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Tier-Ranking the Modernistic Banned List
The power level of Modernistic is through the roof, thanks in large role to Modern Horizons and, to a lesser extent, other recent sets, to the indicate where you could contend that current Mod is almost Modern Horizons Cake Synthetic. Cards printed in the last couple of years (from the original Modern Horizons frontward) take up such a large office of the metagame that the format is almost unrecognizable, as compared to where it was a relatively short time ago. Have a await at the 10 most-played creatures in the format. Six are from Modernistic Horizons twoand the entire top ten outside of Stoneforge Mystic were printed in the by couple of years.. If you lot expand out to the top 25, 17 were printed since the original Modern Horizons, either in Mod Horizons sets or in Standard-legal sets. Spells fare a chip better, but newer sets are still very overrepresented, with 12 of the summit 25 existence printed from original Modern Horizonsto present. In some sense, rather than being the greatest hits from the past 20 years of Magic, Modern is now the greatest hits of the concluding two or three years.
With so many new cards dominating the format and the ability level of Mod at an all-time high, the fourth dimension is correct to reevaluate the Mod banned list. Many of the cards on the list have been banned for almost a decade, and while most of the cards were as well powerful for the format back when they were banned, the format is so dissimilar and then new now that it seems likely that at least some of these cards would be safe in our current Modern Horizons–fueled format. Broken in 2011 or 2015 doesn't necessarily mean cleaved in 2021.
And then today, we're going to tier-rank the Modern banned list based on how safety it would be to unban the cards on the listing. Here are the criteria nosotros'll exist using:
- S-Tier:Why is this even on the banned listing? Unban it now; there'due south trivial risk.
- A-Tier:The card should be unbanned, fifty-fifty if there is some risk that things will go incorrect and the bill of fare volition need to be rebanned.
- B-Tier: We should consider unbanning the card, although at that place's maybe a 50/l chance it will need to exist rebanned.
- C-Tier: Information technology'due south probably a bad idea to unban the carte du jour, merely there is at least some pocket-sized argument about why unbanning it could work out okay.
- D-Tier:The menu clearly needs to stay banned, to the indicate where it'southward probably not worth even discussing the merits of an unbanning.
Now, it's worth pointing out that the Modern banned list is pretty lengthy, so we're non going to go over every individual card in depth. Instead, we're going to work our way through the tiers, from D up to S, and I'll share my thoughts and reasonings on select cards along the manner. Anyway, let's get to it!
D-Tier
Not Fifty-fifty Worth Discussing
- Cards: Arcum's Astrolabe, Chrome Mox, Dark Depths, Dig Through Time, Centre of Ugin, Field of the Dead, Gitaxian Probe, Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis, Mox Opal, Mystic Sanctuary, Oko, Thief of Crowns, One time Upon a Time, Seething Song, Skullclamp, Summer Bloom, Rite of Flame, Krark-Clan Ironworks, Golgari Grave-Troll, Tibalt's Trickery, Treasure Cruise, and Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath.
D-Tier—cards that clearly should not exist unbanned—breaks downwardly pretty neatly into a scattering of different groups forth with a couple of outliers. The showtime grouping is cards that have been banned adequately recently. The unabridged reason we are reevaluating the Modern banned listing is that the format has gotten such a huge boost of ability in the past three years. In theory, if a card was banned in that time frame, it's conspicuously too good for the format considering it was competing with all of the super-pushed cards that came out recently and was nevertheless accounted bannable. This grouping includes Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath, Mystic Sanctuary, Oko, Thief of Crowns, Mystic Sanctuary, Field of the Dead, Arcum's Astrolabe, and more. All of the cards were too good a few months or—at nearly—a year or two ago, which ways it'south exceedingly likely they would still exist too good today.
Next, we accept a agglomeration of fast-mana cards, including Chrome Mox, Center of Ugin, Mox Opal, Simian Spirit Guide, Rite of Flame, Krark-Association Ironworks and Summer Bloom. My dearest Simian Spirit Guide is the least powerful of the bunch only likewise the most recently banned. If adding a single blood-red mana one time for free is also skillful for Modern, then cards that repeatedly offer free mana (Chrome Mox, Middle of Ugin, and Mox Opal) or offer a quondam burst of more than i mana (Seething Vocal and Summer Bloom, which was primarily used every bit a ritual with bounciness lands in Amulet of Vigor decks) are too practiced too.
