The Dangers Of A Bigger Ban List

A little over six months ago, I engaged in a thought exercise about what a
smaller,

would look like. This week, I’d like to go the in opposite direction to
think about what a much larger list might entail. Buckle your seat belts
and put your tray tables up, because it’s going to get bumpy.

First, the caveats. This “what if?” scenario is not indicative of any
thought processes currently ongoing within the Commander Rules Committee
(RC). We’re huge fans of a more streamlined list. We find the smaller the
list, the easier the messaging. We also pay attention to the lesson learned
from the Five Color format (sometimes called Chromatic), in which an
overburdened Banned List eventually helped undo the format. Additionally, I
wouldn’t look at the cards we’ll discuss today as being on any kind of
Watch List. We did away with that category quite some time ago as
additional unnecessary overhead, so the Watch List isn’t something we’re
considering reviving. Don’t read into the inclusion of any individual card
here, either. Obviously, some cards which we might think are currently
borderline make the giant list, but that’s not any indication of a shifting
mindset. This truly is just a view into what a more extensive list might
look like and what the impact would be. The major takeaway I’d like to
offer you here is the problematic nature of cascading bans and the abject
insanity of an extremely large banned list.

We’d obviously need to either change

our philosophy

or take it in the strictest and most orthodox sense. Cascading bans would
become a thing, since we’d be hitting all the things enough reasonable
people might not like to see played in the format. For the purposes of this
exercise, the Giant Banned List breaks down into three categories: The
Current List (with the aforementioned stricter definition of the
philosophy), Heartburn Cards, and Cards Which Don’t Let Players Play.

The Current List

If we’re increasing the size of the list, there’s no reason to take off
anything. We start with the Vintage Banned List, which includes the 25
conspiracies, 9 ante cards, and Chaos Orb, Falling Star, and Shahrazad. We
then add our 38 cards, many of which you might notice are restricted in
Vintage-but that in and of itself doesn’t place them on our list. There’s
been enough recent discussion of the existing list that we don’t need to
delve further into it.

If we take a more extremist version of the current list, however, there are
cards to add. The bogeyman here is certainly mana, of which there are two
varieties: too fast and too much. Under an extreme version of too fast,
which some folks argue isn’t extreme at all, we could add Sol Ring and Mana
Crypt. Mana Vault likely also goes with them. There might be an argument
for Grim Monolith, but since it doesn’t untap normally, it’s probably safe.

Then there’s too much mana. Gaea’s Cradle is an easy choice, as it’s one of
the most talked-about offenders. It’s probably safer to get rid of cards
which even situationally create heaps of mana, such as Cabal Coffers and
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. We can likely add Serra’s Sanctum and Crypt of
Agadeem to that list. I would even think that Black Market is a reasonable
consideration.

Seedborn Muse fits somewhere, probably under Creates Undesirable Games States, as it gives the controller an
effective extra turn for each opponent-although it needs more help, like
from Vedalken Orrery or Leyline of Anticipation to get as overbearing as
Prophet of Kruphix.

Heartburn Cards

The cards in this category are the ones which commonly get discussed and/or
cause a great deal of angst in some players. It also includes those which
we currently consider borderline but would ban in our more conservatively
orthodox world.

Deadeye Navigator is the first casualty, quickly followed by Iona, Shield
of Emeria (who would certainly qualify for the third category as well).
Survival of the Fittest is a goner due to its repeatable tutoring. There’s
a fair amount of hate for Serra Ascendant because of its possibility to
kill or nearly kill someone before they get going. Sensei’s Divining Top
probably goes as a time-waster, despite the fact that many fans of the
format are pretty good at topping in a timely fashion. In my extended local
group, we Top on the turn of the opponent to our left (so right after our
turn is done) in order to save time-with the agreement that since we’ve
saved that time, if the board state changes, we can do it again. We also do
the same with land searchers, such as Land Tax; if it happens to get blown
up beforehand, then we shuffle them back in. Back to banning cards, as the
representative of fast combo, Hermit Druid and Ad Nauseam get the axe.

As a matter of fact, there are a few cards which might easily enable combo
get cut. Under that banner, Protean Hulk probably gets banned once again.
Necropotence draws too many cards, allowing a player to find their combo
pieces, as does Consecrated Sphinx (although the furor around that one
seems to have died down). Lots of folks call Tooth and Nail a one-card
combo, so it can go, along with the pieces which folks think tend to break
it: Mikaeus, the Unhallowed; Triskelion; Craterhoof Behemoth; Reveillark;
Karmic Guide; and Saffi Eriksdottir. If Tooth and Nail goes, then Defense
of the Heart probably has to as well. There’s a good argument that once the
combo enablers are gone, some of these cards aren’t all that bad, but in
the stricter format, better safe than sorry. Palinchron, which makes easy
infinite mana combos, needs to get its walking papers. Kiki-Jiki, Mirror
Breaker suffers the same fate.

