Monday’s changes to the Modern format weren’t just surprising: they were downright unprecedented. After years of tiny Modern adjustments here and there, and reluctance to address obvious problem cards, we got three big bans and four bigger unbans in one go. Perhaps the bombshell Commander bans back in September were an omen of things to come.
As the dust settles and players explore the new Modern format, MTG Designers Carmen Klomparens and Dan Musser have laid out some of the logic behind these landmark moves. Turns out these aren’t just wild Hail Marys. These changes actually signal the beginning of a new era in Modern balancing; one which should hopefully avoid the pitfalls the format has spent the last few years mired in.
The Modern Bans And Unbans
Klomparens and Musser presented their reasoning on this week’s episode of Weekly MTG. This was also the last episode for the year; sorry to disappoint those hoping for some Christmas Eve Magic. They began by discussing the state of Modern going into the announcement, and their goals with the changes they made.
“Things were in a pretty rough spot overall. Players were generally pretty unhappy. […] We knew we were going to have to take some big swings to both make it more balanced, and to earn back a lot of player sentiment.”
Carmen Klomparens
This roughness was clear to anyone following Modern before the latest MTG bans and unbans. Even before Boros Energy and The One Ring homogenized the format, things weren’t exactly peachy. Dan Musser discussed the other problem decks this year, which were Nadu and Grief lists primarily. He noted that, because of these decks, Modern “hasn’t been a very happy place” lately.
This idea, of the erosion of player confidence, would be a recurring theme for the pair during the episode. Even though Wizards addressed these problem decks, they had a lasting negative impact on the format. For that reason, coming into this announcement, Klomparens and Musser knew that bans alone likely wouldn’t be enough.
That said, the bans were significant. The One Ring was a fairly obvious hit, but Amped Raptor and Jegantha represent two other highly-played cards in Boros Energy decks. It’s pretty wild that even with these bans, Musser only considers the deck as being damaged “a little bit.” League results from this week certainly support that outlook.
Klomparens also noted that “We care a lot that Modern is not just a two-deck format,” in reference to the bans. The pair are aiming for a diverse format in which Boros Energy is still valid. The decision to not completely cripple the deck makes sense in this context. Klomparens also implied that more bans could hit Boros Energy in the future if it continues to overperform, however.
Risky Business
The ban insights were good to hear, but largely echoed what we saw in the announcement article on Monday. More interesting was the discussion around the four unbans that arrived simultaneously. Right before diving into these, Klomparens reinforced the importance of the ban/unban structure when it comes to the maintenance of Modern:
“A lot of players feel like the only way that we are trying to change Modern at this point is through Horizons sets, and it matters a lot to us that that is not true.”
Carmen Klomparens
These unbans, in other words, were an attempt to change the format outside of its new Modern Horizons ‘rotation’ cycle. Some cynics may cite other recent unbans, like Preordain in 2023 or Stoneforge Mystic in 2019, as examples where this was tried but didn’t really work. Those cards weren’t exactly on the same level as those unbanned this week, however.
Mox Opal and Faithless Looting were the clear standouts among the four unbans. In Klomparens’ own words, Mox Opal was “the scariest one to unban, and the one that introduces the most risk.” This is undoubtedly true. She noted that the card “fundamentally changes how games of Modern work,” in that it essentially puts you ahead by a turn when you get it going early.
She also added that this unban was “a swing for the fences,” with regard to the heavy risk it poses. Unbanning the card may seem reckless in this context, but Klomparens justified it in the context of making artifact decks playable again:
“People truly loved those kinds of decks […] Players have a lot of fun with this, and it really is worth trying to make it work.”
Carmen Klomparens
The importance of fun was also reinforced in the discussion, with Klomparens admitting that they “lost sight of fun a bit in the name of balance” with recent ban decisions. To that end, Faithless Looting was also freed from the banlist. Musser explained that they did so mainly to push graveyard decks into serious contention in Modern. Just like artifact decks, these are fan favorites for many. Bringing them back into the format is likely worth the risk of having Looting back.
Future Nostalgia
That these bans and unbans push Modern closer towards the MTG format it used to be is no accident. As Klomparens and Musser discussed later in the episode, nostalgia was a big motivating factor behind their decisions.
“A lot of what we’ve been reading and hearing and even feeling ourselves is that people are longing for the days of Modern’s past.”
Dan Musser
This comment came during the discussion of the Splinter Twin unban. As Musser noted, “It’s hard to think about the nostalgia of Modern without thinking about Splinter Twin.” As a decision, this goes back to Klomparens’ comment about needing to win back player sentiment from earlier. A lot of Modern players have fond memories of when the format was more diverse and full of iconic cards that entered organically via Standard. Bringing some of those cards back should, in theory, win back players who dropped the format during the Horizons era.
“I think that’s what a lot of people miss about Modern: feeling like there are new things they can do outside of a Horizons set.”
Carmen Klomparens
Unbanning classic powerhouse cards is a smart way to address this issue. Musser noted that “Modern is a more powerful place than it once was,” and can therefore handle what were once power outliers much better. Bringing in iconic oldies is much better for player sentiment than printing new overpowered cards in every Horizons set.
Overall, the Weekly MTG discussion left me hopeful for the future of Modern. With this week’s changes as precedent, it sounds like Wizards is willing to be much more proactive when it comes to balancing the format. As Klomparens put it: “We’re trying to signal a different approach to how we’re curating Modern.” Let’s hope this different approach sticks around for the foreseeable future.
