The September 20th 2011 Banned / Restricted List Update Reaction Thread

[joemauer]

- Well, maybe it's no longer the format of good cards. It's now the format of pet decks: the only viable decks are the ones that people will cry enough about. The precedent set now means that if enough people complain about a card regardless of how objectively good or bad it is, WotC will ban it to appease the masses.

You just don't want to admit Mental Misstep was bad for the format.

[GGoober]

I would rather they had banned Brainstorm, but it seems reasonable enough. What surprises me is that nothing was unbanned. This breaks the policy that had seemed to adopt of keeping the list the same length. It's weird because there were still several completely safe unbanning candidates on that list.

They only had that many time in testing sessions with Online sessions. I think they figured out that having a free spell to counter a Lightning Bolt on Great Sable Stag was a little too powerful.

On another comment: I used to think WotC creating Modern was to troll and shun off Legacy, but this made me change that opinion (it wasn't a strong one to begin with). Modern really looks laughable right now. I was going to give it a 50% shot to get into the format, but I'm glad I'm not involved with it. It's looking worse than Extended in my opinion. Extended in previous seasons actually had POWERFUL decks. Right now, Modern is just going to look way too streamlined and hard to develop outside of the cycle of powerful cards e.g. Goyfs, Bobs, Cliques, Thoughtseize, Nacatl, Hierarch, Knight.

[Julian23]

The most challenging thing for me is gonna be to eradicate the mindset of not playing straight into Misstep, lol.

[dontbiteitholmes]

Well, that's lame. I guess it could be worse though we're just back to 5 months ago + Batterskull. I guess they were really concerned that Snapcaster would make Misstep turn 1 and again turn 2 too easy. I'm salty now though because we are back to combo sticking it in non-blue decks hard, guess I will have to reconsider playing Enchantress now at Indy. I guess I can only be so mad though. I liked what Misstep did to the format and I feel like a lot of people just weren't taking advantage of how everything lined up behind 4-5 key matchups. My SBs are forever sad now, too many combos too many different answers needed. I feel like I almost have to play blue now since it seems like everyone will just be breaking out the combo decks they had put on the shelf when NP came out.

On the Modern front, this actually makes the format not super terrible. I can't believe they banned GSZ though, WTF? Now the format seems to be turn guys sideways FTW, but I guess it's better than everyone plays combo.format.

LOL @ Blazing Shoal being banned. What a terrible POS card. Who's gonna go all in on Shoal now that creature removal is relevant?

[KevinTrudeau]

copy and paste of it please

News
September 20 2011 DCI Banned & Restricted List Announcement
Wizards of the Coast
Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Announcement Date: September 20, 2011
Effective Date: October 1, 2011
Magic Online Effective Date: October 12, 2011

Modern
Blazing Shoal is banned.
Cloudpost is banned.
Green Sun's Zenith is banned.
Ponder is banned.
Preordain is banned.
Rite of Flame is banned.

Extended
Jace, the Mind Sculptor is banned.
Mental Misstep is banned.
Ponder is banned.
Preordain is banned.
Stoneforge Mystic is banned.

Legacy
Mental Misstep is banned.

Vintage
Fact or Fiction is no longer restricted.

Scars of Mirrodin Block Constructed, Standard
No changes

[DragoFireheart]

Welcome back led! Storm combo alive again? So how does this affect snapcaster mage's effectiveness in legacy?

He'll find a home in CounterTop. He fits the curve perfectly.

[Koby]

They only had that many time in testing sessions with Online sessions. I think they figured out that having a free spell to counter a Lightning Bolt on Great Sable Stag was a little too powerful.

True story - I crushed Tom "GSS" LaPille with Maverick on MTGO a few weeks ago, and he didn't even say GG. Although, my Mental Misstep must have had something to do with him and his cronies banning it. How dare a stupid creature deck defeat a dedicated control/aggro deck with it's own medicine!!

[KindGrind]

Glad MM is gone.

Now that wouldn't want to make me sleeve Goblins ever again, it being way too fair and all, but I can see myself casting Explorations and Manabonds again, which I'm pretty excited about.

[DragoFireheart]

You just don't want to admit Mental Misstep was bad for the format.

- And why would I? There hasn't been enough time to let other decks come and beat NO RuG / Stone blade. Ah well, as long as the kiddies are happy with their pet decks, right?

[2Rach]

This concludes the latest experiment from the Free Spells are Broken Department of WotC, R&D.

Please stand by for your regularly schedule Legacy programming.

LMAO. Exactly.

[Jamaican Zombie Legend]

I'm ambivalent about Misstep. I didn't get to play enough in the time it was legal to get a feel for things.

The Modern ban-fest is stupid though. Banning everything won't work. More combos will just pop up as soon as they ban old ones (Second Sunrise combo and cascade combos are probably next to take the field), or the format will be nothing but Zoo and tap-out control decks once the Night of the Long Banlist is over.

[NecroYawgmoth]

Thanks for keeping Legacy alive and making it as diverse as it was. =)

Hate for killing Modern and making it a boring creature tap format. =(

[KobeBryan]

perfect timing to build my UW merfolk deck.

[(nameless one)]

- Well, maybe it's no longer the format of good cards. It's now the format of pet decks: the only viable decks are the ones that people will cry enough about. The precedent set now means that if enough people complain about a card regardless of how objectively good or bad it is, WotC will ban it to appease the masses.

I don't think it's that bad. Legacy was still competitive Pre-MM banning. It's not like what's happening to Modern.

Yeah still holding breathe for Mind Twist.....one can dream.

Or Land Tax. I've been waiting since 2008.

[Goaswerfraiejen]

I really enjoyed the format with Misstep, and I feel like this is a hard bullet to bite. Not because 'x will be more powerful', but because it's a new card, was just settling (finding natural homes), was an awesome piece of tempo, seemed tailor-made for Legacy, and made it feasible that banned 1cc cards like Mytical Tutor would return. Oh well. At least it wasn't Brainstorm or Tarmogoyf. =/

I was curious about how Snapcaster Mage would pan out. Guess its value and utility have just dropped. Oh well.

[UnderwaterGuy]

I am extremely happy about the MM ban :)

[sligh16]

Legacy is meant for diversity. Deal with it.

[GtF]

I LOVE THESE BANS!

Modern looked pretty stupid coming out of the PT. I think if they had just banned cloudpost, the equilibrium of a normal combo/control/aggro metagame might have appeared, but I'm certainly not complaining that they went overboard. If your stated goal is trying to make turn 3 kills almost impossible, you might as well keep banning till you get it right.

Mental misstep in legacy - Good riddance. Exactly like Lauer said, it made blue decks even more dominant and reduced the diversity of the format. Countertop, storm combo, goblins...I remember these decks and they were pretty cool. It'll be nice to have them back, and maybe some other decks that like casting 1 mana spells too.

The only ban I don't like is Jace in extended. But I'm pretty sure that format is dead in the water anyway.

[menace13]

Sad day. Legacy whiners yet again get another card banned. Silly kids.

[GGoober]

What blows my mind is why did they ban Cloudpost over Emrakul. They know the Urzatron engine exists right and is tutorable easily with Loam and the Realms Uncharted (Can't rmb the green Gifts Ungiven card for lands).

Emrakul will still be cheated in Modern. I know the Urzatron engine is usually a turn slower to assemble, but a dedicated deck could still play out 12-post easily. Not having Glimmerpost life stabilization matters though I guess.