE
There's been a lot of community discussion surrounding Nexus of Fate, including recently at 2019 Mythic Championship I in Cleveland. We want to take this opportunity to reinforce that we have no current plans to ban Nexus of Fate in the tabletop Standard and Arena Traditional (best of three) formats.
Our data gathered from MTG Arena, Magic Online, and Mythic Championship I all show that Nexus of Fate decks, while part of the competitive metagame, are not problematic from a balance perspective. In fact, the current Standard environment is proving to be one of the most balanced and robust in quite some time. Nexus of Fate decks, all variants grouped together, represented about 14% of the MC Cleveland metagame and just one of the Top 8 decks. This is very much in line with what we see as a healthy metagame share, and we're still seeing the metagame continue to evolve.
The complaints surrounding Nexus of Fate mainly focus on the amount of time those decks take to win, and the fact that the card is only available in premium treatment. The latter has implications with respect to potentially marked cards in competitive play. While there's validity to both these concerns, the bar for banning a card in Standard is high.
Unlike nonrotating formats, where the best option for making balance adjustments in a timely fashion is by banning cards, we prefer whenever possible to use Standard's rotation to help phase out problematic cards and pave the way for new strategies in a natural and predictable cycle. We respect the effort players make to assemble the cards they need to create their favorite deck and don't take disrupting that process lightly. This is especially true for Standard, which we know is often where players first experience building Constructed Magic decks.
Likewise, in competitive play, we have solutions for marked cards (not just copies of Nexus of Fate) causing unfair play, up to and including judge-issued proxies. We'll continue to employ those solutions going forward. While not ideal, we prefer this to making a ban based on logistical reasons rather than balance reasons.
As always, we'll continue to monitor the evolution of the Standard environment and are willing to make changes when needed. That said, we don't currently anticipate needing to make changes to the Standard banned list.
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
Also I liked this:
Yes. Effort. That is what we are talking about.
so if there is anything that needs a ban, its that enchantment
-Crow, MST3K
“I once had an entire race killed just to listen to the rattling of their dried bones as I waded through them.”
—Volrath
On the ban announcement, the interesting thing to me is the other options they mentioned to address "marked cards." Judge-issued proxies seems like a good solution to extremely limited supply that I haven't heard of before. Is that a thing that's already happening?
Not sure if your post was sarcastic or not, since sarcasm doesn't travel across the web. But, yes. We do.
“I once had an entire race killed just to listen to the rattling of their dried bones as I waded through them.”
—Volrath
Hands to the sky
Give a round of applause
For the great Miss Y!
The judge issued proxies are referring to the card is only printed as a foil, thus having potential to stick out in decks. The judge can issue you proxies at the start of the event in place of them, but you still have to own and have the copies with you when you play.
That being said fetches are a one and done thing. If they are in the graveyard they often stay there. Nexus on the other hand goes back into the deck and the longer the games goes the more you draw Nexus and the more you start shuffling.
Hands to the sky
Give a round of applause
For the great Miss Y!
They revel in the suffering of their player base for the sake of making more money off luxury sets, then get thanked for throwing a bone with a 300+ msrp booster box of ultimate masters on a limited run.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Agreed. Standard is not at the peak of logical consistency these days.
I'm actually glad Rampaging Ferocidon is still banned. If BO1 being a mess is a legitimate concern then I don't think giving red more toys would help the matter.
It would be a good card as it beats the cards that would otherwise beat the red deck.
Imagine a white lifegain deck that cant gain life, stopping a Lyra lifelink, the lifegain from Wildgrowth Walker, all that kind of stuff makes it a really REALLY good card to counter the lifegain stuff a lot of decks are doing to not die to burn to the face.
Token decks are also really badly harmed out by the card, and the entire green/white mechanic was kinda about making tokens.
Its also a nice card against the "phoenix" cards, as you deal damage to them for putting them in play , especially against the 0/1 egg that turns into a 2 damage penalty.
Simply put, the cards REALLY good in standard and hates out a lot of decks even accidentally, simply by being a good card for red decks in general.
In a vacuum the card wouldnt be too powerful, but all the card does is really harmful for the format, instead of being a answer to a strong archetype, it pushes the Red deck even more than what it already does.
WUBRG#BlackLotusMatterWUBRG
👮👮👮 #BlueLivesMatter 👮👮👮
Based on their usual shedule and assuming nothing weird happens - monday, april 29th should be the next announcement.
WSram, UBaral, RPurphoros, GFreyalise
(G/W)Trostani, (B/G)Izoni, (B/R)Rakdos, (U/B)Yuriko, (U/R)Locust God
U(B/R)Marchesa, W(R/G)Zacama, G(W/B)Karador, B(R/W)Edgar, U(W/B)Silas/Tymna
G(U/R)Animar, W(G/U)Derevi, U(B/G)Muldrotha, G(B/R)Windgrace, G(R/W)(U/B)Jodah
Yep. I am expecting the usual "Commander is in a great place right now. Various playgroups have different experiences but #NewSet has added some tolls and flavour to improve everyone's experience." And not a whole lot of news from the newly formed Council.
Standard is pretty sweet right now. You can play all sorts of cool decks and win some matches. I am...somewhat concerned at Dominaria and Ixalan rotating out, since we'll lose some multilands and staple planeswalkers, but we'll see.
Currently focusing on Pre-Modern (Mono-Black Discard Control) and Modern (Azorious Control, Temur Rhinos).
Find me at the Wizard's Tower in Ottawa every second Saturday afternoons.