Wizards of the Coast has launched their Banned and Restricted Announcement at the moment, making modifications to a number of codecs. There can be an Arena replace at the moment, with the bans going reside then. Remember that solely the Standard ones will incur wildcard refunds, because the Historic modifications are suspensions just for now.
EDIT: Unfortunately, I believe it’s now too late to craft the Standard playing cards you don’t personal and obtain them totally free, because the replace is already on Arena now!
Read beneath for commentary, with official explanations of the modifications beneath that. You can even try the official checklist of all banned and restricted playing cards, by format, here.
Standard
There at all times needs to be a finest deck in any Standard atmosphere, however these of the final couple of years have had unprecedented ranges of dominance. Temur Reclamation is the most recent finest deck in a protracted line, relationship again in M21 with Golos Field, to Simic/Sultai Oko in Eldraine, to Jeskai Fires in Theros, to Lukka Fires in Ikoria… however even amongst these, it has achieved startling ranges of match illustration, solely actually being crushed out by Oko, and making up over 50% of virtually each match of the previous couple of months. Even when Lukka Fires was the very best deck, Reclamation was sizzling on its heels; it has been a strong fixture in Standard this complete 12 months, and has solely grow to be and extra dominant as new playing cards had been printed for it, with Shark Typhoon being the very best one lately, eradicating its weak point to planeswalkers (like that different banned card up there…). Reclamation has warped Standard to such an extent that the whole format has felt stale and tedious for months on finish for a lot of the Standard participant base, and it has been identified that Fires was banned for enabling too many absurd midgame turns and permitting you to cheat on mana to a ridiculous diploma, which is exactly what Reclamation does (and usually even higher, particularly in multiples!). This is the ban everybody anticipated, and at the same time as any individual who has loved enjoying Reclamation, I breathe a sigh of aid.
Growth Spiral has enabled Reclamation’s dominance nearly as a lot because the namesake enchantment, being the very best card to attract in any opening hand, however that’s simply the tip of the iceberg. Ramp decks, not simply Reclamation, have been the very best factor to do in Standard for many of this 12 months, and Growth Spiral is in each single one as a 4-of. Many decks in Standard play as many as 29-30 lands primarily to make sure that their Growth Spirals and Uros at all times have lands to place into play, as a result of being forward of your opponents on mana in a Standard atmosphere with so many good 4 and 5 drop performs is sufficient to completely crush your opponents and hold tempo with any quick deck, whereas going excessive of the slower ones. While I personally imagine that Uro is extra of an issue and will stay so, and that Bant Ramp, the second finest Growth Spiral deck in a format the place Growth Spiral was actually the one cheap factor to play should you needed constant wins, is more likely to seize Reclamation’s reins as finest deck (as a result of it nonetheless has Uro and is favoured towards aggro in consequence with little or no effort), I nonetheless welcome the Growth Spiral ban and I actually anticipate Bant to be weaker with out it.
Teferi, Time Raveler is a card so irritating to play towards, so warps the foundations of Magic whereas in play, that it has impressed much more complaints than even rather more highly effective playing cards like Oko, Thief of Crowns. This three-mana planeswalker is so notorious that it has sullied the identify of Teferi, a Magic character as soon as so beloved that individuals clamoured for his return, to the purpose the place many dreaded M21’s arrival because it was marketed as “the Teferi set” (undeservedly, since M21’s model, Teferi, Master of Time, is definitely very well-balanced and designed). This is as a result of Teferi, ever since his launch final 12 months, has pushed so many playing cards out of Standard viability via his absurd energy degree and ubiquity, and homogenised Standard to a colossal extent, whereas making Magic a much less enjoyable and partaking sport whereas in play – he eliminated a whole axis of gameplay from the opposing deck and rendered playing cards like Finale of Promise and Emergent Ultimatum utterly ineffective whereas in play, whereas Dreadhorde Arcanist was a vanilla 1/Three for two with no talents. At many factors within the final couple of years, it has felt as if you may not play playing cards that price Three or extra (exterior of aggro decks, which had been good towards Teferi so that they didn’t care) that didn’t offer you some type of benefit if Teferi bounced them, and you actually couldn’t play very many counterspells aside from Mystical Dispute, which was so closely performed as a result of it was among the best solutions to him. Fun inclusions and previous Standard staples alike had been pushed out by Teferi, from The Great Henge, a particularly highly effective card that has seen nearly no play, to Thief of Sanity, a closely performed card in 2019 that was simply far too unhealthy towards Teferi to ever see play since War of the Spark. Every Azorius deck has at all times began with 4 Teferi, and many decks have included White or Blue purely to have entry to him – that’s how highly effective and low price a card he’s for the benefit he supplies. I don’t assume these phrases are sufficient to completely sum up the depths of my hatred for this card; it’s by far the worst of the 4 and has actively diminished my enjoyment of Standard greater than every other card in current occasions. Now that Teferi is gone, I believe that many beforehand unseen playing cards will come out of the woodwork into viability, and I really feel lastly excited to play Standard once more!
