Banned List Update – May 2023

Oathbreaker Banned List Update May 2023 

Gifts Ungiven is unbanned

It’s Official!

First we would like to thank all of our fellow Oathbreakers everywhere who helped us get to this point.  We survived Covid as a format and are now officially recognized by WotC.  This has been and incredible step forward as it has brought a whole new group of players to the format.  This includes both those players trying it out as a new casual variant, as well as those pushing the limits of the format.  

All of us on the Rules Committee have gotten to meet a number of fans at MagicCons and Dreamhack events.  There will continue to be RC members at each North American MagicCon and Dreamhack going forward.  We’re always excited to play with new people and see new deck ideas that we don’t have in our playtest gauntlet.  

Rule 0: Power Level Discussion

We have gotten to meet a lot of people and play a lot of Oathbreaker at these big events.  However games are only going to be successful when we have this power level discussion up front.  At events we like to have this discussion right away so everyone can have a good time.  We recommend doing this at all events from lunch magic to pods at larger cons.  

Tournament Results

One of the other major developments we have seen with becoming an official format is the creation of more tournaments and therefore tournament results.  Our philosophy is that Oathbreaker is a four player game, and those are the results we will primarily be looking at.  This will give us a good pulse on the decks people are playing.  Some of our members are statisticians by day, and are excited to see results data.  This will help guide our playtesting process going forward.  

No New Bans at this time

There are several cards we are keeping our eye on.  However, while we agree that most of them immediately push a deck’s power level considerably higher, when played with cards of an equivalent power level, these cards all feel fair.  Therefore, we have decided not to ban anything at this time.  Please remember to have the Rule 0 discussion with your playgroup.  

Gifts Ungiven is Unbanned

We have tested this card extensively, both before and after Covid hit, and have decided to release it from the banlist.  This felt safe based on testing and other cards that are currently legal that we are not banning at this time.  

Next Update

Our next update will be around New Years.  We expect more changes at that time based on tournament results and our own internal playtest.  Until then, enjoy the new availability to play Oathbreaker at large events going forward.