The 600 - Predicting the Popularity of Core Set 2020 Commanders

Commander Showdown - Sliver Battle Royale

The Toolbox - Trading Post

Forgotten Harvest - Zedruu Land Grant

Too-Specific Top 10 - Whole Planeswalker Concept

60 to 100 - Kykar, the Heir to Shu Yun's Token Throne

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kestia, The Cultivator" href="#" target="_blank">Kestia, The Cultivator</a> | Art by <a href="https://zezhouchen.com/">Zezhou Chen</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
Hello EDHREC! I’m Bernardo Melibeu and this is Epic Experiment, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally play our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.
This week we'll be exploring one very unique commander: she's a literal Aura in the command zone. Yes, I'm talking about <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kestia, the Cultivator" href="#" target="_blank">Kestia, the Cultivator</a>.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kestia, the Cultivator"></div></div>
Bestow 3GWU
Enchanted creature gets +4/+4.
Whenever an enchanted creature or enchantment creature you control attacks, draw a card.
Observation 1:
Kestia is an unique take on the "Voltron formula," as she can provide the pump instead of the body.
Observation 2:
Her draw power is great, but it's also confusing because the type of deck that likes to play Auras on creatures doesn't enjoy enchanting multiple creatures.
Observation 3:
Even if we consider enchanting one creature, having an additional draw that can turn into a new creature after the original one gets destroyed is still impressive.
Observation 4:
There's something to be noted on her rebuilding power when she's an Aura since, even if the enchanted creature dies, we still get a body that can draw us cards.
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
Now let's see how folks usually build her:
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-35699" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Kestia-Sig.png" alt="" width="685" height="373" />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-35700" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Kestia-Top.png" alt="" width="691" height="371" />
If you pay attention to Kestia's most popular cards, you'll see that they mostly come from Commander 2018, the set in which <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kestia, the Cultivator" href="#" target="_blank">Kestia, the Cultivator</a> was released. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what we often call the "Precon Effect," which sometimes skews the data, biasing the recommendations on EDHREC toward cards that were already in the product with Kestia, and which were left in lists when people put the stock decklists online. In some situations, this effect can distort the options that may actually be superior in the commander's deck.
However, this is not one of those times. Most of these cards are pretty much staples of enchantress and Aura-based Voltron decks. The only main difference between Kestia and her fellow enchantment-matters commanders is the number of enchantment creatures she runs - which is obvious, considering her ability.
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
Now that we've seen what Kestia wants, which archetype could enjoy this particular kit? If you guessed Infect, you're right... and also potentially a Phyrexian. Infect plays like a more aggressive Voltron deck, but rather than relying on the commander to do all the work, it uses a bunch of sub-par creatures to do the job. With the right kind of build, it can be really fast, since it only takes 10 poison counters to finish a player off.
This has made the strategy into a bit of a boogieman of the format, but contrary to popular belief, Infect is generally a weak archetype. It has all the downsides of a Voltron deck, with the additional complication of inconsistency, since, unlike Voltron, we have to build a deck with a mix of threats and pump effects, rather than Voltron's streamlined deck of just pump and protection spells. There are many strong opinions regarding Infect in Commander, but suffice it to say that trying to build a deck that fits this archetype presents some hurdles that are not immediately obvious, while still providing a number of intriguing options to consider.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spinebiter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blighted Agent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Swarmlord"></div></div>
Let's talk about some of our Infect creatures, many of which feel like draft chaff. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blighted Agent" href="#" target="_blank">Blighted Agent</a> might be one of the best Infect creature ever printed, in that it's both cheap and evasive. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blight Mamba" href="#" target="_blank">Blight Mamba</a> is resilient to removal, but it can be a little bit taxing to hold the 1G to pay for it. Since we're running low on the mana curve, though, it may not be a huge delay. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Swarmlord" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Swarmlord</a> is on the higher side of the curve, but its ability can be deadly, especially in games where we can't get an evasive threat online and are forced to spread the damage across multiple players. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Putrefax" href="#" target="_blank">Putrefax</a> is the Infect <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ball Lightning" href="#" target="_blank">Ball Lightning</a>, and can function as a surprise spike of Infect damage. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spinebiter" href="#" target="_blank">Spinebiter</a> is a pseudo-evasive creature and although it deals damage as it weren't blocked, it still can be blocked and killed in combat, so beware.