Cauldron Familiar + Witch’s Oven has been the quintessential Standard sacrifice combo since Eldraine, and has enabled all kinds of decks utilizing it as a basis. Rakdos and Jund Sacrifice have been the clear forerunners, abusing Mayhem Devil to machine gun down creatures and gamers alike with the various sacrifice triggers Cat Oven supplied. While Cat Oven has not been in the very best deck actually at any level, it has at all times fashioned of the core of a number of good ones, and I believe Wizards felt it could be too oppressive with out Growth Spiral’s looming presence. There’s additionally the great high quality of life concern that banning Cauldron Familiar fixes, as a result of it took a really exhausting variety of clicks and far an excessive amount of time to execute on Magic Arena…
It’s value noting that three of those playing cards would have rotated with Zendikar’s launch in only a month and a half, however I’m actually excited to have the Standard atmosphere uplifted throughout that time frame, and to have the ability to strive among the previous playing cards out one final time earlier than they depart, with out their being pushed out of competition by the identical busted decks we’ve grown to hate. MTG Arena’s metas transfer loads quicker than the previous paper ones ever did; it is smart to have a much more dynamic banlist for a much more dynamic atmosphere.
STANDARD
In the final banned and restricted checklist replace, we selected to not make any modifications to Standard. At that point, the atmosphere had simply seen the outcomes of Players Tours 3 and 4, the companion guidelines change was current, and Core Set 2021 had simply entered the format. While we noticed new decks rising, in the end the highest decks had been in a position to adapt and retain their metagame share. After watching the atmosphere progress for a number of weeks and reviewing the decklist entries for the Players Tour Finals, we’ve determined to make some modifications to shake up the metagame.
This set of modifications is a deviation from our ordinary banned-list philosophy for Standard, and as such, we take into account it an experiment. Outside of the very high ranges of aggressive play, together with all through a lot of the MTG Arena conventional Standard ladder, we’re seeing an excellent distribution of deck range and win charges. However, on the talent degree of our best tournaments and the Mythic rating on the Arena ladder, we do see a small variety of decks with excessive win charges and play charges which have remained in that metagame place for fairly a while.
Under our ordinary strategy, we’d have allowed Standard rotation to supply a pure and predictable shift within the metagame with the discharge of Zendikar Rising. But in an period of social distancing, the proportion of Standard play occurring on digital platforms has elevated considerably. As the speed at which gamers can rack up video games of Standard in digital is greater than in tabletop, we imagine it’s right to enact metagame change at a quicker charge as effectively.
Therefore, we’re making bans focused at weakening decks which have been sturdy and in style on the highest ranges of aggressive play and at some playing cards and combos which have overstayed their welcome within the eyes of a lot of the Standard neighborhood.
Ramp decks utilizing Growth Spiral collectively made up 68% of the day 1 metagame on the Players Tour Finals and signify roughly 25–30% of the metagame at Mythic rating on the Arena ladder. Within that class, Wilderness Reclamation decks have been thought-about the strongest archetype by a lot of the aggressive neighborhood, making up 54% of the metagame on the Players Tour Finals and about 15% of the Mythic metagame on Arena. In order to take away Reclamation decks from this most performed spot and to cut back the metagame share of ramp decks on the whole, Wilderness Reclamation and Growth Spiral are banned.
Another archetype that has maintained a excessive win charge over a protracted time frame is Black-Red (or Jund) Sacrifice, that includes the Cauldron Familiar and Witch’s Oven combo. In addition to having excessive general win charges, these decks put appreciable strain on aggressive and midrange creature decks. Further, the variety of triggers generated by these decks might be cumbersome for each gamers in digital play. To weaken these sacrifice methods, open up extra metagame range, and create a extra enjoyable gameplay atmosphere, Cauldron Familiar is banned.
