It's Time to Unban Some Cards in Commander

Thassa’s Oracle Thassa’s Oracle When this creature enters, look at the top X cards of your library, where X is your devotion to blue. Put up to one of them on top of your library and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. If X is greater than or equal to the number of cards in your library, you win the game. (Each {U} in the mana costs of permanents you control counts toward your devotion to blue.) is the best win-con in Commander period. At only two mana it’s extremely efficient and let’s you keep up mana to stop interaction from your opponents. A more fair card like Laboratory Maniac Laboratory Maniac If you would draw a card while your library has no cards in it, you win the game instead. has a higher mana cost and can be stopped with a much greater variety of interaction showing it’s a fair card unlike Thoracle. Then, why has Thassa’s Oracle not been banned by the Commander RC? It’s a great question and one that does not have a particularly satisfying answer. Sure, there are banned cards like Tinker Tinker As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice an artifact.
Search your library for an artifact card, put that card onto the battlefield, then shuffle. that can never, ever, be safely unbanned. There are also some strong but not overpowered cards that have been banned for far too long. So we ask the question, if demonstrably powerful cards are not getting banned, why should other strong cards remain banned in the face of that?

Here are five cards that are currently banned in Commander that could be unbanned with virtually zero impact to cEDH. A question that remains is if their unbanning would cause more problems in non-competitive games than their inclusion would be worth? To that I answer: “Thoracle,” meaning with this card not banned, more casual games are ruined than its inclusion is worth. The card is also essentially too good for competitive as well so why isn’t it banned already?

Judging from the most recent RC ban announcement, there’s isn’t current interest in unbanning cards that have been power crept out of relevancy. Consider the following unbans for the Commander format.

Ten Mana do Nothing

At first it looks like it would be a major mistake to unban this Mirror. When combined with a card like Timewarp Timewarp Target player takes an extra turn after this one. it would become ten mana, take infinite turns! This is faulty logic for many reasons, however. As far as cEDH goes, this is slow. Five mana is a lot and assuming you resolve anything at a competitive level that costs five is asking quite a bit. Furthermore, now you have to pay even more mana to Imprint something, so the total cost of your combo will almost certainly be more than, are you ready for this, two mana for Thoracle and one mana for Demonic Consultation Demonic Consultation Choose a card name. Exile the top six cards of your library, then reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a card with the chosen name. Put that card into your hand and exile all other cards revealed this way. . At three mana win the game the Mirror is not even close.

Then, you have to go around the table to your Upkeep step. All of this has to happen with Mirror staying in play only for you to end up getting two for one’d if someone kills your Mirror in response to you Imprinting. So yes, this is a powerful effect, make no mistake about that! But is this effect powerful enough for current day cEDH? I strongly suggest it is not. Playing a five mana Artifact that does nothing as it enters play is a huge liability. Then, opening yourself up to a two for one is bad. On top of it all, you must pay an activation cost which is close enough to be prohibitively expensive. This only goes off on your Upkeep step so there are three other player turns to deal with this before it nets you any value. Isochron Scepter Isochron Scepter Imprint — When this artifact enters, you may exile an instant card with mana value 2 or less from your hand.
{2}, {T}: You may copy the exiled card. If you do, you may cast the copy without paying its mana cost. threatens a variety of game ending effects, infinite potential combos, and just value plays that go off anytime you want for four total mana instead of five plus more. Sure it has a spell cost restriction but it comes out and greatly impacts the table way earlier.

Now, there is a second aspect to all of this. Would Mirror impact casual play extremely negatively? Well, yes and no. Yes in the fact that it would lead to more games ending on the spot if you have an extra turn spell in hand to Imprint while the table also does not have interaction. Casual tables are far more likely to have limited or not enough interaction and therefore they would run into this situation a lot more. This is not a Commander problem, or even a deck building problem. It’s a rule 0 problem and a power level problem.

