Summary
In one of the biggest shake-ups thatMagic: The Gathering’sCommander format has ever seen,the Commander Rules Committee has announced that several cards have now been banned. These include Jeweled Lotus; Mana Crypt; Nadu, Winged Wisdom; and most controversially of all, Dockside Extortionist.
Wizards of the Coast revealed this news in an official blog post, as did the Commander Rules Committeevia its own website. This is the first time in quite a while that the CRC has banned cards from the Commander format, last taking place way back in 2021 when Golos, Tireless Pilgrim was banned. These are also the first official banssince the passing of Sheldon Menery, who was considered an unofficial head of the CRC.
Of course, the reasons for why each card has been banned are detailed extensively on both websites, as the CRC has explained that Dockside Extortionist has been banned due to its potential for “egregious snowballing starts.” Those who play Commander will know that the card has the absurd potential to quickly push players ahead of everyone else, giving them a massive advantage.
The CRC admits that it’s “shied away” from doing anything about the card for years, claiming that the card “scaled well with the power level of the table”, but it now appears as though the committee has had enough of the explosive starts.
Magic: The Gathering Has Also Banned Jeweled Lotus, Mana Crypt, and Nadu, Winged Wisdom
The CRC goes on to explain why the other cards have been banned, starting with both Jeweled Lotus and Mana Crypt, simply because they have the potential to give you a bunch of mana as early as turn two, giving players massive advantages also immediately. Both are rather powerful cards in the format, and it’s pretty easy to see why the ban came.
As for Nadu, Winged Wisdom, the CRC explains that this card’s ban is simply down to its potential to suck the fun out of the game, letting one player monopolize all the time in the game. It can be a real pain to play against someone that uses Nadu, Winged Wisdom well, which is exactly why the card was also recently banned in Modern and Legacy.
That’s pretty much it in terms of explanation, though the CRC does explain it won’t be banning Sol Ring, for fear of “changing the identity of the format.” We’ll have to wait and see how these bans shake up the format going forward.
Magic: The Gathering
Created by Richard Garfield in 1993, Magic: The Gathering (MTG) has become one of the biggest tabletop collectible card games in the world. Taking on the role of a Planeswalker, players build decks of cards and do battle with other players. In excess of 100 additional sets have added new cards to the library, while the brand has expanded into video games, comics, and more.
