Wizards of the Coast (WotC) confirmed it will be moving the next scheduled Banned & Restricted list announcement up, but by only two weeks.
The previously scheduled Nov. 24 B&R update will now be on Nov. 10 and Magic: The Gathering Play Design member Carmen Klomparens wrote that the team is prepared to take action on Standard following the dominance of Izzet Cauldron over many events, including the most recent Spotlight Series event in Orlando.
In the article, Klomparens admits that they got the timing windows for B&R updates wrong this year and that Play Design will be more aggressive with these windows next year and will be adding more of them. The new goal is to have one window for each major set release to avoid disruption to play seasons and allow a more predictable timetable for the spots where B&R updates could come.
While there will be more windows going forward and the next B&R update is being moved up by two weeks, Klomparens said that they will not create an emergency ban window to make changes. Instead, they will continue to focus on the worldwide player base both online and at the in-store level and not slam an emergency ban hammer in the middle of Standard RCQ season.
Though moving the scheduled B&R update will give competitors at the upcoming World Championship more time to adjust if something changes (as well as players in future Standard RCQ seasons), it is likely Standard at Magic Spotlight: Spider-Man will be overshadowed by Izzet Cauldron and Mono-Red Aggro, the only other deck that was played at a large sample size that managed to put up a win rate north of 50 percent at Magic Spotlight: Planetary Rotation.
Klomparens wrote that Play Design is likely to take action in Standard on Nov. 10 and Vivi Ornitier “likely needs to go.” She said that Izzet Cauldron is warping the format, but Standard still might not be at its final form thanks to the upswing in Mono-Red Aggro and the other shifts in the meta as decks adjust for it and new builds of Izzet Cauldron. She wrote that not having an emergency ban is better for the long-tern health of the format.
“We believe Standard play may be hurt in the short term by one or two dominant decks. Long term, it is certainly hurt by banning decks out from under players in a surprise move. We want players to have as much confidence as possible in their ability to put a deck together and play it for as long as possible. That’s why we moved to three-year Standard and why we try to minimize bans where possible.”
Carmen Klomparens
Lastly, Klomparens wrote that while high-level tournament play of Standard sees the strongest degree of warping, online play and in-store play is much healthier. It’s important to make decisions for the entire player base and not just the top-level of competitive play.
The next B&R update will be on Nov. 10 and Standard isn’t the only format that could see changes. Read the official announcement from WotC.
