2011)

In this article, I’m going to be talking about why some cards are banned in EDH and why others should possibly come off the list. First off, in case you are unfamiliar with EDH, or Elder Dragon Highlander, it is a multiplayer format where you make a deck of 100 cards, but there’s a catch. Every card is legal, even from older sets like Homelands or Arabian Nights, but you are restricted to using one of each card with the exception of basic lands, and you are also restricted to using the colors of a legendary creature of your choosing. For example, if I wanted to use Glissa the Traitor as a general, I would only be allowed to use either black or green cards with my deck. Starting a game of EDH requires you to put your legendary creature in the Command Zone where you can cast it as if it were in your hand. There is a catch, however, every time your general is put into the graveyard or is exiled, you may choose to put your general back in the Command Zone where you can play it again, but it would cost an additional 2 colorless. For each subsequent death of a general, you must pay 2 more, so if Glissa died 3 times in a game of EDH, her casting cost would be 6GGB.

EDH is a multiplayer format so you want to try to play with at least 2 or 3 other players. However, there are two scenarios where EDH can become boring, sometimes even tedious. In the first case, a deadlock occurs which brings the game to a standstill. I’ve played games where this caused a game to last over 2 hours, not a very fun experience. In the second case, the game comes to a screeching halt before it begins, usually the result of somebody “comboing out”(or getting an infinite lock on players thus ending the game) on turn 4 or 5. Even with players only allowed to run one-ofs in their deck, the library of Magic is so vast it is possible to build decks that can kill quickly and efficiently. Veteran Magic players can probably already guess half the culprits, but in this article I am going to discuss the reasoning behind each ban, and why some bans are called for and others aren’t called for.

1–9) The power 9: Unfair to run, not only because of their price but because of their power level. Definitely warrants a ban. [Editor's note: Actually, only 8 of the Power 9 are banned, Timetwister is legal to use.]

10) Balance: Horribly, horribly asymmetrical card. Possibly the opposite of its own name. Destroys lands, hands, and creatures for the mere cost of 1W? Way to spoil everyone’s fun. Never coming off the list.

11)Biorhythm: Instant win after a Martial Coup; Instant Draw after a Wrath. Pass. Only if the Rules Committee (RC) significantly changes its philosophy on instant wins.

12)Coalition Victory: Instant Win with a WUBRG general and a Prismatic Omen. Only if the RC significantly changes its philosophy on instant wins. (Let me address the obvious rejoinder: Test of Endurance, Felidar Sovereign, Near-Death Experience, etc. let you win DURING YOUR UPKEEP. Failing a Teferi or a Vedalken Orrery, your table has at least one wheel to either kill the card or make the win condition no longer pertain. If there IS a Teferi, what were you doing letting Teferi live? Either way, plenty of opportunity to avoid the instant win if you're playing correctly.)

13-14) Channel and Fastbond: Too much big stuff coming out too soon for either of these cards to be even close to reasonable. Fastbond in particular with Horn of Greed says "Draw up to 39 cards, Put up to 39 lands into play, play your Concordant Crossroads, play fatties, win target game." Next! Fastbond: Never coming off the list. Channel: Maybe if Blightsteel Colossus and the remaining Eldrazi Titans get banned.

15)Emrakul, the Aeons Torn: I could see removing Emrakul if he were outclassed somehow, or if they printed the following card:

Swords to Ghostshares 1W
Instant
Swords to Ghostshares is colorless.
Exile Target Creature. Its controller gains life equal to its power.

In the current environment, though, too damn focusing, too freaking hard to get rid of. Might come off at some point in the future.

16)Gifts Ungiven: Bit of a corner case. Yes, this is easily abused with all the recursion running around EDH-land, but Intuition does basically the same thing and it's not banned. (Note: This is not a call to ban Intuition. Don't do it RC, I love that card!) I think it could be worth at least a trial unbanning; then again, I was not around when it was legal. Might come off at some point in the future.

17)Kokusho, the Evening Star: Kokusho didn’t warrant the banhammer in my opinion. Its definitely a powerful engine and possibly near infinite life when playing with 3 or 4 other people, but there are definitely more broken cards out there. This could come off the list very easily with minimal repercussions, or at least no more than those that surround Primeval Titan, Seedborn Muse, etc. The only difference I see is that Kokusho makes your life total change, and the other two don't. The one banned list misstep in today's environment as far as I'm concerned. Probably SHOULD come off; probably WON'T under the current RC.

18)Karakas: If I have to explain to you why Karakas is problematic in a format based around legendary creatures, I probably hate you. Never coming off the list.

19)Library of Alexandria: I’ve played with the library before, and realized its potential is ridiculous. Even decks not built to abuse it, it's ridiculous to have in your opening hand, and that alone warrants the ban on this card. Never coming off.

20)Limited Resources: See Balance. If you want to play this 1v1 be my guest, but 'miserable' does not even begin to describe the experience of this in Multiplayer. Never coming off the list.

