Banes, the new commander of The Gathering, really means it

Magic: The GatheringIts Commander Rules Committee (CRC) recently announced the banning of four cards from the Commander format, sending a shockwave of controversy through the player base. Commander is a unique, casual format of the game where each participant builds a deck of 100 cards, all centered around a single, powerful Mtg Commander The Commander format (sometimes referred to by its older name Elder Dragon Highlander, or EDH) encourages distinctly creative playstyles, many of which border on overpowering. Because Commander decks can be either prebuilt or perfected over time, it has become a popular format with seasoned collectors and casual players alike.

As a casual, welcoming setting, It is rare for a commander to expand on his banlist. It’s even rarer for four different cards to be banned at one time, especially so many that are bound to cause controversy. The resulting outrage led to a pair of petitions regarding the ban; One to overturn them, and one to fire the Commander Rules Committee members responsible for enforcing the ban. The CRC also claims its members have received threats of violence, none of which merit a ban on card games.

Every new banned card for MTG’s Commander format

And why they were banned

Four Magic: The Gathering Cards banned from the Commander format on September 23, 2024 are:

• Extortionist on docksite
• Gem lotus
• Mana Crypt
• Nadu, Winged Wisdom

Now, it is worth noting that A large percentage of the player base has long been clamoring for a ban on Dockside Extortion and Nadu. Jeweled Lotus and Mana Crypt were unexpected, and have since become a major source of controversy. An FAQ document published by the Commander Rules Committee on X (formerly Twitter) explains the four embargo rules.

Dockside in particular can generate multiple treasures easily and early, allowing the player controlling it to shut down an overpowered, mid-to-late-game within the first couple of turns. Nadu, meanwhile, is cheap to play and incredibly powerful. The player controlling it can also end up with very long turns, during which other players have little chance to interact, which can make for drawn-out, boring games. Although some may be bothered by this ban, They aim to remove cards that allow players to get too powerful too quickly, or create unpleasant games, and are thus generally accepted as beneficial..

Mana Crypt and Jeweled Lotus were both banned because they could start quicklyThey allow players to accumulate tons of mana very quickly. This allows them to use powerful abilities in the early game, leading to steamroll victories. These cards have downsides, but the CRC has ruled that they adequately offset their strengths. For example, Mana Crypt reduces a player’s life by an average of 1.5 points per turn, but since the Commander format only lasts a few turns, and players start with higher overall life points (40 vs. Standard’s 20), this was “considered”Not a significant deterrent“

of course, These restrictions apply only to officially sanctioned Commander events; If a group of friends accidentally get together to play Commander and want to continue using one or more, that’s their right. Some cards are only banned in Commander – Dockside Extortionist, for example, are still allowed in other formats. Nevertheless, these bans have generated a great deal of controversy for various reasons.

Why Players Are Upset About MTG Commander’s New Banned Cards

Sunk costs, analogy, and “casual” concerns

first and foremost, Many players are upset with the ban because they can no longer use cards that they have already paid for. the magic Cards are expensive, even when buying individual cards, and even more so when buying such rare chases. It is difficult to resell them without losing a significant amount of money. When a card is banned in any format, its demand (and by extension, its price) tends to decrease. Players can spend hundreds of dollars on Mana Crypts or Jeweled Lotuses when they were still useful for Commander, only to find they are no longer usable or sellable.

Some players have accused the CRC of canceling their own copies of banned cards right before the ban, sort of Magic: The Gathering Turn on insider trading. CRC’s FAQ refutes these allegationsClaims that it has a “Zero-tolerance policy for misuse of knowledge of pending or potential changes“Still others have accused the CRC of banning these cards specifically because of their steep prices, which it also denies.

Part of the controversy also comes from the lack of advance noticeWhich, the CRC admits, it could have handled better. Although it was formerly a “List of watches“In warning about the proposed ban, it noted that it slows down the process of banning problem cards, annoys players if the proposed changes backfire, and makes it easier for casual players who don’t understand its inner workings to take advantage. The CRC is heeding those warnings. Keeping in mind the possibility of providing sufficient warning before future bans.

In a similar vein, Many players criticized the CRC for implementing these bans too quickly. Banning one card at a time is more common, and results in smaller losses for players who rely on these cards. However, the CRC admitted, it decided to ban all four at once to send a strong message about the kind of problems Commander Play hopes to avoid.

Some accused the CRC of feeding casual players with the latest ban. Although it is a casual format by design, there is a community around competitive commanders, commonly referred to as CEDH, some of whose members feel alienated by the latest ban. To some extent this is true; Its FAQ states that “High-powered sports ‘leak’ is a recurring problem in lower power groups“It hopes to partially evade these sanctions.

however, This is nothing new for Commander, which has always been designed to welcome new players. The FAQ continues, “We’ve always been very clear that we’ll make changes based on helping casual players get the best gaming experience“

Finally some players have also highlighted that CRC has not yet banned other issue cardsincluding those strikingly similar to the new ban. Cards like Thassa’s Oracle and Gaea’s Cradle can likewise lead to early wins. Many have also discussed the similarities between allowed cards like Soul Ring and Mana Vault and the new banned cards. They have similar functions and costs, so it is difficult to understand why some of them are banned and others are not.

What is the meaning of petition against ban of MTG commander

Overturning bans and firing CRCs

Controversy surrounds the recent commander ban Two separate online petitions have spawnedCollect thousands of signatures each. The first, posted on Change.org on the day of the ban, called for the changes to be rolled back At the time of writing it has more than 4,700 signatures of its goal of 5,000. A second, posted via Change.org on the same day, called for the dismissal of the Commander Rules Committee. At the time of writing this is over 1,100 of the 1,500 signature goal.

It is noteworthy that Not part of CRC MtgIts publisher, Wizards of the Coast. Commander is a player-created format, and as such, its board of directors consists of independent players, not paid employees. Petitioners appear to prefer Wizards of the Coast to officially take over as commander, but it’s unclear who will actually fire.

In the end, it is clear why they are upset Large sections of the community just don’t feel heard by the Commander Rules Committee. Still, the governing body has already said it has no plans to roll back these changes. Magic: The GatheringIts Commander format will eventually recover from these changes, but some players will likely be bitter for a long time.

Source: Commander Rules Committee/X, Change.org (1, 2)