Finally, we’ll even be eradicating Teferi, Time Raveler from the atmosphere. We’ve usually heard the suggestions that the repetitive play patterns and diminished functionality for interplay that Teferi, Time Raveler can create really feel oppressive and limiting. While we’d thought-about banning Teferi, Time Raveler in previous updates, one cause we didn’t was proof that it was serving to maintain Wilderness Reclamation decks in examine. With Wilderness Reclamation leaving the atmosphere, we really feel it’s additionally time for the Standard metagame to maneuver on with out Teferi, Time Raveler.
We observe that Growth Spiral, Wilderness Reclamation, and Teferi, Time Raveler had been already slated to rotate this fall with the discharge of Zendikar Rising. With that in thoughts, we view this set of modifications as an early rotation for these playing cards to assist clean up the remaining summer time metagame. In the case of Cauldron Familiar, we’re taking the chance not solely to enhance the metagame brief time period but in addition take away a steadiness danger and undesirable play sample main into subsequent 12 months.
We emphasize that these modifications are, to a big diploma, a product of the occasions and the present concentrate on digital play. We look ahead to listening to neighborhood suggestions on this strategy and will proceed to regulate the metagame going ahead.
Historic
Note: Remember that Historic has suspensions slightly than bans, so these playing cards will later be unsuspended or moved onto the everlasting banlist, and are at present within the limbo the place Wizards work out which they deserve.
I used to be confused as to why they’d banned Nexus of Fate within the Historic banlist announcement final month, as a result of in Magic, it has nearly at all times been right to ban the enablers slightly than the payoffs – the facility degree of decks has typically been centred round these; they decide a deck’s effectivity and velocity, and are typically tougher to switch. Nexus of Fate relied utterly and completely on Wilderness Reclamation, and the cardboard was unreasonable in Historic for a similar causes because it was in Standard – attending to double your mana utilizing a single card is simply an inherently damaged factor to do. It’s not stunning that the identical technique that was good in Standard, of casting Expansion//Explosion, can be good in Historic, particularly after they printed Explore in Jumpstart and injected a ton of redundancy into Historic for decks that needed to play Growth Spiral. As anticipated, Reclamation dominated the one Historic Arena Open during which it was authorized, crushing the competitors. Unlike the Standard variant, there was loads much less play concerned within the Historic model – it was constant and environment friendly sufficient that it did the identical factor most video games, and may forged Explosion early, usually, and for enormous quantities. The Standard variant rewarded talent, had tons of attention-grabbing strains, and was enjoyable to play, whereas the Historic variant was simply damaged nonsense.
I spoke sufficient about why I dislike Teferi, Time Raveler within the Standard part, however let me add on that the prospect of an everlasting format polluted perpetually by his presence saddened me, and I’m much more glad that he’s gone right here, since a minimum of he would’ve rotated out of Standard shortly. Teferi was as unbelievable a disruptive device in Historic as Standard, however may additionally do some damaged issues in Bant Scapeshift and Kethis Combo, permitting you to flood the board with Field of the Dead Zombies finish of flip or have a totally undisrupted combo flip, whereas usually costing a lot lower than Three mana, in Kethis.
HISTORIC
The Historic metagame is shifting rapidly proper now; the addition of latest playing cards via Jumpstart is having a big impression, as will Amonkhet Remastered when it arrives quickly. There are many of those new decks we’re watching intently, however our sturdy desire in occasions like that is to offer the meta time to develop naturally. We need to see which of those new decks end up to indicate enduring energy versus merely making an preliminary splash. That mentioned, there are two locations the place we really feel we have now sufficient data that we must always take motion: Wilderness Reclamation and Teferi, Time Raveler.
We touched on Wilderness Reclamation in our final banned and restricted checklist replace, saying that, whereas it was highly effective, we had been solely seeing it in problematic decks alongside Nexus of Fate. Since then, we’ve seen a Temur Reclamation checklist develop steadily in Historic that leverages each Expansion // Explosion and Field of the Dead. We are seeing this deck put up vital numbers, representing over 10% of Best-of-Three video games whereas sustaining regarding win charges. This is a card and deck configuration that we have now spent an excellent little bit of time discussing, analyzing, and watching, so we really feel that it’s one the place we have now sufficient data to behave. In order to encourage elevated metagame well being and selection, Wilderness Reclamation is suspended in Historic.
For Teferi, Timer Raveler, we get a lot the identical suggestions in Historic that we get in Standard. In Historic, we additionally discover that the facility of the diminished functionality for interplay that Teferi, Time Raveler brings scales with the facility of the interplay he’s stopping and the board he’s consequently defending. He can be seen very ceaselessly in Historic, showing in over 20% of Historic Best-of-Three video games and vital percentages in different modes as effectively. For these causes, we’re suspending Teferi, Time Raveler in Historic. As with all suspensions, we can be intently monitoring the impression this has on the format.
