As not-happy as I am with the RC at the moment under no circumstances do I think WotC should take over
For better or worse the idea of "just goof around" is the foundation of the format and I have no faith that WotC would take the time to maintain it. We'd wind up with a vastly different format, and that's not what I think we should be striving for.
To rewind to the middle of a previous post I don't feel like chopping up and editing to quote, I think Coalition Victory is the most-wanted card on the banlist because, based on my own scientific assumptions, a large portion of the EDH crowd recognize that as cheesy as it is it's a super weak card. It is certainly emblematic of a kind of wincon the RC doesn't want to encourage, and I genuinely understand that, but hoo boy it's the saddest, weakest card on the banlist by a country mile.
This decision is quite clearly something where the new CAG had its hand in. Which is good. But they are new and this is the first Banlist announcement where they were fully engaged (if I understand correctly). I don't believe for a second that PS and Iona were a "swap" ban. Iona was banned because she is obnoxious in this format and the CAG argued as such. And PS, as a ban, didn't really make sense in the context of the rest of the ban list (as JqlGirl has argued in this thread). That they happened to come off at the same time is likely more coincidental than anything. While I could see where not having Iona was certainly a point in PS's favor I don't believe Iona was banned solely because they wanted PS unbanned and the RC has definitely known of Iona for a long time and the feel bad moments she created. The CAG's input simply seems to have moved their thought of her to "over the line".
First off PS, even though it shouldn't have been banned in the first place, was not unique in the context of the ban list. PS was banned for a being the enabler for Not Good Things with the kicker that the interactions going forward would only get worse. It's like Recurring Nightmare getting banned for enabling Not Good Things, except RN is comically difficult to deal with and justifiably banned. Now, the kicker of banning against future interactions was certainly unique, and bad, but PS was banned for being an enabler. And that's not unique.
Next, the CAG supporting PS getting unbanned and Iona getting banned is the same thing. Iona was the biggest reason PS got banned in the first place. Putting her in the sin bin was the easiest path to getting PS unbanned. Ignoring this means you're also ignoring the vast majority of the "unban PS" conversation that's taken place online the past several years.
Lastly, if the RC really did just happen to ban Iona independent of its decision to free PS, then their release doesn't reflect that. It's written as if Iona is a new card printed in the past year, and gosh they sure did want to give it a shot, but shucks, it didn't work out! The circumstances that were listed in the ban announcement have existed since the card's creation. You could even argue that she hasn't really gotten stronger; there aren't any new interactions with her that exacerbate the problem beyond, what, Helm of the Hosts? Was anyone doing that?
Just say, "Hey, you know what? It's gone on long enough. Iona is a profound net negative for the format and we're done protecting her." Don't make it sound like you just discovered that cheating creatures into play is a thing.
also bring back Banned as Commander new players aren't smooth brained babies they can understand the concept kthx
Paradox Engine getting banned is whatever; I didn't mind playing against it, never played with it, but it's such a casually strong card that I won't mourn it.
Painter's Servant getting unbanned is good; it's another combo piece for a format full of them and won't break anything. I don't personally know many people who will just goof with it, which is a shame, but it's a neat card and I'm glad the people who will goof with it have a chance.
Iona getting banned is annoying, but whatever--it's the silly reasoning given in the official post that has me steamed
So you're telling me that after a decade of the card existing as it is it's now, just now, that the RC is all "well it turns out reanimator exists! how could we have forgotten??"
Seriously people, y'all got convinced to unban PS (again, not a bad move!) and you didn't want to deal with it and Iona in the format simultaneously. I don't think having them both around is any more or less degenerate than a laundry list of things you can do, but that's neither here nor there. Y'all, as the RC, don't want to put up with that. And that's your prerogative. Just say as much.
Don't give us a song and dance that makes you sound like you just realized that Iona exists; it's disingenuous. Just say you don't want Iona and PS in the format at the same time.
hint: the format would be fine with both in it. Just like it would be fine with Gifts Ungiven back in it. It's not 2008 anymore. The stated intended audience for the ban list is not the group that gets wrecked by these cards. It's the 7/10 players who don't want to jump into cEDH but also don't want to derp around that don't want to put up with strong combo pieces and how semi-spikes play them.
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For better or worse the idea of "just goof around" is the foundation of the format and I have no faith that WotC would take the time to maintain it. We'd wind up with a vastly different format, and that's not what I think we should be striving for.
To rewind to the middle of a previous post I don't feel like chopping up and editing to quote, I think Coalition Victory is the most-wanted card on the banlist because, based on my own scientific assumptions, a large portion of the EDH crowd recognize that as cheesy as it is it's a super weak card. It is certainly emblematic of a kind of wincon the RC doesn't want to encourage, and I genuinely understand that, but hoo boy it's the saddest, weakest card on the banlist by a country mile.
First off PS, even though it shouldn't have been banned in the first place, was not unique in the context of the ban list. PS was banned for a being the enabler for Not Good Things with the kicker that the interactions going forward would only get worse. It's like Recurring Nightmare getting banned for enabling Not Good Things, except RN is comically difficult to deal with and justifiably banned. Now, the kicker of banning against future interactions was certainly unique, and bad, but PS was banned for being an enabler. And that's not unique.
Next, the CAG supporting PS getting unbanned and Iona getting banned is the same thing. Iona was the biggest reason PS got banned in the first place. Putting her in the sin bin was the easiest path to getting PS unbanned. Ignoring this means you're also ignoring the vast majority of the "unban PS" conversation that's taken place online the past several years.
Lastly, if the RC really did just happen to ban Iona independent of its decision to free PS, then their release doesn't reflect that. It's written as if Iona is a new card printed in the past year, and gosh they sure did want to give it a shot, but shucks, it didn't work out! The circumstances that were listed in the ban announcement have existed since the card's creation. You could even argue that she hasn't really gotten stronger; there aren't any new interactions with her that exacerbate the problem beyond, what, Helm of the Hosts? Was anyone doing that?
Just say, "Hey, you know what? It's gone on long enough. Iona is a profound net negative for the format and we're done protecting her." Don't make it sound like you just discovered that cheating creatures into play is a thing.
also bring back Banned as Commander new players aren't smooth brained babies they can understand the concept kthx
Paradox Engine getting banned is whatever; I didn't mind playing against it, never played with it, but it's such a casually strong card that I won't mourn it.
Painter's Servant getting unbanned is good; it's another combo piece for a format full of them and won't break anything. I don't personally know many people who will just goof with it, which is a shame, but it's a neat card and I'm glad the people who will goof with it have a chance.
Iona getting banned is annoying, but whatever--it's the silly reasoning given in the official post that has me steamed
So you're telling me that after a decade of the card existing as it is it's now, just now, that the RC is all "well it turns out reanimator exists! how could we have forgotten??"
Seriously people, y'all got convinced to unban PS (again, not a bad move!) and you didn't want to deal with it and Iona in the format simultaneously. I don't think having them both around is any more or less degenerate than a laundry list of things you can do, but that's neither here nor there. Y'all, as the RC, don't want to put up with that. And that's your prerogative. Just say as much.
Don't give us a song and dance that makes you sound like you just realized that Iona exists; it's disingenuous. Just say you don't want Iona and PS in the format at the same time.
hint: the format would be fine with both in it. Just like it would be fine with Gifts Ungiven back in it. It's not 2008 anymore. The stated intended audience for the ban list is not the group that gets wrecked by these cards. It's the 7/10 players who don't want to jump into cEDH but also don't want to derp around that don't want to put up with strong combo pieces and how semi-spikes play them.