Our third group is ii delve cards: Treasure Cruise and Dig Through Fourth dimension. Thanks to the presence of fetch lands and tons of cheap spells in the Modern format, information technology'southward just too easy to reduce the cost on these cards. They massively warped the format for the brief window they were legal, and even though Faithless Annexation is now banned, information technology might be even easier to fill your graveyard in Modernistic today. You lot know those Dragon's Rage Channeler Izzet decks? Imagine them with an Ancestral Call up. That would be Modern with Treasure Cruise and Dig Through Time unbanned.
Group iv is 2 free spells in Gitaxian Probe and Mental Misstep. Gitaxian Probe is a pretty easy one: information technology's basically a very upgraded (discounting Lurrus of the Dream-Den loops) version of Mishra'south Bauble, giving you a card in the graveyard and a prowess trigger for the depression cost of just ii life. You know the feeling you become when your opponent bondage together three copies of Manamorphose and kills you out of nowhere with a Murktide Regent or Monastery Swiftspear? You'd have it much, much more ofttimes with Gitaxian Probe in the format. As for Mental Misstep, at first glance, it might seem similar a reasonable card to consider unbanning. In full general, defensive free spells are much less problematic than offensive gratis spells are, and beingness able to counter a Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Dragon'south Rage Channeler, or Colossus Hammer no matter what colors you are playing might sound appealing. The problem with Mental Misstep is that if it's legal, anybody will play it and the format will quickly devolve into weird Mental Misstep wars where you need Mental Misstep to counter your opponent's copies of Mental Misstep. While I could get behind a similar card designed to detest on the plethora of powerful ane-drops in the format, the Phyrexian mana cost of Mental Misstep puts information technology over the top and allows it to warp the format.
Finally, we have a couple of oddballs. Nighttime Depths combos with cards similar Thespian'southward Phase to make a free 20/twenty indestructible flier without having to manually remove all of the counters from Dark Depths. While at that place might be some long-shot argument that information technology could be safe in a world where Solitude and Prismatic Ending are heavily played, both of those cards (along with Swords to Plowshares) are legal in Legacy, and Lands is still i of the top decks in the format. Plus, whatsoever self-respecting Nighttime Depths players volition have a plan to recur their combo pieces (like Life from the Loam), and so answering a single Marit Lage isn't likely to be plenty. Skullclamp is a historically broken card and would hands slot into the all-time deck in the format (Hammer Time), making it even more hard to crush with interaction thanks to the huge amount of carte reward it tin generate. Every bit for Golgari Grave-Troll, we already tried unbanning the best dredger ane, simply for it to be quickly rebanned, which doesn't peculiarly make me want to give information technology another shot in Modern.
C-Tier
A Bad Idea, Merely...
- Cards: Cloudpost, Dread Return, Mycosynth Lattice, Ponder, Second Sunrise andSensei'due south Divining Top.
C-tier cards are cards that are very unlikely to be safe to unban, but there is at least some small argument that can exist made in favor of their unbanning. I'm very much not advocating for any of these cards to be unbanned. With that in listen, here is how I would argue for their unbannings, if I were then inclined.
Cloudpost is basically an upgraded version of Tron that is easier to assemble (you don't demand three different lands to get the benefit) and can make fifty-fifty more mana (three Cloudpostsouthward make nine mana, while Tron makes seven), with the drawback existence that the lands come into play tapped. While I personally hate Tron, and the thought of having a improve version of it in the Modern format makes me recoil in horror, Tron isn't all that expert in Modern at the moment, and there is plenty of detest for non-basic lands. A hypothetical Cloudpost deck would likely be improve than Tron, but would information technology be and then much improve that Cloudpost would get the all-time deck in the format? I'm not convinced.
Dread Return is incredibly powerful, assuasive Dredge and other graveyard decks with cards like Narcomoeba and Bloodghast to reanimate something for free. It's also a central slice to Legacy Oops All Spells. If Dread Return were legal in Legacy, we'd probable meet something similar develop. Even so, Dread Return'southward power is based on the graveyard, and we've got a ton of stiff graveyard hate in Modernistic. If I play against Dredge, I'm likely to lose if I don't notice my Residual in Peace, Leyline of the Void, or Relic of Progenitus anyway. Maybe I'd lose fifty-fifty more than convincingly if Dread Return were in the deck, but expressionless is dead.
