Banned List Update – May 7th

Worldfire [] is unbanned

We have finished our testing on this card, and have decided that it is reasonable to release it back into the wild. From our testing, both as a Signature Spell, or simply as a card in the deck, the power level of this card is not something we are concerned about at all. Because the speed of Oathbreaker games is considerably faster than it’s Commander counterpart, as part of this, we’ve reevaluated our stance on cards that functionally invalidate previous game play. As part of this, we are removing that section from our philosophy document, and will continue to evaluate those types of cards based on other criteria only.

Now on to future plans...

Jeweled Lotus []

This card will stay banned. We are unanimous in our feelings on this card, and further playtesting has proven that this is not something that is healthy for the format.

Panoptic Mirror []

Initial playtesting of this card has shown that it is not of the power level to be included on this list. Our playtesting shows similar effects can be accomplished with extra turn spells in the command zone that are arguably more powerful. These strategies typically require less work, and do not require passing the turn again before they go off. We felt the need to playtest this more, but initial playtest games look promising.

Professor Onyx []/Chain of Smog []

Strixhaven has given us another two card combo that exists from the command zone. However at 8 mana, we are unsure that it is any faster or more resilient than the other high powered decks that exist. We plan on testing this with our other high powered decks to get a good grasp on the power level of this deck.

Rowan, Scholar of Sparks []/Will, Scholar of Frost []

We have no intention of modifying any of our rules based on the new cards. Since Rowan, Scholar of Sparks [] is a planeswalker on its front face, it is a legal Oathbreaker and as a MDFC either side can be cast from the command zone. The command tax applies to the card regardless of which side is being cast, and the color identity of Rowan, Scholar of Sparks []// Will, Scholar of Frost [] is UR. The signature spell must fall within that combined color identity and can be cast as long as the card is on the battlefield under your control (regardless of which side is up, or its current Moon status, etc)

Our next banlist announcement will be 90 days after the Strixhaven release date, which is July 23rd.