Big Bans Impact Eternal Formats

This week saw the latest banned and restricted update that impacted a number of formats including Pauper, Legacy, and Vintage. The main talk of the town was the collective banning across all competitive formats of stickers and attractions. The Unfinity mechanics have proven to be intensely unpopular and began causing all kinds of odd logistical problems in Legacy and Pauper thanks to ________ Goblin. This card had a much bigger impact than anticipated, and caused even more issues when Magic Online tried to bring it to the client but couldn't properly emulate stickers, leading to issues with regards to format parity.

The stickers and attractions ban only impacts these competitive formats though as of this time does not impact the Commander format. Commander Rules Committee member Jim Lapage noted that there were no intentions by the RC to ban them in the near future either. Jim additionally noted that the RC was working on trying to put together a list of silver-bordered cards that could be allowed for Commander play.

In addition to the blanket stickers ban (attractions weren't legal due to too few for a functional deck) Pauper saw a major ban as well in the form of All That Glitters. The card was creating a myriad of unfun play patterns in conjunction with a high density of playable artifacts in the format and saw play in Azorius Affinity, Jeskai Affinity, and Boros Synthesizer decks. Gavin Verhey on behalf of the greater Pauper Format Panel (which includes myself) put out a written explanation of these bans, as well as other general format health notes. He additionally noted an upcoming Modern Horizons 3 common would likely need to be banned soon after the set's release.

Additionally, the Weekly MTG stream hosted Play Design manager Andrew Brown to discuss all of the various ban reasonings and updates on states of other formats as well. One key thing they noted during this stream was that the next update - which comes out mere days before Pro Tour Amsterdam - won't impact the Modern format. Instead, this will mostly focus on Standard (much like last year's summer ban of three cards) and possibly Pioneer.

Modern Horizons 3 Debut Stream Kicks Off Tuesday

Modern Horizons 3 is almost here! On this upcoming Tuesday, you'll be able to check out all the latest cards as the WeeklyMTG stream on Twitch and YouTube premieres a debut show followed by a usual rundown of various mechanics and collector tidbits. If you want to know where you can find all the previews yourself as they come out, Wizards released the "Where to Find Modern Horizons 3 Previews" article last week. Further articles should be releasing shortly after the debut stream ends. You can also check out the official Card Image Gallery for all the latest previews or check out the Modern Horizons 3 page here on CoolStuffInc.com to pick up the hottest cards.

New Secret Lair Superdrop Goes On Sale

Over the past few weeks I've noted the reveals of various upcoming Secret Lairs. Those Lairs finally went up for sale this Monday, showcasing all kinds of new treatments for a myriad of cards. Of these, most are still on sale despite the limited stock, however the Hatsune Miku crossover cards sold out in less than 12 hours for both the foil and non-foil versions. You can find out all of the details for the contents of these Lairs here or just go to the official MTG Secret Lair website and order any of the remaining ones that may strike your fancy.

Tickets for MagicCon Vegas 2024 Now On Sale

#MCVegas Early Bird Badge sales and Ticketed Play Events are ON SALE NOW! GO GO GO! ???

As badges sell out, we will not be listing new ones!https://t.co/yVKG7Jcnjc pic.twitter.com/T3avxAqsr8

— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) May 16, 2024

Tickets for MagicCon Las Vegas officially went on sale as of yesterday! Some packages have already sold out or are close to selling out and the last few events sold out in general as well. If you're interested in checking the event out, I highly recommend jumping onto it and getting your tickets now! Ticketed play event info has also been released so you can check out what you'll be able to play when you go.

Decklist of the Week

Amulet Titan | Modern | Arya Karamchandani, 1st Place MTGO Masters

• Creatures (14)
• 1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
• 1 Cultivator Colossus
• 4 Arboreal Grazer
• 4 Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
• 4 Primeval Titan

• Instants (4)
• 4 Summoner's Pact

• Sorceries (2)
• 2 Explore

• Artifacts (9)
• 1 Expedition Map
• 4 Amulet of Vigor
• 4 The One Ring

• Lands (31)
• 3 Forest
• 1 Castle Garenbrig
• 1 Golgari Rot Farm
• 1 Hanweir Battlements
• 1 Kessig Wolf Run
• 1 Littjara Mirrorlake
• 1 Otawara, Soaring City
• 1 Vesuva
• 2 Crumbling Vestige
• 2 Tolaria West
• 2 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
• 3 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 4 Gruul Turf
• 4 Simic Growth Chamber
• 4 Urza's Saga

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Endurance
• 1 Force of Vigor
• 1 Pick Your Poison
• 1 Roxanne, Starfall Savant
• 2 Cursed Totem
• 2 Defense Grid
• 2 Firespout
• 2 Gemstone Mine
• 2 Relic of Progenitus

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This week saw the completion of Magic Online's first official MTGO Masters season with top four players Jake Beardsley, Carmen Klomparens, Arya Karamchandani, and Eduardo Sajgalik battling it out. The finals came down to a battle against two WotC Play Design members Carmen and Arya, with Arya coming out on top with Amulet Titan versus Carmen's Izzet Prowess list. Amulet Titan wins via utilizing Amulet of Vigor and various ramp effects to play a copy of Primeval Titan on the first couple turns to set up a powerful condition extremely fast. It's considered to be notoriously difficult to pilot and Arya did so in spectacular finish to close things out. Congratulations Arya!

Paige Smith

Twitter: @TheMaverickGal

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