There are tons of ways to get infinite turns and infinite combos that are not banned. A table not liking infinite combos and/or extra turns has nothing to do with Panoptic Mirror Panoptic Mirror Imprint — {X}, {T}: You may exile an instant or sorcery card with mana value X from your hand.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may copy a card exiled with this artifact. If you do, you may cast the copy without paying its mana cost. . The Mirror is probably too strong for low powered tables but not nearly powerful enough for high powered tables. It’s just another really powerful card that requires an answer at five plus mana. Back when this card was originally banned, there was plenty of Artifact removal but not a lot of other cards that beat it for far less mana. Now, there are cards like Collector Ouphe Collector Ouphe Activated abilities of artifacts can't be activated. , Drannith Magistrate Drannith Magistrate Your opponents can't cast spells from anywhere other than their hands. , Boromir, Warden of the Tower Boromir, Warden of the Tower Vigilance
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, if no mana was spent to cast it, counter that spell.
Sacrifice Boromir: Creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn. The Ring tempts you. and Teferi, Time Raveler Teferi, Time Raveler Each opponent can cast spells only any time they could cast a sorcery.
+1: Until your next turn, you may cast sorcery spells as though they had flash.
−3: Return up to one target artifact, creature, or enchantment to its owner's hand. Draw a card. that make the Mirror useless for less mana. Red has a virtually unlimited number of “destroy target Artifact” effects and they all work here. Only mono-black is sort of defenseless against this card. Even then you can tutor up a colorless answer, of which there are now many, or force them to discard the best instant or sorcery in their hand so you’re still not entirely beaten.

Is this a fair card? Yes. Is it unbeatable at its mana cost? No. Does it lose to lots of different kinds of interaction? Yes. Is this card too good for casual tables? Low powered tables with no interaction, yes, mid or high powered tables? Not at all. There’s not enough reason to keep this card banned in Commander compared to new, powerful cards like The One Ring The One Ring Indestructible
When The One Ring enters, if you cast it, you gain protection from everything until your next turn.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life for each burden counter on The One Ring.
{T}: Put a burden counter on The One Ring, then draw a card for each burden counter on The One Ring. .

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Another Five Mana Card

Prophet of Kruphix Prophet of Kruphix Untap all creatures and lands you control during each other player's untap step.
You may cast creature spells as though they had flash. is a strong card. You get a huge amount of utility and potential for five mana. However, much like the Mirror above, it is five mana to effectively do nothing right then. While it does set you up to cast instants and creatures on any opponents turn, it does not immediately win the game or threaten to give you infinite mana like Paradox Engine Paradox Engine Whenever you cast a spell, untap all nonland permanents you control. does and that is the ban-worthy difference. But let’s try another two comparisons on two completely different angles.

What does a cEDH creature look like? Let’s talk about Slicer, Hired Muscle Slicer, Hired Muscle More Than Meets the Eye {2}{R} (You may cast this card converted for {2}{R}.)
Double strike, haste
At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, you may have that player gain control of Slicer until end of turn. If you do, untap Slicer, goad it, and it can't be sacrificed this turn. If you don't, convert it. . A More Than Meets the Eye Slicer commander can easily come down on the first turn of the game. Virtually, any fast mana cards makes this happen, take your pick: Jewelled Lotus, Ancient Tomb Ancient Tomb {T}: Add {C}{C}. This land deals 2 damage to you. , Lotus Petal Lotus Petal {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color. , Rite of Flame Rite of Flame Add {R}{R}, then add {R} for each card named Rite of Flame in each graveyard. and so on. Slicer plays them all. After you turn one your commander, you’re putting one of the players at the table on a potential two turn clock. That’s right, you attack for three commander damage and if the other two players attack that same player they add another 12. That’s 15 commander damage potential and that one player has not taken a turn. This is what a three mana competitive card looks like. It greatly impacts the board state, immediately. It does not rely on anything else, doesn’t need more lands, doesn’t need more creatures with abilities.

