Standard:
- No changes
Pioneer:
- Jegantha, the Wellspring is banned.
Modern:
-
The One Ring is banned.
-
Amped Raptor is banned.
-
Jegantha, the Wellspring is banned.
-
Mox Opal is unbanned.
-
Green Sun’s Zenith is unbanned.
-
Faithless Looting is unbanned.
-
Splinter Twin is unbanned.
Legacy:
- Psychic Frog is banned.
- Vexing Bauble is banned.
Vintage:
- No changes
Alchemy:
- No changes
Explorer:
- Jegantha, the Wellspring is banned.
Historic:
- No changes
Timeless:
- No changes
Brawl:
- No changes
Honestly, this feels very well thought-out, and close to an ideal B&R.
Standard is still finding its footing post-Foundations, and it’s a bit too soon to really ban anything there.
Pioneer, I could’ve been happy to see Cruise get banned, but that might be too much of a shakeup after last ban. Jegantha going away feels funny, because almost no decks truly relied on Jegantha as a win condition or anything, but the value of an extra card was just too much, and its Companion condition was just stifling creative builds. In general I’d like to see a bit more variety in midrange decks be viable there (I’m a Gruul Boats player, and that deck has basically vanished over the last year).
Modern needed these bans months ago. One Ring was just too homogenous. Basically every deck that could fit it wanted it. It stalled out games in a way that didn’t feel interactive. Boros Energy definitely needed a check, and I hope Amped Raptor is enough to bring it back down to earth. Could have just as easily been Ajani or Ocelot Pride or Galvanic Discharge, but time will tell. The unbannings seem relatively safe. Opal should open up some affinity decks. GSZ is a big maybe; I don’t know if Yawg would even want it right now. Looting is great. Twin is hilarious, but shouldn’t actually make an impact besides getting old Modern players back into the format.
Legacy needed those bans. The frog was scary good and flexible, and the Bauble just shut down too much in a format where free things are vital.
Overall, just an absolute Christmas gift of a B&R. Hoping to see this improve player turnout at local events.