Paradox Engine seems to be the most recent card that folks are talking
about being too combo-y, so it gets to hit the road. Derevi, Empyrial
Tactician belongs in both this category and the next, so it’s an obvious
banning choice. Zur the Enchanter might be the same, and when in doubt in
the stricter NWO, we cut it.

People get pretty salty when someone controls their turn and wrecks them,
so Mindslaver and Emrakul, the Promised End would have to go, especially
since they can make someone’s commander unavailable. They’re more
repeatable than Worst Fears, so it’s probably safe, but Sorin Markov’s
ability to both set a life total to ten as well as to control a turn get it
sent packing. Speaking of setting a life total to ten, Magister Sphinx is
right out.

Cards Which Don’t Let Players Play

This might simply be an extension of Creates Undesirable Game States, but it also includes cards that
you might not think of right away. Grand Arbiter Augustin IV is the poster
child, as it not only makes things more expensive for all the opponents, it
makes spells cheaper for its controller. Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir goes on
because it makes locking out other players relatively easy. The other top
choices in this section are the ones which lock down or destroy lands.

Winter Orb; Stasis; Hokori, Dusk Drinker; Rising Waters; and Static Orb all
prevent players from getting their full turns. Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger’s
double whammy of making opponents’ lands lazy and boosting its controller’s
land it on the list.

Back to Basics might also qualify, and if we go there, we probably also
have to nix Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon. You might notice by now that
this list contains some cards which players aren’t actually playing that
much in the format and wonder why they’d be included on the Giant Banned
List. In the more conservative world of this list, we wouldn’t rely on the
social contract to help make better games (and I know that there are folks
with whom such a decision would resonate). If we’re going to strictly
legislate behavior, it makes sense to do so before any of said behaviors
become problematic.

Slowing down opponents isn’t quite enough. Fewer things get under players’
skins more than mass land destruction. The whole suite of it would have to
go: Armageddon; Decree of Annihilation; Apocalypse; Bust; Catastrophe;
Devastation; Epicenter; Impending Disaster; Myojin of Infinite Rage;
Ravages of War; Sunder; Jokulhaups; and Obliterate all apply (and there’s
likely a few I’ve missed). Even triggered abilities, like Worldslayer and
Bearer of the Heavens apply here, and Realm Razer might go with them.
Ruination probably goes on, but because it replaces the lands, Wave of
Vitriol is safe. Tangle Wire and Smokestack, and perhaps other relevant
pieces of Stax decks would have to go under this criterion.

We’d probably also want to take away cards which make people discard their
hands (and not refill it). If you’ve ever been on the wrong end of Identity
Crisis, you know what I’m getting at. Myojin of Night’s Reach is the worst
offender, since its controller gets to keep a full grip; Cabal Conditioning
is in the same boat. Even though they’re symmetrical, Mindslicer and Sire
of Insanity also apply. Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur goes here as well, since
folks would need something to give themselves a larger or unlimited hand
size in order to keep their cards. At least they have one opportunity to
play them.

There are also a few commanders which would get the axe in this category.
Arcum Dagsson seems inoffensive on the surface, but nearly everyone who
builds it can’t resist the Mycosynth Lattice/March of the Machines combo.
Narset, Enlightened Master gets chopped because it easily creates infinite
turns-which makes us think about time magic. These cards definitely go into
the gray area. Not all extra turn spells are all that nasty. Certainly, no
one is arguing that Magistrate’s Scepter is broken, but straightforward
ones like Beacon of Tomorrows, Time Stretch, and even Expropriate might be
worth getting rid of just to keep the peace. Back to commanders, Prossh,
Skyraider of Kher might be allowed to stay if we banned Food Chain. Oloro,
Ageless Ascetic is a grand idea which seems like a good idea gone bad, as
is Edric, Spymaster of Trest.

We also have to address color hosers. If we’re getting rid of Iona, Shield
of Emeria, at least partially on its ability to completely shut down
mono-color decks, then we really must consider Flashfires, Stench of Evil,
Anarchy, Boiling Seas, Boil (which is an instant!), Acid Rain, Tsunami, and
anything which destroys all of a single kind of land or a single color of
permanent. Perish is probably okay since it only hits creatures, and
creatures having a short life expectancy is still somewhat reasonable.
Chill and Gloom place pretty heavy burdens on red and white, respectively.
Lifeforce and Deathgrip might singlehandedly take players out of games. And
so on and so on.

