There’s a subtle difference between Reconnaissance and the Maze of Ith family of cards (untap and remove from combat vs. just untap and prevent damage) that I believe was responsible for us only considering Reconnaissance last time. That is, I looked for cards that worked like Reconnaissance and didn’t consider the similar functionality of other cards.
Exodus predated Sixth Edition by about a year. Upon its release, it certainly never had the functionality it now does. That is, the “give your creatures pseudo-vigilance” trick didn’t exist. There’s at least one Duelist article supporting this, plus internal notes on the card’s design and development, plus the memories of myself and others from that time.
At any rate, I think using it to untap your attackers during the combat damage or end of combat steps stands in stark contrast to what the card was designed to do. In fact, it quite literally is not what it was designed to do. The various overhauls to the turn structure since its printing have created this new functionality. If anyone out there plays Reconnaissance, it’s very likely due to this new functionality. I’m not sure how important that is. But I do know it’s also important that the cards not do things that seem ridiculous to a newer player. And this seems right up there with the Oblivion Ring “exile forever stack trick.” That is, the the card strongly implies a certain functionality, but there’s this hidden way to use the card if you know enough about the details of the turn structure. Bleh.
As to what our next steps will be, there are several possibilities. In increasing order of likelihood they include:
· Do nothing.
· Add a timing restriction to Maze of Ith and company.
· Remove the timing restriction of Reconnaissance.
· Ban all the cards and move to Florida.
I do appreciate the feedback. So far, you’re the only one to notice anything changed. J Nonetheless, it’s important to get all perspectives.
Matt
There's already a thread for this in MTG General Discussion, and as this is not a rumor, that is where it belongs. Closed - Wildfire393
0: Remove target attacking creature you control from combat and untap it. Activate this ability only before the combat damage step.
Someone over at themanadrain.com got a response from Matt Tabak:
There's already a thread for this in MTG General Discussion, and as this is not a rumor, that is where it belongs. Closed - Wildfire393
https://www.cubecobra.com/cube/list/p420