Mycosynth Lattice is banned considering of its interaction with Karn, the Great Creator, and rightly so. The ability to lock the opponent out of the game (with a menu tutored from your sideboard) for six mana is incredibly potent since it only takes a single sideboard slot in a deck that already runs Karn. There's no way nosotros want the lock in the Modern format, then why are we discussing Mycosynth Lattice? Considering there'due south an argument that Karn, the Peachy Creator should exist banned instead. Without Karn around, Mycosynth Lattice is a fine (and more often than not unplayable Against the Odds) card in Mod. While Karn isn't breaking anything and shouldn't be banned, if nosotros e'er get to the betoken where Karn, the Great Creator finds itself on the banned list (which is unlikely but not incommunicable), then Mycosynth Lattice would exist 100% safe to unban.
Ponder was banned primarily to keep philharmonic decks in bank check by making them less consistent, simply remember: this was back during an era of Magic when Storm was consistently one of the top-performing decks in the meta. Today, Storm and other similar big-turn combo decks are mostly non-factors in Modern. While Ponder would certainly see a lot of play if it were unbanned, and powering upwards Izzet even more does worry me, in a globe of Consider and Expressive Iteration, is Ponder actually besides powerful?
Sensei'southward Divining Top and Second Sunrise are the rare cards that aren't banned so much because of their ability only because of how ho-hum they are to play with and against. Less experienced players (and some experienced players as well) often take a very, very long time to resolve a Sensei'southward Divining Acme activation, and Top is often activated multiple times in the same plow with the groovy of a fetch land in betwixt. It's really miserable, and there are plenty of horror stories of every round in a tournament going to time because of the ane-mana artifact. 2d Sunrise is infamous for 20-infinitesimal combo turns involving looping a bunch of Eggs (similar Chromatic Sphere and Chromatic Star), which is probably fifty-fifty more tedious than Top. The simply question is, do we really want cards banned considering people play them too slowly?
B-Tier
The 50/50 Cards
Cards: Faithless Annexation, Green Lord's day's Zenith, Hypergenesis, Preordain, Punishing Burn down, artifact lands, and Bridge from Beneath.
We've got six cards in our B-tier—cards that may or may not be safe to unban but are worth talking nearly, at a minimum. Let's start with an easy ane: Preordain. We only discussed Ponder, and the reason Preordain is banned is exactly the same: it made combo decks besides consequent. If we expect at the current Modern format, our one-mana blueish cantrips are Consider, Serum Visions, Sleight of Paw, and Opt. Preordain would immediately jump to the tiptop of the list (although some decks might still prefer Consider thanks to its ability to fill the graveyard). On the other hand, Preordain is weaker than Ponder, which is why it comes in a tier college.
Does blue need a better ane-mana cantrip in Mod? Probably non. The color seems to be doing only fine as is. At the same time, Serum Visions doesn't really run into all that much play in the format. Even decks that y'all would assume would really desire information technology, like Izzet Murktide, but play a couple of copies, then I'one thousand not sure how much Preordain would actually change. Decks similar Tempest and Ad Nauseam would become a slight heave in power, but those decks are far enough down in the metagame that a boost of power might be a good thing. While I experience pretty strongly than unbanning both Preordain and Ponder at the aforementioned time would be likewise much, I am intrigued at the idea of unbanning one of the cantrips, and Preordain, as the weaker of the two, would be the platonic starting bespeak.
Speaking of inexpensive cantrips, I've always sort of felt like Faithless Annexation got a bit of a raw bargain past being banned aslope Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis every bit its master enabler. While it is truthful that Faithless Looting profoundly powered up Hogaak, Dredge, and Izzet Phoenix, information technology also allowed grindy fair decks like Mardu Pyromancer and diverse Hollow Ane piles to exist. More recently, we've seen the menu unleashed on Historic and not actually break the format, even though many of the aforementioned synergies (like Arclight Phoenix) exist.
If you had asked me nigh unbanning Faithless Annexation a twelvemonth ago, I probable would have been fully on lath, although recent developments in the format (like the printing of Dragon's Rage Channeler, new madness cards like Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar, and reanimation like Persist in Modernistic Horizons two) give me pause. Would calculation Faithless Looting back to Modernistic improve the format by bringing back Hollow 1 and Young Pyromancer, or would information technology just further power upwards Izzet Murktide and Dragon's Rage Channeler? The reply is probably a little bit of both, which is probably reason enough to go out it on the banned listing, at least for now.