Our goal is to promote great games of Commander. That’s different than ensuring them, which is a fool’s errand. Without the madness of
the Giant Banned List, there’s no way to guarantee fun games, and even then
it’s a tall order because different people think different things are fun.
On top of the current list, I’ve mentioned nearly 100 cards here, with
likely more that would apply. Some of you might even want to add new
categories and more cards to go in them. Maintaining such a list isn’t that
much more difficult than the current one, but messaging it is well more
awkward. Simply remembering all the cards on such as list is nearly
impossible. Obviously, I’ve taken the cascading list to an almost
irrational extreme. Part of that extreme is to demonstrate not only how
unwieldy such a list would be but also to hopefully show you that folks
fall all along the continuum. I’m sure there were a number of cards along
the way where you said “c’mon, that card is fine” and other folks were all
“Yeah! Good riddance!”

The Commander format philosophy is about more than just a Banned List. It’s
about using the list to help sculpt positive experiences while keeping
strategies open for players who like different things. It’s about creating
an ethos, Using the current Banned List as an exemplar helps local groups
find where they fit; offering those groups the opportunity to shape the
format to suit their own needs enhances its playability. The official list
lets players know what to expect when they venture outside their local
groups and play with folks they don’t know. A somewhat larger list might
enhance those experiences, but suffers from the “how much larger do we
need?” question. The RC believes that the smaller, tighter list better
serves the broader community. We certainly have a target audience to whom
we’re catering, but we’d rather make the effort to include folks who might
exist a little outside that target. We can’t really do much for players out
on the fringe, especially on the competitive side, since what they want out
of the format is simply different than what we do.

This thought exercise was designed to offer you an appreciation for the
broad spectrum of possibilities which could encompass the Commander Banned
List and to give you some insight into our reasons for keeping the list as
small as possible. As always, your rational questions and comments are
welcome.

Obligatory Gerry T Shout Out

We love it when great players do well. We love it even more when great people succeed. Gerry Thompson is both. I want to add my voice to
the thundering chorus of those who celebrate his victory at Pro Tour Amonkhet.

This week’s Deck Without Comment is

Animar’s Swarm
.

Animar, Soul of Elements

Sheldon Menery

0th Place at Test deck on 03-20-2014

Commander

Creatures (45)

Planeswalkers (3)

Lands (38)

Spells (13)

SIGNATURE DECKS

Purple Hippos and Maro Sorcerers

;

Kresh Into the Red Zone

;

Halloween with Karador

;

Dreaming of Intet

;

You Did This to Yourself

.

THE CHROMATIC PROJECT

Mono-Color

Heliod, God of Enchantments

;

Thassa, God of Merfolk

;

Erebos and the Halls Of The Dead

;

Forge of Purphoros

;

Nylea of the Woodland Realm

;

Karn

Evil No. 9

Guilds

Lavinia Blinks

;

Obzedat, Ghost Killer

;

Aurelia Goes to War

;

Trostani and Her Angels

;

Lazav, Shapeshifting Mastermind

;

Zegana and a Dice Bag

;

Rakdos Reimagined

;

Glissa, Glissa

;

Ruric Thar and His Beastly Fight Club

;

Gisa and Geralf Together Forever

;

Shards and Wedges

Adun’s Toolbox

;

Animar’s Swarm

;

Karrthus, Who Rains Fire From The Sky

;

Demons of Kaalia

;

Merieke’s Esper Dragons

;

Nath of the Value Leaf

;

Rith’s Tokens

;

The Mill-Meoplasm

;

The Altar of Thraximundar

;

The Threat of Yasova

;

You Take the Crown, I’ll Take Leovold

;

Zombies of Tresserhorn

Four Color

Yidris: Money for Nothing, Cards for Free

;

Saskia Unyielding

;

Breya Reshaped

.

Five-Color

Children of a Greater God

Partners

Tana and Kydele

THE DO-OVER PROJECT

Animar Do-Over

;

Glissa Do-Over

;

Karador Do-Over

;

Karador Version 3

;

Karrthus Do-Over

;

Steam-Powered Merieke

Do-Over;

Mimeoplasm Do-Over

;

Phelddagrif Do-Over

;

Rith Do-Over

;

Ruhan Do-Over

If you’d like to follow the adventures of my Monday Night RPG group (in a
campaign that’s been alive since 1987) which is just beginning the saga The Lost Cities of Nevinor, ask for an invitation to the Facebook
group “Sheldon Menery’s
Monday Night Gamers.”