Consider Smothering Tithe Smothering Tithe Whenever an opponent draws a card, that player may pay {2}. If the player doesn't, you create a Treasure token. (It's an artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.") as well. It’s very likely you have the Tithe in play before the Prophet and it’s likely it’s generated some Treasure Treasure Trample value already. Prophet will only generate value as long as you can immediately use the mana on something before the next untap step comes around. Smothering Tithe can generate continuous value without the need to spend it immediately.

Meanwhile a 2/3 that threatens to give one player a potential advantage is five mana and banned? The simple fact is that removal is important, interaction is important. Slicer is probably not fair at a very casual table running no fast mana and no interaction. Tithe will generate a ton of advantage if it’s allowed to just sit there, but it does not need other creatures in play to be effective. Likewise, a Prophet that sits in play for multiple turns will certainly give its controller advantage. In each case, though, removal is the solution and killing a 2/3 is relatively easy. This is yet another card that would be fine in cEDH and high powered tables but might be too powerful for low powered tables.

In many situations, Unwinding Clock Unwinding Clock Untap all artifacts you control during each other player's untap step. is at least as powerful as Prophet but only costs four instead of five and that card is not banned, overpowered, or exceptionally played in every cEDH deck. It also has no color restriction whereas Prophet has two. The fact is Prophet is a very powerful card but one that no longer needs a ban.

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Ten Mana, Reset the Game

Now, unlike both Prophet and Panoptic which are both powerful, Sway of the Stars Sway of the Stars Each player shuffles their hand, graveyard, and all permanents they own into their library, then draws seven cards. Each player's life total becomes 7. is not really a powerful card when you consider its whopping cost of ten mana! For ten mana, you can easily win the game with various combos or shut down the rest of the table for only seven with Cyclonic Rift Cyclonic Rift Return target nonland permanent you don't control to its owner's hand.
Overload {6}{U} (You may cast this spell for its overload cost. If you do, change "target" in its text to "each.") . The original intention of the Sway ban was to avoid “feel bad” moments, where everyone had established board states and then a single card undid the entire game. However, there are far more salt-inducing cards like mass land destruction and Stasis Stasis Players skip their untap steps.
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice this enchantment unless you pay {U}. that are not banned, and they don’t see play at most casual tables for that reason. So Sway, in exactly the same way, is fine for most tables, but sometimes you may get an objection to the card. Note it and don’t play it in that kind of environment, but it’s not a necessary ban and certainly would not go into every blue deck if it became unbanned.

On the other hand Upheaval Upheaval Return all permanents to their owners' hands. is basically most of what Sway is but it only costs six mana. This allows you to float mana and replay all your mana rocks and one land such that you have four or five things in play and everyone else will likely have to discard most of their stuff. The huge mana difference between the two cards is what allows this to be the case and Upheaval Upheaval Return all permanents to their owners' hands. should remain banned as it is very clearly much better. Finally, Worldfire Worldfire Exile all permanents. Exile all cards from all hands and graveyards. Each player's life total becomes 1. was banned in Commander for it’s Sway-like ability but then was unbanned because it turns out that nine mana spells don’t really matter. At ten, Sway is in the same category and could easily be unbanned, would see zero competitive play, and also not ruin that many casual games. If anything, this card could help casual games as it re-balances the game state in a less unfair way than most other cards.

This Still Counts as one

There’s nothing wrong with Lutri, the Spellchaser Lutri, the Spellchaser Companion — Each nonland card in your starting deck has a different name. (If this card is your chosen companion, you may put it into your hand from outside the game for {3} as a sorcery.)
Flash
When Lutri enters, if you cast it, copy target instant or sorcery spell you control. You may choose new targets for the copy. as one of the 99 cards in your Commander deck. The reason behind the banning is, in my opinion, a silly one; they don’t want to go back to having specific ban rules for specific cards. Hate to break it to the RC and Wizards, but you already do. Yorion, Sky Nomad Yorion, Sky Nomad Companion — Your starting deck contains at least twenty cards more than the minimum deck size. (If this card is your chosen companion, you may put it into your hand from outside the game for {3} as a sorcery.)
Flying
When Yorion enters, exile any number of other nonland permanents you own and control. Return those cards to the battlefield at the beginning of the next end step. is banned in Commander *as a Companion* but legal in your Commander deck. So, therefore, why can’t Lutri get the same treatment? It’s beyond obvious that it would not be too good as another card in the deck and was Day Zero banned for the Companion component. Remember when Wizards banned Yorion in Modern in-part because it was too hard for players to shuffle 80 card decks multiple times? But it’s fine in 100 card Commander decks? This is a silly ban and could use a specific exemption that sort of already exists. I’m not full on advocating for a return to “Banned as Commander, Banned as Companion, Banned in 1v1” style multi-format ban lists but come on, let people play with their Otter, just not as a companion.