Pioneer
I do know a lot of you pretty readers on our website don’t know a lot about Pioneer, so let me fill you in! As the most recent paper format, Pioneer began life as a format from which playing cards had been banned nearly weekly, as Wizards tried to flesh it out. Early on, it was one of the in style Magic codecs and a lot of the paper inhabitants was stuffed with hope for it; it included some a lot beloved units, beginning with Return to Ravnica, one of many earliest units during which I performed Standard and a time I cherished, the place Control, Aggro, and Midrange had been all in style and highly effective methods with none being too oppressive. That was the best that Wizards had in thoughts, however that wasn’t the truth of the state of affairs…
What truly occurred was that Pioneer had far too many units in it to ever reside as much as Return of Ravnica’s Standard atmosphere, and there have been two early archetypes that claimed dominance over it: Green Ramp and varied Combo methods. Green Ramp was focused by many early bans, which tremendously diminished its energy, and for just about this complete 12 months, Pioneer has been the land of combo decks which can be uninteractive, tough to disrupt, and unfun to play towards (the trifecta of complaints that at all times encompass combo decks), and in consequence a whole lot of its early advocates have run distant from it. I believe Wizards is now trying to rectify that by swinging the banhammer at the very best combo decks.
Dimir Inverter was a deck that used Inverter of Truth to take out most of its library, and then used Thassa’s Oracle or Jace, Wielder of Mysteries to win the sport immediately. What gave it such energy was that it’s also a incredible deck for enjoying a good sport, and it is extremely tough to disrupt – it performed a incredible management sport with a lethal combo end, and a topdecked Inverter has the potential to win the sport at any level, shuffling combo items again in and making all of your attracts reside for the remainder of the sport.
Lotus Breach is a deck that seeks to untap Lotus Field repeatedly to generate colossal quantities of mana, then use Underworld Breach to kill your opponents with mainly something (as a result of it’s not very onerous to win the sport when you will have limitless mana) however often a card as innocuous as Tome Scour. It’s a extra all-in combo deck than Inverter, however is way quicker and can extra persistently arrange its combo. Still, it has performed second fiddle to Inverter for essentially the most half, with Inverter’s highly effective Control/planeswalkers transformative sideboard plan, however it’s the higher sport one deck.
Walking Ballista, a strong card that has seen tons of play by itself, was pushed excessive with the printing of Heliod, Sun-Crowned. The two kind an infinite combo – should you give Ballista lifelink whereas it has two counters on it and you will have Heliod out, you possibly can take away a counter to ping your opponent which instantly nets you one other counter, and means that you can deal infinite harm. Even in case your opponents attempt to stop you from concentrating on them with one thing like Leyline of Sanctity, you possibly can simply ping all their creatures down and then ping your self to interrupt even on life and make your Walking Ballista infinitely massive and kill them in a single swing. Unlike the opposite three combo decks I point out, this combo is totally unaffected by graveyard hate, which supplies it a whole lot of resiliency and efficiency in Pioneer, the place gamers are likely to pack a whole lot of that. Such shells as Mono White Aggro have had a strong aggressive plan backed up by this two card combo the place each items are good anyway, and that has pushed them excessive.
Oath of Nissa is a current unban in Pioneer which has led to the elevated recognition of Kethis Combo there, the identical deck as is one among Historic’s finest decks however with some rather more highly effective legendary decisions that make it tougher to disrupt, quicker, and extra constant. The deck has been taking down loads of Magic Online Challenges of late, and it appears that evidently Wizards is unwilling to ban a number of of Pioneer’s finest combo decks solely to have a brand new one instantly take up their mantle!
Check out some of Pioneer’s other decks right here!
PIONEER
With the final banned and restricted checklist replace, we selected to unban Oath of Nissa in Pioneer. This wasn’t supposed to be a significant replace to the format or an alternative choice to different modifications, however slightly what we seen as a comparatively protected unban within the context of a metagame that was wanting wholesome by many metrics. Much neighborhood dialogue adopted that replace, prompting us to take an extra take a look at the necessity for change in Pioneer.
Although we proceed to see many alternative decks have success in Pioneer, and no decks with problematic win charges towards the sphere, we do see that combo decks as a gaggle make up a big portion of the aggressive metagame. We’ve heard suggestions that the frequency at which one finds themselves dealing with an opposing combo deck restricts deck-building choices and could make play experiences unenjoyable. While win charge knowledge could not level to alter being wanted, a distinct, extra necessary set of knowledge does: participant participation.
