No changes (but keep reading)
1/10/2020
The Oathbreaker Rules Committee has not decided to make any changes to the ban list at this time. However we do want to give an update to the community on a few cards we are actively playtesting. The rules committee has tested many cards lately and plans to test many more; these are the cards we feel deserve comment in today’s update.
Unban tests:
- Griselbrand []/ Yawgmoth's Bargain []
- Painter's Servant []
- Sylvan Primordial []
Ban tests:
- Dark ritual []
Elaborating
The playtesting of Griselbrand [] and Yawgmoth’s Bargain [] has yielded encouraging results so far. We tried a few different builds (various reanimator shells and control packages). So far, they have not showcased an increased win rate above other decks. The rules committee plans on testing combo decks next before making our decisions. Do you know any incredible Griselbrand [] combos that you want us to include? Comment on this article or tweet @oathbreakermtg.
The playtesting for Painter’s Servant [] has been mixed. We have tried decks with colorless oathbreakers like Ugin, the Spirit Dragon [] and some interesting color matter decks. A few of these decks have posted high win percentages in our testing. We are not happy yet with the amount of testing done so we have decided to wait on a decision for now.
Sylvan Primordial [] is a card that the committee is split on right now. The rules committee wants to do more testing. We recognise that Oathbreaker is lower to the ground than Commander and we also see that this card provides large value when it hits the board. So far, most of the testing has been in a casual setting where we added the Primordial to several prebuilt big mana decks. In that setting, the Sylvan Primordial [] was mostly fair, but we still want to try a few more deck ideas out. Especially decks that aim to abuse Sylvan Primordial [] to the max!
The last card the rules committee has focused on is Dark Ritual []. After seeing what it can do for decks that use the five 3cmc black Oathbreakers, we are not sure it’s healthy for the format. It can be in an opening hand about 22% of the time given the free mulligan, and, for the decks that want that effect on turn one, it has the potential to be an insurmountable obstacle for some opposing decks. We are still testing dark ritual [] in a few more environments before we make a decision. For now, it is still legal.
If you have specific questions or concerns, comment on this article or tweet @oathbreakermtg.
Our next ban list update: April 24th, 2020
The Oathbreaker Rules Committee strives to keep your Oathbreaker playing experience Social. Generous. Inclusive. To donate to the charity behind it all, please visit magikids.org.