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Green Win Condition only 8 mana!

This may be a slightly controversial card to advocate for an unban. The primary reason this card was banned was because in certain games and/or after a board wipe playing Biorhythm Biorhythm Each player's life total becomes the number of creatures they control. makes the game a draw. Well, let’s talk about that.

There are tons of cards that kill all players at the same time. Earthquake Earthquake Earthquake deals X damage to each creature without flying and each player. or Hurricane Hurricane Hurricane deals X damage to each creature with flying and each player. or Prosperity Prosperity Each player draws X cards. as just some examples. The fact that cards can end the game in a draw does not make them ban worthy. Meanwhile, the Commander format gives you access to a creature you should always be able to cast – your actual commander!

Of course, much like most of the cards on this list, there are so many more new cards that are so much better than an eight mana sorcery that to have Biorhythm Biorhythm Each player's life total becomes the number of creatures they control. take up a slot in a deck seems extremely sub-optimal. Going back to the original “strategy” of board wiping and then making the game end a draw, that does not seem very likely with so many more Indestructible creatures than ever, so many more protection effects than ever, and even free spells like Flawless Maneuver Flawless Maneuver If you control a commander, you may cast this spell without paying its mana cost.
Creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn. that could turn your “troll” Biorhythm Biorhythm Each player's life total becomes the number of creatures they control. into a win condition for your opponent. I put this card in the same category as mass land destruction, extra turns, Sway the Stars and so on. It could be a salt inducing card at some tables, and it could be a nothing burger at others. Divine Intervention Divine Intervention This enchantment enters with two intervention counters on it.
At the beginning of your upkeep, remove an intervention counter from this enchantment.
When you remove the last intervention counter from this enchantment, the game is a draw. exists and sees no play. That card has no purpose other than to end the game in a draw and it is only seven mana not eight and it’s not banned. Much like other cards, Biorhythm can be a win-con and sometimes it could also be a card that could draw the game. Unless we ban all cards that *could* draw the game, this seems like a safe unban.

What About Unbanning…

Most of the cards on the Commander Banned List make a huge amount of sense to stay banned. Cards like Flash Flash You may put a creature card from your hand onto the battlefield. If you do, sacrifice it unless you pay its mana cost reduced by {2}. and Griselbrand are always going to produce a massive effect on a game and are turn one possible. There are several significantly powerful cards that are not banned like Dockside Extortionist Dockside Extortionist When this creature enters, create X Treasure tokens, where X is the number of artifacts and enchantments your opponents control. (Treasure tokens are artifacts with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.") , Mana Crypt Mana Crypt At the beginning of your upkeep, flip a coin. If you lose the flip, this artifact deals 3 damage to you.
{T}: Add {C}{C}. and Demonic Tutor Demonic Tutor Search your library for a card, put that card into your hand, then shuffle. which are simply too good for their mana cost but seem immune to banning. Those cards are certainly better than these still banned cards. In light of the recent unbannings of Preordain Preordain Scry 2, then draw a card. (To scry 2, look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom and the rest on top in any order.) and Mind’s Desire Mind’s Desire Shuffle your library. Then exile the top card of your library. Until end of turn, you may play that card without paying its mana cost.
Storm (When you cast this spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn.) maybe we could see the Commander banned list have a large revision to account for the continued power creep and velocity of newer cards.

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