For Auras, since our commander can provide a +4/+4 boost, we are mainly focusing on giving evasion to our creatures. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aqueous Form" href="#" target="_blank">Aqueous Form</a> is great - it's cheap and provides some library manipulation. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drake Umbra" href="#" target="_blank">Drake Umbra</a> is kind of expensive for what it does, but the added protection of Totem Armor more than makes up for the expense. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rancor" href="#" target="_blank">Rancor</a> is one heck of an Aura: it's super cheap to play and very hard to get rid of. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Battle Mastery" href="#" target="_blank">Battle Mastery</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancestral Mask" href="#" target="_blank">Ancestral Mask</a> seem out of place, as they don't do much on their own, but after adding some support, they can pretty much carry us into a win.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blossoming Defense"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heroic Intervention"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teferi&#039;s Protection"></div></div>
As you can see, this list diverges a little from the usual Modern Infect build, prioritizing permanent boosts over the instant-speed ones. This is because Commander games take longer, and we can't afford to bleed out cards like in Modern, where it's mostly a two-person race. We still have a few one-off protection spells, though. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blossoming Defense" href="#" target="_blank">Blossoming Defense</a> is an efficient hexproof effect that has the upside of giving +2/+2, which can deliver the last poison counters given the right circumstances. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ajani&#039;s Presence" href="#" target="_blank">Ajani&#039;s Presence</a> is very similar to <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blossoming Defense" href="#" target="_blank">Blossoming Defense</a>, but trades the hexproof for indestructibility, although this doesn't provide protection from exile-based removal. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heroic Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Heroic Intervention</a> is mainly a defensive card that costs only two mana but it also protects against almost all the usual removal in the format.
Most of our ramp will come from Auras. While I don't really think they're all that inferior to the usual <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kodama&#039;s Reach" href="#" target="_blank">Kodama&#039;s Reach</a>/<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivate" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivate</a> package, I think that giving the flexibility of having an enchantress package (<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Argothian Enchantress" href="#" target="_blank">Argothian Enchantress</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enchantress&#039;s Presence" href="#" target="_blank">Enchantress&#039;s Presence</a>, for example) more than pays out.
What if we can't keep an Infect creature alive? This is a good question, because most decks need some (viable) alternatives to win if the main plan fails. If our poisonous threats fail us, we always have the option of using our commander to beat face! Most of our deck is based on supporting creatures, so it isn't that far off to use this very same card to attack in traditional Voltron fashion.
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Kestia Infect" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Kestia, the Cultivator
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Birds of Paradise
*Glistener Elf
*Noble Hierarch
*Blight Mamba
*Blighted Agent
*Ichorclaw Myr
*Lost Leonin
*Necropede
*Plague Myr
*Cystbearer
*Rot Wolf
*Viridian Corrupter
*Corpse Cur
*Phyrexian Hydra
*Putrefax
*Shriek Raptor
*Phyrexian Juggernaut
*Phyrexian Swarmlord
*Spinebiter
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*Aqueous Form
*Ethereal Armor
*Gryff&#039;s Boon
*Rancor
*Utopia Sprawl
*Fertile Ground
*Spirit Mantle
*Ancestral Mask
*Armadillo Cloak
*Battle Mastery
*Boar Umbra
*Gift of Paradise
*Grasp of Fate
*New Horizons
*Overgrowth
*Unflinching Courage
*Dawn&#039;s Reflection
*Holy Mantle
*On Serra&#039;s Wings
*Drake Umbra
*Spectra Ward
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Ajani&#039;s Presence
*Blossoming Defense
*Enlightened Tutor
*Nature&#039;s Claim
*Path to Exile
*Swords to Plowshare
*Vines of Vastwood
*Arcane Denial
*Cyclonic Rift
*Dovin&#039;s Veto
*Heroic Intervention
*Negate
*Teferi&#039;s Protection
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*Wildest Dreams
*Farseek
*Nature&#039;s Lore
*Open the Armory
*Rampant Growth
*Winds of Rath
*Austere Command
[/Sorcery]
[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*Livewire Lash
*Sword of Truth and Justice
[/Artifact]
[Land]
*Command Tower
*Breeding Pool
*Hallowed Fountain
*Temple Garden
*Brushland
*Yavimaya Coast
*Adarkar Wastes
*City of Brass
*Mana Confluence
*Glacial Fortress
*Sunpetal Grove
*Hinterland Harbor
*Prairie Stream
*Canopy Vista
*Irrigated Farmland
*Scattered Grove
*Windswept Heath
*Wooded Foothills
*Flooded Strand
*Seaside Citadel
*Temple of Enlightenment
*Temple of Mystery
*Temple of Plenty
*Hall of Heliod&#039;s Generosity
*Ghost Quarter
*Tectonic Edge
*4 Forest
*4 Plains
*2 Island
[/Land]"></div>

