lol there's really not anything valid to complain about re: TWD, what're you on about? Disaster nothing this secret lair is HYPE.
We found the worst take. Congratulations.
Even if you don't care about the predatory business model, even if you don't care about the risks to tournament formats, even if you don't care about the effective extending of the reserved list, even if you don't care about the international magic community, even if you don't care about having functional advertisements for a commercial product in the middle of your game, even if you like the walking dead for some reason (why am I not surprised you like that god-awful excuse for television?), even if you think the designs are interesting, even if you don't care about magic get polluted with every IP WotC can whore itself out to, even if you don't care about the sanctity of black borders, even if you don't find the depiction of living actors on magic cards cringey as hell, even if you don't care about the health of LGSs which are already dying...why on this green Earth would any human being get "HYPED" to pay $50 for 5 unproven cards that cost wotc pennies to make? Do you just love getting ripped off?
My biggest gripe about losing the 'Banned as Commander' list was that the list was ALREADY IN PLACE and it wasn't hurting anyone. Meanwhile it gave folks who wanted to play specific edge-case legendaries a chance to play them. It was only a positive thing. And then it got taken away for no legitimate reason, and the rationale given at the time boiled down to 'y'all are too dumb to remember two lists.'
I wouldn't have minded if there had never been a list in the first place. Really I wouldn't. But they made it, and it was a good thing, and they took it away while telling us all we're stupid.
****. That.
Every new player to the game would need to learn the additional rules, it's not already in place for new players who may be deterred by convoluted rules like multiple banlists. And by this point, most players who play commander probably started playing without BaaC existing. So it's no longer "already in place".
I cannot fathom why someone could care so much about losing 3 cards. If they banned my three favorite cards in the whole game (maybe...life from the loam, sunforger, and Phelddagrif?) I wouldn't still be whining about it five years later. WotC has printed thousand and thousands of cards since that time, pick some of those to play and GET OVER IT.
'Banned as Commander,' however, was absolutely kiboshed explicitly because they didn't think people were smart enough to remember two lists, so forgive me if I'm insulted and suspicious when a committee of knuckle-dragging morons try to tell me something is for the best lol
I don't remember the announcement super well, but complexity is complexity. Obviously one additional list doesn't suddenly make the format too complex, but it's worth simplifying the format if it doesn't cost much elsewhere. It took a while for the format to become more streamlined and I think it's better for it.
So what did we lose by dropping BaaC? Erayo, oh, what a bummer, what a fun card to play against. Braids, oh, what a bummer, what a fun card to play against. Rofellos, oh great, another expensive reserved list auto-include for mono-green (speaking as someone who still owns one, btw). More importantly, we're talking about a tiny number of cards in the grand scheme of things. Having a whole additional rule and banned list, just so a few people get to play with one questionable card they like is not a worthwhile tradeoff of complexity for payoff.
I'm happy to complain about the RC kowtowing to wotc over this walking dead disaster, but this whinging over BaaC has got to STOP. It's been what, five years? And a whopping THREE CARDS? Holy hell, GET OVER IT.
It's not that the concept is difficult. It's that the upside is very low. In Lutri's case especially, we get one more card available in the format? Out of tens of thousands? That's really not worth adding a whole new category of ban imo.
Plus I'm sure most people wouldn't mind you playing it anyway (outside the companion zone obviously) if you ask in advance.
Also, while it's easy enough now, ten years down the line it might be a lot more confusing to need to learn a barely-used decade-old mechanic just to understand the banlist. And god forbid they add more "banned as X" lists. For simplicity's sake, I think it was absolutely the correct call.
If you counted it as one of your 99 cards it'd be even MORE powerful.
This is yet another reason I hate hate HATE the "fix" wotc imposed on companions btw, it doesn't fix "free" companions at all, because even at 3 more they're still a free card. Just a free crappy card instead of a free good one. If the fix was, say, you lose 5 life at the start of the game if you have a companion, then Lutri probably could have joined commander, and people wouldn't run free companions just because they're free (like the kaheera in creatureless vintage/legacy, although at least it costs a sideboard spot in that format).
Even if you don't care about the predatory business model, even if you don't care about the risks to tournament formats, even if you don't care about the effective extending of the reserved list, even if you don't care about the international magic community, even if you don't care about having functional advertisements for a commercial product in the middle of your game, even if you like the walking dead for some reason (why am I not surprised you like that god-awful excuse for television?), even if you think the designs are interesting, even if you don't care about magic get polluted with every IP WotC can whore itself out to, even if you don't care about the sanctity of black borders, even if you don't find the depiction of living actors on magic cards cringey as hell, even if you don't care about the health of LGSs which are already dying...why on this green Earth would any human being get "HYPED" to pay $50 for 5 unproven cards that cost wotc pennies to make? Do you just love getting ripped off?
Every new player to the game would need to learn the additional rules, it's not already in place for new players who may be deterred by convoluted rules like multiple banlists. And by this point, most players who play commander probably started playing without BaaC existing. So it's no longer "already in place".
I cannot fathom why someone could care so much about losing 3 cards. If they banned my three favorite cards in the whole game (maybe...life from the loam, sunforger, and Phelddagrif?) I wouldn't still be whining about it five years later. WotC has printed thousand and thousands of cards since that time, pick some of those to play and GET OVER IT.
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
So what did we lose by dropping BaaC? Erayo, oh, what a bummer, what a fun card to play against. Braids, oh, what a bummer, what a fun card to play against. Rofellos, oh great, another expensive reserved list auto-include for mono-green (speaking as someone who still owns one, btw). More importantly, we're talking about a tiny number of cards in the grand scheme of things. Having a whole additional rule and banned list, just so a few people get to play with one questionable card they like is not a worthwhile tradeoff of complexity for payoff.
I'm happy to complain about the RC kowtowing to wotc over this walking dead disaster, but this whinging over BaaC has got to STOP. It's been what, five years? And a whopping THREE CARDS? Holy hell, GET OVER IT.
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
Plus I'm sure most people wouldn't mind you playing it anyway (outside the companion zone obviously) if you ask in advance.
Also, while it's easy enough now, ten years down the line it might be a lot more confusing to need to learn a barely-used decade-old mechanic just to understand the banlist. And god forbid they add more "banned as X" lists. For simplicity's sake, I think it was absolutely the correct call.
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
This is yet another reason I hate hate HATE the "fix" wotc imposed on companions btw, it doesn't fix "free" companions at all, because even at 3 more they're still a free card. Just a free crappy card instead of a free good one. If the fix was, say, you lose 5 life at the start of the game if you have a companion, then Lutri probably could have joined commander, and people wouldn't run free companions just because they're free (like the kaheera in creatureless vintage/legacy, although at least it costs a sideboard spot in that format).
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6