Green Dominicus's Zenith has two problems: it makes green-based fauna decks much more than consistent with its toolbox play pattern and offers a Turn 1 Rampant Growth with the help of Dryad Arbor. When yous add these two things together—being a Llanowar Elves on Turn 1 and a Earliest Titan on Turn seven—the carte becomes quite scary. Speaking of Primeval Titan, I remember it's the main reason to go along Greenish Sun's Zenith banned. Being able to snag Dryad of the Ilysian Grove or Earliest Titan along with sideboard silver-bullets similar Foundation Breaker or Knight of Autumn would make various Valakut, the Molten Tiptop decks incredibly consequent.
On the other paw, Dark-green Sun's Zenith doesn't seem all that powerful in any other acme-tier deck at the moment. Yawgmoth'due south Hospital wouldn't want it since it can't find Yawgmoth, Thran Physician, decks like Elementals have besides many colors, and various Arbor Elf ramp and midrange decks are mostly congenital around not-greenish creatures. If you expect at the top 50 creatures in Mod, merely xiii are green, and most of those are mana dorks that, like Arbor Elf, are ramping into not-green creatures. Having admission to Green Sun's Zenith could also help power up decks like Elves, which could certainly apply the help, and maybe fifty-fifty allow for something similar to Maverick (a creature-heavy Gx midrange deck) to develop in the format. Plus, Modern is super fast at the moment, thanks to all of the new 1-drops added in Modernistic Horizons ii. Paying a i-mana tax on your creatures seems like a proficient way to get run over past Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer and friends.
All in all, the presence of Primeval Titan and Dryad of the Ilysian Grove makes it tough to say that Dark-green Dominicus'south Zenith is prophylactic to unban, but if information technology weren't for Prime Time decks, I think that Green Sun'southward Zenith could be a really fun and positive addition to the Modern format that could ability up some tier-iii archetypes and mayhap brand for some new animal-toolbox builds, which are sadly defective in Modernistic at the moment. Possibly it's worth because a Primeval Titan ban then that Green Sun's Zenith could be freed.
You probably recollect I'm crazy for even suggesting that Hypergenesis could be unbanned, but hear me out. Right now, in Mod, the plan of cascading into a nada-mana-cost card is extremely popular. Between Crashing Footfalls, Living End, Glimpse of Tomorrow, and fifty-fifty Restore Balance, there are already a ton of decks looking to abuse this synergy. Is Hypergenesis that much better than Living Cease or Glimpse of Tomorrow? It'due south clearly better but maybe not by thatmuch. In full general, if your opponent resolves a Living End or Glimpse of Tomorrow on Plow 3, they are very likely to win the game. The same is true of Hypergenesis.
In the past, the principal argument against Hypergenesis is that it was more powerful than Living End because Living Cease can exist hated out past graveyard removal like Leyline of the Void or Residue in Peace, although this statement is weaker now because of Glimpse of Tomorrow, which doesn't need the graveyard to win. In that location are drawbacks to Hypergenesis as well, similar needing to fill your deck with super-expensive cards that yous aren't going to be able to cast fairly if your opponent can shut down your program of cascading into Hypergenesis, which is a real take a chance in a format where Teferi, Time Raveler, Chalice of the Void, and Force of Negation are among the nigh played cards in the format.
Basically, I retrieve Hypergenesis would probable exist some amount of an upgrade over Living End and Glimpse of Tomorrow, and those decks are already good enough that any amount of comeback would be a bad affair for the format. Only Hypergenesis gets close down past the verbal same detest cards, and it would play exactly the same as Living End or Glimpse of Tomorrow exercise in a relatively high per centum of the games (either you find a hate card or counterspell to stop it, or you lose when it resolves). The prophylactic choice is to leave it banned, but I don't think Hypergenesis is as far away from beingness safe (or as safe as the other cascade-into-costless-spell cards) as many people retrieve.
Punishing Fire was one of the offset bans in Modernistic, mode back in 2011, thanks to its ability to be a repeatable two-mana Daze with the aid of Grove of the Burnwillows to force the opponent to proceeds life. According to the banned announcement, "tribal decks relying on two-toughness 'lords' come across very little play, and this (Punishing Fire) is a major bulwark to their success." Unfortunately for Merfolk, a decade has gone by, and tribal decks relying on ii-toughness lords all the same come across very little play, even though Punishing Fire is banned.
