Today’s Magic: The Gathering Banned & Restricted Announcement took action in multiple formats, including Modern, Pioneer, and Legacy.
Modern
Banned
Unbanned
After an extended stay as Modern’s most represented deck, the Play Design Team decided it was time to cut some of the power to Boros Energy by banning Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury. Removing the Titan allows the archetype to exist but without the often game-ending swings from Phlage and Arena of Glory.
Speaking of Titans, Amulet Titan also took a hit with Lotus Field being banned. Just like the ban above, removing Lotus Field will cut power to the current iterations of Amulet Titan, but with the format’s deep card pool, the archetype should have no problem adjusting.
Moving on to unbans, Violent Outburst returns to Modern after just two years on the ban list. According to Wizards of the Coast (WotC), the powerful cascade card was banned at time where the format was in a very different place, and while they acknowledge this unban has risk, they feel its upsides are currently worth it.
After being banned since 2011, Umezawa’s Jitte finally returns to Modern. Citing the format’s ability to absorb and adapt to powerful cards, WotC is confident the powerful equipment is ready to be let out of its cage and revitalize fan-favorite archetypes.
Pioneer
Banned
While Pioneer remains a mostly forgotten format, results over the last several months have shown an Izzet takeover of the metagame share, leading WotC to take action against Cori-Steel Cutter. With Cutter gone, WotC believes the Pioneer metagame will return a healthier balance.
Legacy
Banned
After an extended stay as one of Legacy’s top decks, WotC decided that the novelty of Oops All Spells has worn off, and as a result, Undercity Informer has been removed from the format.
Pauper
Unbanned
According to WotC, the Pauper metagame is in a good spot overall but was lacking a slower control deck. After evaluating the metagame, the Pauper Format panel concluded that Bonder’s Ornament was a card that could safely return and achieve that goal.
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Magic’s next Banned & Restricted Announcement is scheduled for June 30.
For a complete details, read the original article from WotC.
