July 10th Banned List Update

No changes at this time ...ish

Effective June 10th, 2020, Wizards of the Coast is removing seven cards from all their constructed formats. We support the message they are sending through this action, and stand with them in attempts to foster a more inclusive and positive culture. We will be following suit in Oathbreaker.  These cards have already been added to the current banned list.  

A majority of our playtesting happened during lunches at work. With the pandemic, that has ground to a halt.  It is nearly impossible to appropriately social distance while playing magic.  Although we have gotten some playtesting done online, the committee is not satisfied that we have appropriately tested things enough to add or remove anything at this time.  Below are some items that we will continue to work on.  

Gifts Ungiven []

This is still on our radar as a card that could possibly be unbanned.  We have a couple more different decks to test it with before we come to a final decision.  

Paradox Engine []

With it’s banning in Legacy, we wanted to test Underworld Breach [] to see if it was a problem in Oathbreaker.  Even with the limited testing, it was quickly determined that it was slower than the Saheeli Sublime Artificer []/Thoughtcast []/Paradox Engine []deck that already existed in our playgroup.  More testing is necessary, but this is something on our watch list

Teferi Master of Time []

Core Set 2021 just came out, but this card is already on our radar once it’s 90 days are up.  It seems very powerful in any format with multiple opponents.  In Oathbreaker, when you can guarantee that you can cast it on time each game, games can become repetitive very quickly.  

See The Truth []

This is another card from Core 2021 with clear upside in Oathbreaker.  As a signature spell, this is simply two mana to draw three.  It is a powerful effect that we want to test.  This card feels similar to effects like Demonic Tutor [], which are powerful up front, but far more fair after any Command Zone Tax is added.  

What's next?

Even though we may not have the update we want by then, we will still plan for our next announcement to be on October 2nd.  A lot of how much we are able to do is going to be determined by how the pandemic continues to affect how we play Magic.