<hr />
Two cards stand out in this list: <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Truth and Justice" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Truth and Justice</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Livewire Lash" href="#" target="_blank">Livewire Lash</a>. The first provides great support, boosting a creature and ticking up poison to knock players out of the game; even though it can shut down some of our Auras if we're not careful, the Proliferate is golden.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword of Truth and Justice"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Livewire Lash"></div></div>
Meanwhile, the <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Livewire Lash" href="#" target="_blank">Livewire Lash</a> is a surprisingly efficient "hammer diplomacy" type of card. Each time someone targets the equipped creature, the creature deals two damage... and since it has Infect, that's two poison counters! If they try to <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terminate" href="#" target="_blank">Terminate</a> our creature, they're hurting even more. Now here's the fun part: <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Livewire Lash" href="#" target="_blank">Livewire Lash</a> doesn't care about who's targeting the creature, which means that, suddenly, all of the Auras that we place on the Lash-equipped creature have the added benefit of dealing two Infect damage!
<div>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
</div>
For our opening hand, the first thing we need is a cheap Infect creature. This is essential to our strategy and not having access to any will put us behind right from the start. The next priority will be to find ways to grow that creature; if we take too long, it'll get destroyed before it has a chance to have a meaningful impact on the game. The final ingredient is either mana acceleration or simply protection for our threat.
How we play the early game is very dependent on our opening hand. There're many small decisions to make: can we try to play a threat without the mana to protect it, or do we wait? Which threat do we play first? Do we accelerate or play more poisonous creatures? Deciding how to play won't be easy, and mistakes will be swiftly punished: this deck's early turns are much more crucial and game-defining than most decks, but at the same time, we have the tools to outsmart our opponents, and this is where this deck can shine.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glistener Elf"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rancor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spirit Mantle"></div></div>
By the mid-game we should be a threat to the entire table, which is a situation that we can't deal with if it takes too long. Quickly eliminating players is so crucial in a deck like this; each player that remains on the table is another problem that will pile onto us when the game goes long and they begin to develop their plans. This is the point where our commander shines, as she can speed up the clock by enchanting our best creature while providing crucial card advantage we'll need to claw out of a long game.
In the late game, we lose our momentum, because we don't have haste enablers and we mostly rely our commander to draw cards. We run out of steam, but that doesn't mean that we're dead! As long as our opponents aren't drawing like crazy, we can eventually deploy a late threat and protect it. It also helps that this is the portion of the game that's most likely to have the fewest remaining players, which makes our job a whole lot easier.
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
As this article comes to an end, I'll leave off with my usual rant about what could change in this build. There are many great Auras I didn't add it to the list, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daybreak Coronet" href="#" target="_blank">Daybreak Coronet</a>, a fantastic card that relies a little too much on other Auras for my tastes. I elected to go for Auras that provide evasion effects, but adapting your Aura suite to your meta/preference is very important.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Daybreak Coronet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword of Light and Shadow"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Open the Vaults"></div></div>
For our card draw we are relying fairly heavily on our commander, but, as I stated before, we could add some enchantress effects to turn many of our cards into cantrips. We could also switch back to the usual spell-based green ramp package, or add more recursion, with cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Open the Vaults" href="#" target="_blank">Open the Vaults</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Creeping Renaissance" href="#" target="_blank">Creeping Renaissance</a>. They'll slow us down a bit, but if your meta is removal-heavy it might be prudent to add some of them.
That’s it for this Epic Experiment! What do you think about this list? What do you think about this take on Infect? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which didn’t you? Was the Epic Experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!

