Victory really has no place on the ban list. It's incomparably weak to many of the combos present in the format, requiring a minimum of nine mana and five cards to pull off. Its continuing presence on the banlist along with several cards is one of the primary reasons I feel the current rules committee is inadequate.
It's shocking to see someone feel this way. I believe Coalition Victory is the posterchild for what a banned card should look like.
Coalition Victory ends the game instantly when it resolves. That's probably the least satisfying way to end a game of Commander. Why would someone want this card running around in the format? It just completely invalidates every decision made before it was cast. Plus, it's trivially easy to assemble the conditions needed to cast it. Between fetches, shocks, and a slew of Cultivate effects, all a player needs is eight mana and their Commander. Lands can hardly be considered combo pieces. Not to mention there's almost no way to interact with it. Players can counter it or try to destroy creatures/lands in response to it, but that's it. It isn't like other alternate win condition cards such as Helix Pinnacle that trigger only during the upkeep, allowing other players a chance to use sorcery speed cards in an attempt to stop it. Coalition Victory literally just ends the game.
EDIT: A word
If you're able to assemble Coalition Victory, you deserve to invalidate every decision made before it (which also isn't true. You need to both get three highyl specific lands into play, cast an extremely high color investment creature, AND somehow put an 8-CMC card which in turn has an insane color cost, all without anyone playing a single answer against you. It in no way invalidates previous decisions, as the combo is weak to nearly every form of removal or stax under the sun. You can delay hard-casting it indefinitely just by keeping a Gaddock Teeg around. It's a win condition, and just like every other win condition in all of EDH, it's entirely dependent on decisions made by you and your opponents). Meanwhile you can just cast Ad Nauseam on someone else's turn and storm out on your next mainphase with protection and multiple lines of victory. It's the same thing, only with most combos, you get to watch your opponent play with himself for several minutes while he goes off. Coalition Victory is at least a clean win, which is more than most combos can say. And it's certainly not unique in being a win the game on the spot card. laboratory maniac is one of the most ubiquitous win conditions in EDH. He's only put into play when his controller's victory is guaranteed. He's far, far better than Coalition Victory, yet there's hardly a peep about him being banworthy. Any way you slice it, Victory's card's place on the banlist just doesn't make sense.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Instead of building a fast car to win the race, you fill the race track with manure and drive your tractor to victory.
That is stax."
~cmv_lawyer, 2016
Victory really has no place on the ban list. It's incomparably weak to many of the combos present in the format, requiring a minimum of nine mana and five cards to pull off. Its continuing presence on the banlist along with several cards is one of the primary reasons I feel the current rules committee is inadequate.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Instead of building a fast car to win the race, you fill the race track with manure and drive your tractor to victory.
That is stax."
~cmv_lawyer, 2016
If you're able to assemble Coalition Victory, you deserve to invalidate every decision made before it (which also isn't true. You need to both get three highyl specific lands into play, cast an extremely high color investment creature, AND somehow put an 8-CMC card which in turn has an insane color cost, all without anyone playing a single answer against you. It in no way invalidates previous decisions, as the combo is weak to nearly every form of removal or stax under the sun. You can delay hard-casting it indefinitely just by keeping a Gaddock Teeg around. It's a win condition, and just like every other win condition in all of EDH, it's entirely dependent on decisions made by you and your opponents). Meanwhile you can just cast Ad Nauseam on someone else's turn and storm out on your next mainphase with protection and multiple lines of victory. It's the same thing, only with most combos, you get to watch your opponent play with himself for several minutes while he goes off. Coalition Victory is at least a clean win, which is more than most combos can say. And it's certainly not unique in being a win the game on the spot card. laboratory maniac is one of the most ubiquitous win conditions in EDH. He's only put into play when his controller's victory is guaranteed. He's far, far better than Coalition Victory, yet there's hardly a peep about him being banworthy. Any way you slice it, Victory's card's place on the banlist just doesn't make sense.
That is stax."
~cmv_lawyer, 2016
WUI Don't Mean to Brago, But... RWBI'll Kaalia Back Later GBWKaradora the Graveyard Explorer BRGLive Long and Prosshper
BGUMuscle Plasm URGImperial Animarch BGLemon Meren Pie GWStop Being Such a Sisay UTefearsome RGWMarath of the Titans
UBRNow Watch me Trai Trai RWBAleshstax GWUPrison Can Roon Your Life BRGrenzo: Your Doom UArcum's Asylum of Stax
BGFeel the Ground Croak GThe All New 2016 Yisan Wanderer URFo Rizzle Mah Mizzle UBRA Game of Marchess
That is stax."
~cmv_lawyer, 2016
WUI Don't Mean to Brago, But... RWBI'll Kaalia Back Later GBWKaradora the Graveyard Explorer BRGLive Long and Prosshper
BGUMuscle Plasm URGImperial Animarch BGLemon Meren Pie GWStop Being Such a Sisay UTefearsome RGWMarath of the Titans
UBRNow Watch me Trai Trai RWBAleshstax GWUPrison Can Roon Your Life BRGrenzo: Your Doom UArcum's Asylum of Stax
BGFeel the Ground Croak GThe All New 2016 Yisan Wanderer URFo Rizzle Mah Mizzle UBRA Game of Marchess