21) Lion's Eye Diamond: "But I can use it to cast my general!" If your general has even a hint of White in his/her color identity, you are a damn dirty liar, and we know that Auriok Salvagers is in your deck. If you're going to play filthy combo at least own up to it. This will come off only if the RC significantly changes its philosophy on easy-to-assemble combos.

22) Metalworker: I really, really don't understand why people don't get that a turn 1 Blightsteel Colossus is unhealthy for the format. "But it's only good on turn 1!" Funny thing about Metalworker:
decks playing it generally don't really give a damn about turns past turn 1. Never coming off the list.

23) Painter's Servant: Another one on the margin... but I think this one is the right call. Too many ways to turn a one-color hoser into a blowout for the whole table. Probably not coming off the list...but I could be wrong

24) Panoptic Mirror: The problem with Panoptic Mirror vs. Felidar Sovereign, for example, is that there are MULTIPLE ways of breaking most of the "I win the game" card conditions, only one of which is 'kill the card'; In this case, 'kill the card' is your only option. If nobody has artifact removal or Teferi ready to go, this is almost always an autowin. (Again, please don't give me the "I would never put Time Warp on it" business, because a) you are lying again, and b) even if you are not, someone else would, and games become about who resolves their copy first. Never coming off the list.

25) Protean Hulk: This is a case where Hulk is a victim of its own success. I'm not convinced it's stronger than Tooth & Nail on its own... but with Flash it is, of course, broken in half. The problem being, Flash is not in of itself bannable except for this interaction... whereas at least Hulk does other stuff besides getting 6 power worth of creatures on T2. So of the two, this is probably the choice... but I bet the RC feels bad about it. Only if the RC significantly changes its philosophy on easy-to-assemble combos... but you could probably play it in your Savra Deck or something under house rules

26)Recurring Nightmare: The opposite of Hulk; notorious for one particular combo but also pretty busted on its lonesome with other cards. This probably has a pretty safe place on the banned list for good. Not as strong as some of the other stuff on the list, but strong enough. Could come off the list, but not bloody likely.

27) Staff of Domination: C-C-C-COMBO! I actually have seen this used not-for-combo but I have also had it used AGAINST me enough that I want to build a model of said staff so I can jam it through staff-players' thoraxes. The difference between this and some other 2-card combos is that Staff provides its own win condition, which is not necessarily true all of the time. Might be splitting hairs, but there it is. Only if the RC significantly changes its philosophy on easy-to-assemble combos.

28-29 ) Sway of the Stars and Upheaval: Both banned for the same reason: They let you float mana through them. Especially with the printing of Exsanguinate abusing Sway got much, MUCH easier in a multiplayer setting. If Worldpurge didn't read "Empty all mana pools" it would probably be in this entry as well; Time Spiral as well, if it had any effect on the board. (Seems pretty good even without that.) Only if the RC significantly changes its philosophy on instant wins.

30) Time Vault: Toooooo easy to untap for infinite turns. I don't really have much more to say about this one. Maybe if the new rules manager puts the errata back on.

31) Tinker: See Metalworker. "Let's see, Sac Mana Vault, Blightsteel Colossus on turn 1... That seems fair." Never coming off the list.

32) Tolarian Academy: Hey guys! Remember when you were arguing about how so long as Academy was legal having Metalworker banned was stupid? Guess what? You got your wish! Given the extent to which Arcum, Sharuum, and Memnarch still own tables that aren't prepared for them, I don't think this is as much of a loss to artifact decks as those decks' pilots claimed at the time it was banned. (there is an argument to be made that if Academy is banned, Gaea's Cradle should be too... I assume the reason it isn't is because creatures are more fragile than artifacts, but this reasoning seems a little flimsy- - there's still a TON of mana being made before the Wrath comes down. If there's a better reason for the disparity, please enlighten me.) Maybe, maybe, MAYBE if Mycosynth Lattice is banned instead.

33) Worldgorger Dragon: Oh hi infinite combo! I didn't see you there. Dump this guy in the graveyard, and then get infinite mana with Animate Dead. There are actually better combos in better colors, and if someone Doom Blades your Worldgorger Dragon in response to the trigger, say goodbye to your board. Doesn’t warrant a ban, but only if the RC significantly changes its philosophy on instant wins.

34) Yawgmoth's Bargain: Those of you who still don't understand why this is better than Necropotence, I'm going to go slow here.

a) Necro does not actually draw cards (it 'puts them into your hand'... no Psychosis Crawler shenanigans for you, good sir);
b) you have to commit to the amount of cards you want and can't immediately draw more if you don't see your win condition;
c) you do not get the cards you exile until the end of your turn, at which point you have to discard down to seven, meaning
d) Necro essentially works at Sorcery speed.

Bargain? It has none of those restrictions. You draw as many cards as you want, when you want them, and you can KEEP drawing until you either run out of life or get the card you want. MaRo has written at length about how his attempt to 'fix' Necro was a hideous failure for these very reasons. Stop trying to argue that they are the same card, or that Necro is better because it costs half the mana. Never coming off the list.

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