New Closed Format: Legacy 2020

[Laser Brains]

With the current state of Legacy (power creep, gimmicky sets, and over all distaste of WotC) and the rise of closed formats such as Premodern and Classic Legacy, how would Legacy players feel about a closed Legacy format that caps off at around 2020ish before all of the gimmicky sets came out. I like Classic Legacy but I still want to play with cards like Griselbrand, and after playing a lot of Premodern I'm starting to really fall in love with closed formats. It would also be nice to unban a ton of previously banned Legacy powerhouse cards and see where it takes us.

I certainly do not have the time to start something like this and build a website but I would love it if someone else did. It almost seems like this is where current Legacy should go. Thoughts?

[ESG]

The challenges that every closed format will face are a distinctive identity, replayability, accessibility, and a generally agreed-upon banned list. When those are solid, your idea will attract people. When you have enough people, then you have a niche format. Over time, your format can expand. Premodern began as a niche format. EDH began as a niche format. They are not niche formats today. Plenty of formats that are niche now have the potential to be bigger in the future.

Magic is the best game because it's infinitely customizable. Simply removing one card from a card pool can have a profound ripple effect on an environment. Adding or removing mana burn or damage on the stack changes the power level of many cards. Deck-building rules change the experience. Different mulligan rules change the experience. The founder of a format needs to consider all of these things. Considerable testing is needed to improve the odds of a niche format's success.

[Laser Brains]

The challenges that every closed format will face are a distinctive identity, replayability, accessibility, and a generally agreed-upon banned list. When those are solid, your idea will attract people. When you have enough people, then you have a niche format. Over time, your format can expand. Premodern began as a niche format. EDH began as a niche format. They are not niche formats today. Plenty of formats that are niche now have the potential to be bigger in the future.

Magic is the best game because it's infinitely customizable. Simply removing one card from a card pool can have a profound ripple effect on an environment. Adding or removing mana burn or damage on the stack changes the power level of many cards. Deck-building rules change the experience. Different mulligan rules change the experience. The founder of a format needs to consider all of these things. Considerable testing is needed to improve the odds of a niche format's success.

Good answer, very insightful. And yes, it would have to start with a niche group, but Legacy is already huge. Sadly it has lost me to Premodern. I still want to play Legacy but not in it's current state. Shouldn't a closed format Legacy 2020 be objectively more attractive to many or most current Legacy players than having to put up with silly sets like TMNT and Star Trek?

[KobeBryan]

Good answer, very insightful. And yes, it would have to start with a niche group, but Legacy is already huge. Sadly it has lost me to Premodern. I still want to play Legacy but not in it's current state. Shouldn't a closed format Legacy 2020 be objectively more attractive to many or most current Legacy players than having to put up with silly sets like TMNT and Star Trek?

What ruined legacy were those weird niche sets and lack of monthly support from SCG

[FTW]

This format sounds appealing. Premodern is fun but you miss out on a lot of classic Legacy interactions, even from the 2008-2011 era. What set/block would you cap the format at? Would you stop right before FIRE design?

It would be interesting to unban some old cards like Earthcraft. And you could probably unban old cards that were recently banned, like Candelabra of Tawnos.