Honestly, when I recall of Punishing Fire in the context of current Modern, it'south either laughable (confronting Primeval Titan, command, Crashing Footfalls, 3/iii Dragon's Rage Channeler, reanimated Archon of Cruelty, etc.) or potentially even a positive, as a repeatable answer for the repeatable cheap threats from various Lurrus of the Dream-Den decks.
Call up nigh how the card really works: the first fourth dimension you cast it, you get a Shock for ii mana. The second fourth dimension you cast it (assuming you are playing Grove of the Burnwillows to get it back into your hand), you go a Shock for iii mana and as well give your opponent a point of life for the pleasure. It's incredibly dull. Seeing it all written out like this makes it even funnier that Punishing Fire is on the banned list, to the point that I almost desire to bump it upwardly to A-tier. Modern is in such a fast, powerful identify that it'south hard for me to believe that a repeatable three-mana Shock that requires a two-card philharmonic to work (Grove of the Burnwillows) is all that scary.
Bridge from Below was banned because of Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis, although information technology'southward banning did little to stop the Avatar'south reign of horror. With Hogaak gone the enchantment is technically probably safe to unban - for now.Bridge from Below never really does anything fair or healthy, and so what'southward the point? It's is one of the rare cards that is either completely broken or completely unplayable - there'due south no center ground. If it was unbanned the immediate affect would probable exist minimal, although somewhen some broken graveyard combo would come along and information technology would go back to being disrepair and likely needing to be banned, which means we might as well just exit it on the banned listing since information technology'southward already in that location.
A-Tier
Unbannable but with Some Risk
- Cards: Deathrite Shaman, Blazing Shoal, Umezawa'southward Jitte, and Splinter Twin
Nosotros've finally made it to the fun part of our tier list: A-tier cards that I think should be unbanned, fifty-fifty though at that place is some amount of risk that a rebanning could be necessary. Here, we have 4 cards, including some of the most discussed cards on the Modern banned list.
It might audio crazy to even consider unbanning Deathrite Shaman—one of the all-time one-drops of all fourth dimension—but the more I think nigh the current state of Modern, the more I want to at least requite it a endeavour. The biggest reason I remember Deathrite Shaman should be unbanned is that the overall power level of one-mana creatures has greatly increased since Deathrite Shaman was released back in 2014. Back then, the side by side best option was something similar Noble Hierarch or maybe Grim Lavamancer, making Deathrite Shaman significantly higher up the curve. Today, Modern is littered with cards like Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Dragon's Rage Channeler, Esper Scout, Monastery Swiftspear, Ignoble Hierarch, and more than. While Deathrite Shaman would still exist skillful, rather than existence the lone 10 out of ten in a ocean of five out of 10s, information technology would only be some other strong one-driblet (in a color combination that could apply a strong one-drib).
While Deathrite Shaman offers a lot of flexibility, as a mana dork that can likewise proceeds life against aggro or drain to finish out the game, its non-mana-dork modes are pretty dull as compared to ambitious one-drops like Dragon'due south Rage Channeler and Monastery Swiftspear. Deathrite Shaman is bully when the game goes long, but if a Modern game goes long, it's usually because Teferi, Hero of Dominaria or Jace, the Mind Sculptor is drawing tons of cards, or Elementals are playing through their deck, play patterns that Deathrite Shaman tin't keep up with.
Another huge change in the seven years since Deathrite Shaman has been banned is the add-on of a ton more removal to Modern across colors. Back in 2014, there were Lightning Bolt and Path to Exile. At present, cards like Unholy Rut, Prismatic Ending, Confinement, Fatal Button, and more than have joined the mix. Dorsum in 2014, decks like Jund were literally playing Putrefy in the principal deck. Putrefy! Needing to spend 3 mana to kill a one-drop is a huge loss of tempo. Just today, nearly decks accept ways to kill a Deathrite Shaman for one or zero mana. It's hard to imagine it getting out of hand.
The other reason to unban Deathrite Shaman is that information technology might actually help fight some of the degenerate cards from the last few years. Having a mana dork that tin can also attack the graveyard seems similar a good way to power down opposing Dragon's Rage Channelersouth and Lurrus of the Dream-Densouthward. In our current Modernistic format, I think it'south more probable that Deathrite Shaman plays the part of the hero rather than the villain. I've gotten browbeaten down by enough Dragon's Rage Channelersouthward and Ragavan, Nimble Pilfererdue south lately that the idea of facing downwards a Deathrite Shaman almost sounds prissy. Could Deathrite Shaman stop upward still beingness just likewise flexible and powerful? That is a possibility, just I really recollect the most likely outcome of unbanning Deathrite Shaman is that information technology merely becomes another strong 1-driblet in a format flood with them.