Epic Experiment - Kestia Infect

Conditions Allow - Hazoret the Fervent

Heart of the Cards – Ilharg, the Raze-Boar

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a> | Art by <a href="http://www.jasonchanart.com/">Jason Chan</a>)</h6>
<h1>The Ban Hammer Has Fallen</h1>
Yesterday we got a whopper of an announcement from the EDH Rules Committee. Before we even begin, please feel free to check out the <a href="http://mtgcommander.net/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&amp;t=19171">full announcement here</a>, because there is a great deal to process. Today I’ll try to break it down for you and what it could mean for your playgroups.
Here’s the quick summary provided from the announcement:
<hr />
Commander Banned List Update, 8 July 2019
&nbsp;
ADMIN
Philosophy Document Update
&nbsp;
CARDS
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> is banned
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a> is banned
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter’s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter’s Servant</a> is unbanned
&nbsp;
RULES
No changes.
<hr />
<h2>Philosophy Document Updates</h2>
Let's start in order. The Philosophy Document is a very detailed document, and not something that will be covered here in its entirety. In the announcement, the Rules Committee does clarify the goals and purpose of the Philosophy Document, which is worth reading even for those already familiar with it.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-36011 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Scroll-of-the-Masters-Fate-Reforged-MtG-Art.jpg" alt="" width="479" height="348" />
Worth noting in the updated document is the emphasis put on two main ideas: the separation from tournament play and the shared experiences between players. The Rules Committee have often cited Commander as a 'social' format as opposed to a 'casual' format, putting the emphasis on the gameplay and communication between players. Understanding the goal of the Philosophy Document helps to provide some clarity on the bannings, rule updates, and any other changes in the format. Per the updated Philosophy Document:
<blockquote>Commander is for fun. It’s a socially interactive, multiplayer Magic: the Gathering format full of wild interactions and epic plays, specifically designed as an alternative to tournament Magic.... Each game is a journey the players share, relying on a social contract in which each player is considerate of the experiences of everyone involved--this promotes player interaction, inter-game variance, a variety of play styles, and a positive communal atmosphere.</blockquote>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-36012 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/rule-of-law.jpg" alt="" width="425" height="239" />
<blockquote>The goal of the ban list is similar; it does not seek to regulate competitive play or power level, which are decisions best left to individual play groups. The ban list seeks to demonstrate which cards threaten the positive player experience at the core of the format or prevent players from reasonable self-expression. The primary focus of the list is on cards which are problematic because of their extreme consistency, ubiquity, and/or ability to restrict others’ opportunities.</blockquote>
The full document clarifies the emphasis on the atmosphere and experiences that all players in the game share, and provides insight on what players can expect moving forward. The social contract, interaction and separation from a competitive tournament atmosphere will be what the format is guided from. When examining the ban updates, this can be useful to help contextualize changes.
Speaking of which, let's get to the changes themselves.
<hr />
<h2>Banned List Update</h2>
The banned list update revolves around three impressively powerful cards, with two bannings and one unbanning. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a> are leaving the format, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter’s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter’s Servant</a> is being re-introduced. This is sure to have decks in nearly every playgroup shaken up to some degree.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Paradox Engine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Iona, Shield of Emeria"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Painter’s Servant"></div></div>
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a>'s banning is almost assuredly tied to <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Lord High Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Lord High Artificer</a>'s release in Modern Horizons. While <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> has been a powerful card on its own since it was first printed, the new legendary Artificer may have pushed the card over the edge. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> was seeing play in an incredibly high 68% of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Lord High Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Lord High Artificer</a> decks in the short time the two have been legal together. Ultimately, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> is one of the single most powerful enablers in the format regardless of who the commander is.
To hear the Rules Committee tell it:
<blockquote><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> is a card that has proven to be intensely problematic. Not only does it provide easy wins seemingly out of nowhere, it has demonstrated the potential to unintentionally wreck games. Easily inserted into any deck, it combines with cards which players already have heavy incentives to play, generating a great deal of mana with virtually no deck building cost. While we don’t ban cards which are only problematic if you build around them, Paradox Engine has clearly demonstrated that it doesn’t need to be built around to be broken.</blockquote>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urza, Lord High Artificer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Paradox Engine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Isochron Scepter"></div></div>
The problem with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> was the ease in which players were able to end the game. The obvious synergy with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Isochron Scepter" href="#" target="_blank">Isochron Scepter</a> and efficient mana rocks made for almost accidental infinite combos, ending games without warning or much setup. As the announcement points out, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> does not require building around for a deck to be able to exploit its obvious power; people already run efficient mana rocks, from Signets and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a>s to <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thran Dynamo" href="#" target="_blank">Thran Dynamo</a>s and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worn Powerstone" href="#" target="_blank">Worn Powerstone</a>s, all of which are untapped over and over by the Engine. The potential powerful interactions with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> only grow with every set, leading to its removal from the format.
