Just a quick question on eternal formats (my apologies if this thread belongs in vintage)
Everyone knows that the reserved list prevents a certain collection of cards from being reprinted, allowing them to hold value. Because of the promise that the list makes, players would have some firm legal ground to stand on if WotC decided to make reprints anyways and bomb the value of collections.
My question is thus: Has WotC made any similar standing promise that there will always be a format in which cards from the reserved list are legal? Put another way, has WotC ever stated that Black Lotus will never be moved from the restricted list to the banned list (bombing the value of the card faster than hypothetical reprints)? Is that included in the definition of the reserved list or banned list? Are eternal formats defined by having those cards legal? Is there a famous press statement making this apparent?
To be clear, I am not saying that WotC ever would or should do this. I would like the power nine to remain usable in some format and banning even one of those cards would be a disaster on par with Chronicles (seeing how it would undermine collector confidence in the continued value of the other cards). I am only asking if WotC has ever made a legal (or semi-legal) promise to never ban them or if we are relying on their continued good business sense.
WotC has made no promises that the cards will remain unbanned, in fact, a number of cards on the RL are/have been banned, in some cases for many years (see also: Chaos Orb, Yawgmoth's Will, Tolarian Academy).
Wizards does not ban cards for reasons other than ante, manual dexterity, logistics (Shahrazad), or power level. The only format that allows Lotus is the format in which you're supposed to be able to play with anything, and it's arguable that that format is so niche and nonexistent that banning Black Lotus would not affect its pricetag, it will always be iconic and it doesn't get much play anyway.
There's no reason to ban duals, or anything else RL in Legacy, you'd destroy the format and make every single person angry. They'd sooner abolish the RL list than ban the RL cards, and I think everyone knows that's not going to happen. Creating a new format with the RL that's non-rotating.....well, that's Modern. Trying to create some weird modern/legacy hybrid format runs into a ton of other problems that have been discussed on MTGS up and down and sideways and has also been confirmed as a "no-go" by WoTC.
TLDR: No promise exists, but it doesn't need to, the best thing WoTC can do (and they know it) is reprint what they can and leave well enough alone.
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Legacy: TES
EDH: Grand Arbiter $tax, Freyalise Stompy, Mimeoplasm Death From the Grave
There's no reason to do this. If one day they wake up and go: "Well, Legacy staples are too expensive, let's do something about it by exiling them," they can simply create a new Modern with Theros upwards with Origins or whatever, turns Modern into Legacy and Legacy goes the way of the dodo. Saffron Olive suggested that elsewhere and they already did something similar when Extended was axed, and they could well start a new format that forsakes the RL. Thta would leave duals and silly cards like Illusionary Mask to Vintage and EDH and collectors.
Wouldn't be a great idea though, Legacy has a pretty solid group of players/advocates.
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The "Crazy One", playing casual magic and occasionally dipping his toes into regular play since 1994.
Currently focusing on Pre-Modern (Mono-Black Discard Control) and Modern (Azorious Control, Temur Rhinos).
Find me at the Wizard's Tower in Ottawa every second Saturday afternoons.
Because of the promise that the list makes, players would have some firm legal ground to stand on if WotC decided to make reprints anyways and bomb the value of collections.
Everyone knows that the reserved list prevents a certain collection of cards from being reprinted, allowing them to hold value. Because of the promise that the list makes, players would have some firm legal ground to stand on if WotC decided to make reprints anyways and bomb the value of collections.
My question is thus: Has WotC made any similar standing promise that there will always be a format in which cards from the reserved list are legal? Put another way, has WotC ever stated that Black Lotus will never be moved from the restricted list to the banned list (bombing the value of the card faster than hypothetical reprints)? Is that included in the definition of the reserved list or banned list? Are eternal formats defined by having those cards legal? Is there a famous press statement making this apparent?
To be clear, I am not saying that WotC ever would or should do this. I would like the power nine to remain usable in some format and banning even one of those cards would be a disaster on par with Chronicles (seeing how it would undermine collector confidence in the continued value of the other cards). I am only asking if WotC has ever made a legal (or semi-legal) promise to never ban them or if we are relying on their continued good business sense.
Wizards does not ban cards for reasons other than ante, manual dexterity, logistics (Shahrazad), or power level. The only format that allows Lotus is the format in which you're supposed to be able to play with anything, and it's arguable that that format is so niche and nonexistent that banning Black Lotus would not affect its pricetag, it will always be iconic and it doesn't get much play anyway.
There's no reason to ban duals, or anything else RL in Legacy, you'd destroy the format and make every single person angry. They'd sooner abolish the RL list than ban the RL cards, and I think everyone knows that's not going to happen. Creating a new format with the RL that's non-rotating.....well, that's Modern. Trying to create some weird modern/legacy hybrid format runs into a ton of other problems that have been discussed on MTGS up and down and sideways and has also been confirmed as a "no-go" by WoTC.
TLDR: No promise exists, but it doesn't need to, the best thing WoTC can do (and they know it) is reprint what they can and leave well enough alone.
EDH: Grand Arbiter $tax, Freyalise Stompy, Mimeoplasm Death From the Grave
Wouldn't be a great idea though, Legacy has a pretty solid group of players/advocates.
Currently focusing on Pre-Modern (Mono-Black Discard Control) and Modern (Azorious Control, Temur Rhinos).
Find me at the Wizard's Tower in Ottawa every second Saturday afternoons.
Imagine all the decks in modern without duals.
Ooooh no they don't.
UBBreya's Toybox (Competitive, Combo)WR
RGodzilla, King of the MonstersG
-Retired Decks-
UBLazav, Dimir Mastermind (Competitive, UB Voltron/Control)UB
"Knowledge is such a burden. Release it. Release all your fears to me."
—Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver