Bird is NOT the right word, as Nadu and other powerful cards are on the Commander banned list in the latest update. And fans are not happy.
Welcome, Praetors and Planeswalkers! The Commander Rules Committee has been pretty cautious with their updates for a while, but today they’ve decided to go for violence! In the latest update, four new cards were added to the banned list. According to the report, these cards violate the spirit of the Casual format and have become a bit too oppressive. The bans have already caused discord, with one card becoming completely unplayable. Whether you agree or not, it’s hard to deny that these are some of the nastiest cards in EDH.
Mana Crypt
Mana Crypt is one of the most powerful cards in any format, and the ban has likely been a long time coming. A free version of Sol Ring for the low cost of a potentially damaging coin flip, this artifact allowed players to make late-game plays as early as turn two. While this card is primarily seen in cEDH, its presence in casual play makes certain commanders a little insurmountable. However, it hurts anyone who spent the high price to purchase it.
Blackmailers at the port
Dockside, an oppressive Goblin that was standard in almost EVERY red deck, is a terrible mistake. While it was a nasty force in Commander, it was also a much-needed enabler in expensive decks. It just forced interaction, so banning it seems odd. Either way, I can hear the lamentations of all my red deck friends across the land.
Nadu, winged wisdom
The least surprising ban on the list, Nadu’s disappearance was much needed. Not only was he oppressive (he was), but most of his combos took a million years to play out. He was so easy to exploit in the command zone or 99 that he made for some very unfun game states. Still, it’s odd to see him banned before Thoracle. Speaking of odd bans…
Jeweled Lotus
WHAT?!?!?! The card that can LITERALLY only be played in Commander is… banned in Commander? That’s an insane decision, and even with the reasoning, I can’t fathom it. Sure, it gives you three mana for a Commander, but it’s a card in 99, it only produces one color, and without consistent recursion, it only works once. Commander is so easy to get rid of that this just seems… bad. The real blow is that this card just got a full reprint and is now banned in the only legal format. I think the logical step is to create a separate ban list for cEDH and let high-power players keep all their shiny toys.
You can read the full RC article here. And remember, even when things seem bleak… Rule Zero still applies.
What do you think about the banned list?
From North Carolina to Texas and back to North Carolina, Clint lives the life of a traveling artist. An avid gamer, writer, actor, pyrotechnician, and general nerd, he’s finally turned his love of EDH into a career. When he’s not being a clueless cowboy, Winterfell bannerman, or whatever else the acting life throws at him, he enjoys reading folklore from around the world, writing narratives for his wargaming armies, or running D&D 5e games as a professional DM. Look for his storytelling podcast “By the Dancing Fire” or find him on Twitch as FeybornPhyrexian producing MTG content.
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