With our impending render to Kamigawa this winter, the time is correct for the most iconic card from original Kamigawa block to make its fashion into Modernistic. Umezawa's Jitte, some other card from the original Modern banned listing that has never had an opportunity in the format, is undoubtedly a powerful equipment, offer a flexible package of lifegain, removal, and creature pumping. Information technology does still see some play in Legacy, in Expiry and Taxes or Stoneblade, although information technology's not as much of a staple as it used to be a few years ago, to the point where some Stoneblade lists don't carp to run information technology at all.
Permit's commencement with the reasons that Umezawa's Jitte should remain banned. First and foremost, Stoneforge Mystic is in Modern, and Stoneforge Mystic decks will be able to run it every bit a one-of, hope information technology hangs out undrawn in their library in matchups where information technology is bad but find it consistently with Stoneforge Mystic in matchups where it is adept. Speaking of matchups where Umezawa's Jitte is good, the second reason to be skeptical of unbanning it in Modern is that information technology wrecks decks full of little creatures. The combination of always being able to attack (because of the pump ability) and repeatedly shooting downwards small-scale creatures (with the –1/–1 ability) can essentially lock decks full of little creatures out of the game one time it gets going.
On the other hand, there are several reasons to think that Umezawa'due south Jitte would be fine in Mod. Well-nigh importantly, it's pretty slow, costing ii to bandage and two more to equip, and not doing annihilation until you start dealing damage and generating charge counters. Furthermore, while Umezawa's Jitte has great matchups, it too has some pretty bad ones. Decks with large creatures or few creatures, like command, might accept some extra damage from the pump ability but won't be that worried about the equipment hitting the battlefield. It'southward also manner, style less scary than Kaldra Compleat coming into play off of Stoneforge Mystic on Turn 3. Kaldra Compleat frequently feels unbeatable. Justdealing with a Jitte might be a relief, like when your opponent tutors upwardly a sweet Sword of X and Y rather than something like Kaldra Compleat that just murders yous immediately.
The other reason that giving Umezawa's Jitte a examination run in Mod might make sense is the number of answers in the format. Information technology seems like "destroy target artifact" has been tacked on as a secondary ability to a lot of spells in the final couple of years. Between Abrade, Prismari Command, Force of Vigor, Habiliment // Tear, and Kolaghan'southward Command, not to mention cards similar Assassin'southward Trophy, Abrupt Decay, Stony Silence, and Karn, the Great Creator, most decks volition have some sort of answer to the artifact. Perchance it'southward some form of recency bias driven past the endless beatdowns I've taken from Kaldra Compleat since Modern Horizons 2 was released, merely Umezawa's Jitte doesn't experience all that scary compared to everything else happening in 2021 Mod. There could be a world where Stoneforge Mystic snagging Umezawa's Jitte drives creature decks out of the format and necessitates a rebanning, only we won't know until we try, and with our return to Kamigawa this winter, the time to unleash Jitte into Modern is now.
Unban Twin!
Seriously though, we really should unban Splinter Twin, which holds the tape for least logical banning of all fourth dimension, based on the justification of shaking up the Modern meta for a Pro Tour (Recall when those were a matter?) to get people to watch coverage (Remember when that was a affair?) for a paper Modern tournament (...). Splinter Twin was a consistently good deck that was regularly near the top of the Mod meta, but it was never a problematic deck if yous dig into things like metagame percentage, and it wasn't even the top deck in the meta at many points during its lifespan in Modernistic.
Now, I will admit that there are legitimate concerns about unbanning Splinter Twin, with peradventure the biggest being that having a combo-control deck at the elevation of the meta tends to drive some people a bit crazy (encounter: Alrund's Epiphany in Standard). As much every bit people long for the proficient ol' days of Splinter Twin Modern, in reality, most people wouldn't be happy with a Modernistic format where they played Twin all the time. My other big worry about unbanning Twin now is the overall dominance of Izzet in various formats ever since Expressive Iteration was printed. Even though the Twin philharmonic itself—Splinter Twin with Deceiver Exarch or Pestermite—hasn't actually improved since the banning, the support pieces for the deck have gotten much, much better. You could probably take the Izzet Murktide deck; drop Murktide Regent and some of the other random creatures for Splinter Twin, Deceiver Exarch, and Pestermite; and immediately have a tier one deck because the Izzet back up shell is so strong.
