Unstable looks like a blast. Shenanigans everywhere. If only there was a casual-focused format dedicated to fun and silliness to play them in.
...
Hey, wait, we have one of those!
Until the next banned list announcement (January 15), silver-bordered cards are legal in Commander.
Yes, you heard that right. Dust off those Fruitcake Elementals and unleash the unsanity! It's time to celebrate Unstable.
The following cards are banned. They have rules that span multiple games, which is problematic for single-game multiplayer, are variants of cards already banned, or are too nightmarish for even us to contemplate:
You should be careful with the following cards. They work OK within the framework of Commander, so we aren't going to ban them, but are likely to give your playgroup a headache or lead to problematic games if you're not careful. Use them responsibly and remember that if you're playing cards your opponents don't enjoy playing against, they probably won't want to play with you any more:
Personally, I recommend avoiding the Gotcha cards, as they're a fast way to lose friends, but they're not terribly broken in the wider context of silver borders, unless you use them to collude. But, if you're doing that, you've missed the point entirely.
Contraptions don't count against your 99. The correct thing to do is put one of every one of them into your contraption deck, but that's up to you. Make sure you have at least fifteen.
Finally, for all of you who are falling over themselves to play with Spike, please remember that Rule 13 exists, and she only functions under whatever rules the rest of your playgroup sets for her.
We hope people will use these cards in the spirit in which they are intended. Go, have a good time. And summon lots of squirrels. The Earl demands it.
As we expected, there's been a lot of strong reactions, both positive and negative, to the Un-Celebration. Thanks to all of you who have kept the discourse civilized. We think it'll be a fun six weeks.
However, we've decided that we need to ban an additional card. Nerf War isn't problematic mechanically, and we figured that we didn't need to tell people that they were responsible for making sure not to damage other people's cards. However, we're seeing a lot of people planning a shock and awe approach to try and force a concession, and that's very much missing the spirit of the format. It's also a bit problematic encouraging people to run around game stores and conventions with gun-like objects, and so we feel that Nerf War needs to be removed.
Let's be clear on this: if you are looking for ways to damage an opponent's cards, either out of spite or a desire to get them to concede, we encourage your playgroup, local game store or other organizer to take appropriate action to prevent this.
While we have your attention, we want to clear up a few other pieces of speculation.
* At no point did Wizards ask us to do this. When we told them the plan, they were supportive, but, as normal, they left us to our own devices.
* This is not a test or trial period. It's a chance to do something a little different for a few weeks, and then we'll go back to the usual Commander rules. The only consequence after then for the foreseeable future is that a few playgroups may have discovered some cards they enjoy playing with.
* We have no interest in jeopardizing our various positions in the Magic community for a small short-term profit and have made no effort to buy and sell silver-bordered cards to do so. Full disclosure: I picked up a Hascon promo set when they became available.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I have officially moved to MTGNexus. I just wanted to let people know as my response time to salvation decks being bumped is very hit or miss.
This temporary rules change has ended. The last update to overturn the temporary legality of silver boardered cards is here. I have removed the sticky from this thread as this test period is now over but I wanted to update with the last of what the RC has said as I think its valid to share it. If you would like to discuss this topic please bring it up in a thread in the Commander Rules Discussion Forum.
Quote from Sheldon »
JANUARY 15, 2018
CARDS
No changes.
RULES
No changes*
* As previously mentioned, the legality of silver-bordered cards expires with this announcement.
The format is in a pretty good place, demonstrated by the amount of fun folks had with 45 days of Un-cards. From the reports we’ve gathered and some of our own experience, silvered-bordered cards did what we wanted: provided a different kind of wacky enjoyment to the format. Most of what we’ve heard from the fan base is overwhelmingly positive, signaling that similar such temporary deviations (although probably not in the same form or style) are within the realm of possibilities in the future.
We hope that this time has offered local groups, especially those which might have been initially resistant to the idea, a better gauge on whether or not silver-bordered is right for them. With that, we return to your traditional format, ready to charge into the remainder of 2018 in all of its battle cruiser glory.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I have officially moved to MTGNexus. I just wanted to let people know as my response time to salvation decks being bumped is very hit or miss.
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