I've noticed that we are divided on whether a good many cards should come off the ban list. However, are there any that we can generally agree on coming off the list? I feel one that wouldn't do much is GGT, however I'm not an expert on graveyard decks (mostly because I haven't seen any in the format). Phrased differently, are there any cards we don't think would affect the format if they came off?
Unless I missed something, TNN isn't in Modern. Also, toss my hat into the "unban Jace" ring. Many people seem to forget that he wasn't anything special in Alara - Zendikar standard, due to the fact that he got beat hard by the Jund decks back then. If only Jund had a Modern presence, possibly with stronger cards than what it had in that standard....
The reason I advocate for the release of Stoneforge (with a possible cautionary ban of Batterskull) is that I believe that if Goyf, Bob, and Snapcaster are legal then so should she. Also, other than Batterskull, what can she tutor up that is a threat to G/B currently? If she goes for a sword, they'll Abrupt Decay it or kill her before she can put it onto the field. Not much of a threat. Also, rules question real fast, but even if Batterskull was in and you played her off of Stoneforge without them removing her, couldn't they just Abrupt decay the token it equips to, rendering Batterskull useless?
@neonordance
Are you sane? Did you look at the same GP I'm looking at? Where were the interesting and viable new decks? Also, what resurgence of control decks are you talking about? You mean the few "rebels" that brought control (and I use this term VERY loosely) decks and...did what again? I can't seem to find anything about how well they did and how awesome they were in the top 8. Wait....
Also, just because there are thousands of cards in a format, doesn't mean they are all playable. Unless you've got some top secret Tier 1 Razor Boomerang deck you want to share?
In case anyone can't tell, I'm using sarcasm at @neonordance. Also, Nacatl is probably safe to come off so I'll add her to my list. So now it's: Jace, Stoneforge, Bitterblossom, Golgari Grave-Troll, and Nacatl. I'm still iffy on Ancestral. Also, wasn't the reason given why Ponder and Preordain are banned is because they REALLY help Storm decks? Just need some clarification on those.
While I'm all for unbannings, Ancestral Vision isn't coming back as long as Storm is remotely playable. Also, as I mentioned somewhere before (earlier in this thread I believe), Ancestral Vision is pretty broken with cascade. So I doubt it's coming back, which kind of makes me sad. But I completely see where you are coming from with cards that won't help the G/B shell. Which is why I made the above list. Jace, while powerful, isn't enough (which should tell WotC something right there) and why I suggested the other two as well. Alone, Stoneforge and Bitterblossom help the G/B shell too much. However, unbanning all 3 should create some diversity when people start building decks and experimenting.
Also, as an aside, Golgari Grave-Troll (while G/B) should come off the list. With all the grave hate, I can't really see it being a force in Modern.
While that's a novel idea, in reality it wouldn't do much to change the current format. The G/B shell will still have all it's cards, they'd just need to be more careful if they splash a color. On the other hand, the 3-color decks that are putting up the good fight currently would be hurt HARD. So you'd probably end up doing more harm than good, sadly.
This leads to another point that I'll bring up: enemy colors have better mana fixing then allied colors currently. We've had hints that they're considered reprinting allied fetches, but nothing concrete. While I was for it before, now I'm not as sure as I believe they'd do nothing for the format accept help cement already existing decks.
Anyway, I may get some hate for saying this (TehGrease, your turn to pick up a rock) but I believe control needs to become a thing if the format is ever going to become healthy. Unbanning Jace, Stoneforge (possible cautionary ban of Batterskull), and Bitterblossom would help, but I'm not sure if even THAT would be enough. And while I'm at things people will hate, a reprint of straight up counterspell would be nice.
Darn it, I was hoping we'd get something unbanned. The obvious Bitterblossom or Golgari grave-troll, or perhaps Jace or Stoneforge (with a cautionary ban of Batterskull) to shake things up slightly for a few weeks. But nope. Why can't we have nice things?
Also @The Greendale Human Being
As much as I'm for unbanning more cards, they'd probably have to hurt Storm MORE before they'd let it back in. Also, Cascade kinda breaks it. Though again, I'd love to see it back.
Guys, let's be honest here. FTV:20 has FOIL Jaces, not regular Jaces. Technically, PREMIUM FOILED Jaces. Regular foils from Worldwake are going for $600 right now. The price isn't going to drop on him. Now if someone wanted to wager FTV:20 becoming incredibly expensive....
Hey guys and gals, my LGS is having a Standard Peasant tournament this weekend. I'm not entirely sure what the best deck for this format would be. I was thinking along the lines of an Esper Flicker deck with Lingering Souls, however I'm not sure. Can anyone offer me any advice/suggestions?
The reason I advocate for the release of Stoneforge (with a possible cautionary ban of Batterskull) is that I believe that if Goyf, Bob, and Snapcaster are legal then so should she. Also, other than Batterskull, what can she tutor up that is a threat to G/B currently? If she goes for a sword, they'll Abrupt Decay it or kill her before she can put it onto the field. Not much of a threat. Also, rules question real fast, but even if Batterskull was in and you played her off of Stoneforge without them removing her, couldn't they just Abrupt decay the token it equips to, rendering Batterskull useless?
@neonordance
Are you sane? Did you look at the same GP I'm looking at? Where were the interesting and viable new decks? Also, what resurgence of control decks are you talking about? You mean the few "rebels" that brought control (and I use this term VERY loosely) decks and...did what again? I can't seem to find anything about how well they did and how awesome they were in the top 8. Wait....
Also, just because there are thousands of cards in a format, doesn't mean they are all playable. Unless you've got some top secret Tier 1 Razor Boomerang deck you want to share?
In case anyone can't tell, I'm using sarcasm at @neonordance. Also, Nacatl is probably safe to come off so I'll add her to my list. So now it's: Jace, Stoneforge, Bitterblossom, Golgari Grave-Troll, and Nacatl. I'm still iffy on Ancestral. Also, wasn't the reason given why Ponder and Preordain are banned is because they REALLY help Storm decks? Just need some clarification on those.
While I'm all for unbannings, Ancestral Vision isn't coming back as long as Storm is remotely playable. Also, as I mentioned somewhere before (earlier in this thread I believe), Ancestral Vision is pretty broken with cascade. So I doubt it's coming back, which kind of makes me sad.
Also, as an aside, Golgari Grave-Troll (while G/B) should come off the list. With all the grave hate, I can't really see it being a force in Modern.
While that's a novel idea, in reality it wouldn't do much to change the current format. The G/B shell will still have all it's cards, they'd just need to be more careful if they splash a color. On the other hand, the 3-color decks that are putting up the good fight currently would be hurt HARD. So you'd probably end up doing more harm than good, sadly.
This leads to another point that I'll bring up: enemy colors have better mana fixing then allied colors currently. We've had hints that they're considered reprinting allied fetches, but nothing concrete. While I was for it before, now I'm not as sure as I believe they'd do nothing for the format accept help cement already existing decks.
Anyway, I may get some hate for saying this (TehGrease, your turn to pick up a rock) but I believe control needs to become a thing if the format is ever going to become healthy. Unbanning Jace, Stoneforge (possible cautionary ban of Batterskull), and Bitterblossom would help, but I'm not sure if even THAT would be enough. And while I'm at things people will hate, a reprint of straight up counterspell would be nice.
Also @The Greendale Human Being
As much as I'm for unbanning more cards, they'd probably have to hurt Storm MORE before they'd let it back in. Also, Cascade kinda breaks it. Though again, I'd love to see it back.