While the discount in tabletop tournaments because of the want for social distancing shortly after Pioneer’s launch earlier this 12 months is actually an element, we’ve additionally seen a decline in Pioneer play charges on Magic Online all through the course of the 12 months. It’s clear that many gamers who’ve been, or might be, curious about Pioneer are prepared for a change. Ultimately, how a lot enjoyable gamers are having with the atmosphere is a very powerful driving drive behind B&R updates, and so we’re selecting to ban 4 playing cards to shake issues up and push the aggressive metagame away from combo decks.
These bans are primarily aimed toward disrupting Inverter of Truth decks; Underworld Breach decks; the Heliod, Sun-Crowned plus Walking Ballista combo; and Kethis, the Hidden Hand combo decks. While Kethis combo decks are a comparatively new reemergence within the metagame, we’re seeing indicators that these decks are already problematic and would grow to be extra so if different high decks had been weakened. Kethis decks are at present among the many high 5–zero trophy winners in Magic Online Pioneer leagues, regardless of being a modest portion of the sphere.
Therefore, we’re selecting to ban Inverter of Truth, Underworld Breach, Walking Ballista, and Kethis, the Hidden Hand in Pioneer. Our intent is to dramatically cut back situations the place gamers danger shedding to a combo kill when tapping out within the early- to mid-game. This ought to open up the sphere for extra conventional midrange and management decks and put much less strain on aggressive decks to additionally concentrate on hand disruption and counterspells.
We did take into account a number of different playing cards as various bans aimed toward these similar decks. Thassa’s Oracle was one which we mentioned as a lighter contact for weakening Inverter and Breach decks. However, Inverter decks are nonetheless able to profitable with Jace, Wielder of Mysteries alone, and it isn’t clear {that a} Thassa’s Oracle ban can be sufficient to push Inverter decks out of the aggressive metagame. Next, although Thassa’s Oracle has usually been a win situation of selection for Underworld Breach decks, as soon as the deck’s core combo engine is operating, it could win in some ways. Some current variations of the Underworld Breach deck even forgo Thassa’s Oracle totally. The playing cards we’ve chosen are the set that offers us essentially the most confidence in creating a major shift within the metagame.
We perceive that this represents a big change to the Pioneer atmosphere, and, frankly, that’s the intent. While we’re previous the section of frequent weekly updates to Pioneer, we’re nonetheless in a interval the place modifications are crucial to assist form the format in its preliminary launch 12 months. We need to be sure that Pioneer can ship an pleasant play expertise to gamers who’re on the lookout for an accessible, nonrotating format that’s nearer to Standard in energy degree and presents quite a lot of archetypes and decks to select from. We’re devoted to actively supporting Pioneer and will proceed to include each knowledge and neighborhood suggestions.
Brawl
The third territory from which Teferi has been unceremoniously banished forthwith, he was much more annoying in Brawl as a card that might be perpetually recurred at such an inexpensive price. As a singleton format, Brawl requires you to run extra playing cards to fulfill the deck requirement, and usually you’d find yourself having to incorporate playing cards that Teferi was absurdly good towards, corresponding to costly artifacts and creatures that didn’t do something the flip they got here into play, counterspells, or playing cards like Emergent Ultimatum which flat out didn’t work, so that you’d usually be down 1-2 playing cards in your video games towards Teferi decks. Now, maybe you possibly can play extra video games, in what is meant to be a for enjoyable format, with out having primarily mulliganed a bunch!
BRAWL
Teferi, Time Raveler is likely one of the most performed commanders in Brawl, showing in over 10% of video games, and he has one of many highest win charges. In addition, we see an identical impression in Brawl to that described within the different codecs. For these causes, Teferi, Time Raveler is banned in Brawl.
Effective Date
In a welcome change, the week proper after bans, during which we’d ordinarily be enjoying a useless format, is being eliminated – all modifications are actually efficient instantly!
ON ANNOUNCEMENT TIMING AND EFFECTIVE DATE
In the previous, we’ve given a one-week superior discover for updates to the banned and restricted checklist. Because of the elevated concentrate on digital play environments throughout this time interval, we’re selecting to forgo that superior discover and roll out these modifications as quickly as doable. This isn’t essentially indicative of how we’ll announce and implement sooner or later, and we’re persevering with to have a look at how we steadiness giving gamers advance discover versus staying agile with respect to altering metagames.