On the other hand, while Izzet cards have improved in the by few years, and then have the answers to Twin. Back in 2016 when Splinter Twin got banned, decks without Path to Exile had to lean on some pretty questionable removal spells to deal with Deceiver Exarch and fizzle the philharmonic. Today, blueish has Force of Negation, Counterspell, and things like Brazen Borrower; white has Solitude to go along with Path to Exile; black has Fatal Push button; blood-red has Unholy Estrus; and light-green—well, green deserves to be bad at something, and if that something is beating Splinter Twin, and so be information technology. And this is from an exhaustive list of Twin answers that see heavy play in the Mod format.
Another reason to recollect that Twin might be fine for 2021 Mod is that the speed of the format has shifted. Back in 2016, nosotros used to talk about Modernistic being a Turn-4 format. Well, in 2021, I'd argue that Modern is a Turn-iii format, in office because Turn iii is when all of the cascade spells come online (although it'south also the turn when Tron combos online or when you could be dying to a Colossus Hammer, infect threat, or board full of dredgers). Is beingness a Plough-4 combo deck, even one that can play the command office equally well as Twin tin, even something to exist worried nearly in 2021 Modern?
While I do think function of the button to unban Twin is generally nostalgia for the yesteryears of Modern and part of it is that the reasoning for banning Splinter Twin in the commencement place was extremely lacking, I also call up that the meme is at least correct enough that we should give it a endeavor. Every bit I said before, I practice have some worry that the forcefulness of the electric current Izzet vanquish would vault Twin to the top of the meta virtually by default, which could require another banning. Yet, there are enough answers to the combo today that it doesn't seem outright foolish to give it a shot. Volition it piece of work? I'yard non sure, but there's at least a take a chance that information technology could, which is enough for me to desire to requite it a try.
S-Tier
Why Is This Even Banned?
- Cards: Blazing Shoal, Glimpse of Nature,Birthing Pod
Blazing Shoal was banned back in the earliest days of the Mod format thanks to its one-hit-kill power with Infect creatures. During the first Modern Pro Tour, Sam Black made it to the finals past playing a build of Infect that looked to kill on Turn 2 or iii past exiling a Progenitus or Dragonstorm to Blazing Shoal and pumping an Inkmoth Nexus or Blighted Amanuensis to 10 power, making it a lethal attacker.
As someone who doesn't especially like getting janked out by infect, you might be surprised to acquire that I really call back that Blazing Shoal is reasonably safe to unban in Modern. Thanks to cards like Scale Up, current builds of Infect can kill on Turn ii fairly consistently. While Blazing Shoal Infect is slightly faster (since it'due south free, you can animate an Inkmoth Nexus and still be able to win on Plough ii, which is something Scale Up and other pump spells can't do), it's also much less consistent since you take to play a bunch of dead cards like Dragonstorm and Progenitus in your deck to back up the kill. When y'all add in that we now have cards like Force of Negation and Solitude in the format, my guess is that even if Blazing Shoal were unbanned, the best builds of Infect would look more or less like they do currently, without Blazing Shoal and various ten-mana red cards.
Mayhap there'southward some other Blazing Shoal–based deck or combo that could be scary, although it seems like it would have the same problem as Shoal Infect (needing to play a bunch of expensive, uncastable cards to make Blazing Shoal work). If you desire to try to kill me in 2021 past putting Progenitus into your aggro deck, more power to you. While I retrieve that Modern is better in general without complimentary spells that tin be used offensively, which gives me pause when it comes to recommending that Blazing Shoal be unbanned, I think the card would be fine on ability level alone.
Glimpse of Nature is one of the handful of cards that have been on the Modern banned list from the get-go. It had proven its ability as a combo piece, primarily in Elfball decks in Standard and in Legacy. In theory, Glimpse of Nature could do something similar in Modernistic, with Heritage Druid providing the mana to play through your entire deck in a turn before somewhen winning with something like Craterhoof Behemoth. But at that place are two big reasons to think that Glimpse of Nature could exist a safe card to unban in Modern.
First, its primary dwelling—Elves—isn't an particularly competitive deck in Modern. Even with some recent additions, it mostly dwells in the 2d and third tiers of the format and has for a long time. If Glimpse of Nature already had a prepare-congenital top-tier dwelling house, I'd be more than worried about its potential bear upon on the format. But Elves is far plenty abroad from existence good that giving it a new card, even a powerful one like Glimpse of Nature, might be a proficient thing. Having a competitive Elf deck in Modern would be sweet.