The next two banned list changes can be linked together. Per the announcement:
<blockquote><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a> creates a negative experience for many players without the benefit of a positive application. We had previously considered its high mana cost sufficient to keep it from getting played, but deeper investigation demonstrated many ways of getting it onto the battlefield without paying that cost. Iona, Shield of Emeria is also an exemplar as the type of card which creates an experience we wish to discourage, namely shutting players out of games.
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter’s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter’s Servant</a> is a card that’s been discussed for a long time and it’s time to take off the shackles. We feel as though there are now more weird and fun uses for the card than there are dangerous ones. The card will provide deck builders with some additional paths to explore in expressing their creativity.</blockquote>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Iona, Shield of Emeria"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Painter&#039;s Servant"></div></div>
These two cards exchanging status in legality is a form of give-and-take from the Rules Committee. As the announcement points out, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a> could often be put onto the battlefield with no regard for its mana cost, sometimes even as early as turn three. Played in about 4,400 decks, Iona’s ability to shut down entire decks - especially those playing a single color - can create very lopsided games. The Rules Committee has made it clear that part of their mission is to encourage more interaction within the format, so it is understandable why they'd elect to ban a card that discourages that interaction. 
In an inverse action, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter’s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter’s Servant</a> has become unbanned after sitting in exile from the format for many years. The relationship between <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter’s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter’s Servant</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a> is particularly interesting, since decks that would play <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a> would almost certainly play <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter’s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter’s Servant</a> as well, considering the color hate that <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter’s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter’s Servant</a> can enable. Since the announcement has gone live, <a href="https://twitter.com/SheldonMenery/status/1148259562841149441">Sheldon has clarified</a> that the cards were evaluated as separate entities and not lumped together.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-36002 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/sheldon-iona.png" alt="" width="528" height="231" />
The obvious combination of the newly-unbanned Scarecrow and its favorite friend <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grindstone" href="#" target="_blank">Grindstone</a> is of course famous for knocking players out of the game one at a time.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grindstone"></div></div>
The argument, though, is that this combo is not all that different from other two-card auto-victory combinations (Mike &amp; Trike comes to mind, for instance). That, along with the artifact hate nearly every deck has access to, still provides some defenses against a ubiquitous pair of tutor-able cards. As mentioned in the announcement, Painter's Servant has apparently been discussed as a candidate for unbanning for some time, which should reassure players that the Rules Committee does not foresee too many problems with the doors the card opens in the format. Thus, it is available to players once again.
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<h2>I Own a Pair o' Docks in Gin</h2>
The release of the updated Philosophy Document at the time of the ban announcement should help give guidance and illustrate what we may be able to expect from the format's direction moving forward. Iona was not necessarily a prolific card - only in 4,400 decks to the Engine's 13,572 - but some bans, such as <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a>, can be chosen because of their power level, ubiquity, or the ease with which they can become oppressive, and some, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a>, are chosen for the interactivity they restrict. The more transparency we get behind big decisions, the better!
As with every banning, we can expect the changes to take some time to be felt in any playgroup. Players may now search and find some replacements for some cards, or can brew new decks entirely around the newly-legal <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter’s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter’s Servant</a>, fixing up <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grindstone" href="#" target="_blank">Grindstone</a> combos, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eight-and-a-Half-Tails" href="#" target="_blank">Eight-and-a-Half-Tails</a> decks, or wacky <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rith, the Awakener" href="#" target="_blank">Rith, the Awakener</a> craziness. Some doors closed, and some others opened.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eight-and-a-Half-Tails"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rith, the Awakener"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Llawan, Cephalid Empress"></div></div>
Many members of the Commander Advisory Group and the Rules Committee have also been active in responding to questions since the announcement went live, helping to provide additional feedback and clarity to yesterday's update. We would love to hear from you as well in the comments - what do you think about the banned list update? What do the Philosophy Document changes mean to you and your playgroup?
Happy brewing!

EDH Update - Banned List Changes

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