Second, we've gotten multiple similar cards, in Beck // Call and Rite of Harmony, that do the aforementioned thing as Glimpse of Nature for one more mana with upside, and none of these cards has been playable in Modern (exterior of a brief, weird window when Beck // Call worked with Encephalon in a Jar). Either allowed for the same Elfball-style combos, just none was good enough to make it happen. Basically, we know that two-mana 2-color Glimpse of Nature isn't good enough for Modern, which suggests that it'southward at least worth testing the effect at one mana.
Of course, in that location is still run a risk. Even if Elfball Combo isn't proficient plenty for Modern, it'south possible some other creature-combo deck could develop effectually Glimpse of Nature, although whether such a deck would be annihilation more than lower-tier Against the Odds provender is anyone'south estimate, and it could be more than of a fun, semi-competitive mash than a format-breaking deck of concern. My feeling is that we should unban Glimpse of Nature. We can e'er reban it if it ends up being a problem, just odds are that it would be perfectly fine in the format.
Can you believe it's been nearly seven years since Birthing Pod was banned in Modern? While writing this article, I looked back on the terminal Birthing Pod list to post a tournament terminate before the banning, and I have to say that it looks near quaint by today's standards...
Ah, 2015 Modern, when Siege Rhino was an all-star and Birthing Pod was all the rage. If you never got to come across Birthing Pod in action, it was more often than not used to try to assemble combos similar Archangel of Thune with Spike Feeder, while also getting to play a value-y toolbox game plan. Dorsum in 2015, the deck was very proficient—consistent and powerful—only information technology's non 2015 anymore. Beneath everything else, Birthing Pod is a four-mana antiquity that requires boosted mana to do anything. Back in 2015, this was pretty scary. Information technology was competing against decks like UW Control using Consecrated Sphinx as its finisher; Jund, with four Siege Rhinos, iv Scavenging Oozes, and some Kitchen Finks; Blood Moon running main-deck Vedalken Shackles... You get the film. I'thousand non sure virtually of the height-tier 2015 Modern decks could compete with the decks from Throne of Eldraine Standard.
By 2021 standards, Birthing Pod looks fair, ho-hum, and easy to disrupt. Remember: back in 2015, cards like Force of Negation, Force of Vigor, Assassin's Trophy, Fatal Push button, Karn, the Great Creator, Counterspell, and friends didn't exist (or weren't legal in Modernistic), and decks were much, much slower and fairer, giving Birthing Pod a leg up on the metagame thanks to the consistency it offered. In 2021 Modernistic, in a lot of matchups, you'll be dead before you fifty-fifty resolve a Birthing Pod, and in the matchups where you are however live, your opponent volition likely have a Force of Negation or Solitude to disrupt your combo.
Some other layer on summit of all of this is that Lurrus of the Dream-Den exists in 2021, and for some creature-based combo decks (like Vizier Druid Combo), playing Birthing Pod will cost you a shot at having the most powerful carte in the game's history as your companion.
Sure, there are enough of combos for Birthing Pod to tutor up. It would exist perfect for something like the Yawgmoth, Thran Physician combo, simply even in that location, in ane of its best possible homes, is it better than merely using the cheaper Eldritch Evolution to grab Yawgmoth, Thran Dr. to win the game? Maybe not.
All things considered, I'd love to see Birthing Pod unbanned in Modern. My worry isn't that it would be too practiced. I think there's very little chance that Birthing Pod could suspension 2021 Modern. The format is just as well fast and has also many answers. My worry is that Birthing Pod wouldn't be good enough, which might tarnish its memory as ane of the top cards in one of the best eras of the Mod format. I'grand hopeful that maybe Birthing Pod could power upward some sugariness combo-ish toolbox deck in the format, but I think in that location's a much college risk that information technology is unplayable than of it breaking the format.
Conclusion
Anyhow, that's all for today. Now that you've seen my accept on the Modern banned list, what practise you think? What did I go right? What did I get wrong? Let me know in the comments! As always, leave your thoughts, ideas, opinions and suggestions, and you can reach me on Twitter @SaffronOlive, or at SaffronOlive@MTGGoldfish.com.
Source: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/articles/tier-ranking-the-modern-banned-list
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