With how dominant certain strategies have become in Duel Commander, it was only a matter of time before a ban announcement showed up. Putting an end to the reign of three extremely popular Commanders, the format is getting a much-needed mixup. This is also the first format to ban The Fantasticar, an artifact that we may be seeing a lot in future ban announcements.
MTG The Fantasticar Banned as Commander
- The Fantasticar is banned as a Commander in Duel Commander
Thanks to semi-recent Commander rules changes from Edge of Eternities, players can use Legendary Vehicles as Commanders. This allowed The Fantasticar to quickly carve a place for itself in Duel Commander, where its play pattern became a big issue.
Since you’re guaranteed access to The Fantasticar in the command zone, players can run a deck full of cheap artifacts to combo off consistently. Swinging out for 16 damage on turns two or three is practically guaranteed, ending games before your opponent can even set up their gameplan. If that weren’t bad enough, since The Fantasticar isn’t a creature, stopping this combo requires specific interaction.
While even a little relevant interaction could stop The Fantasticar, that doesn’t really solve the issue, either. This created an extremely polarizing gameplay experience, where either player would essentially win a set full of minute-long non-games. No matter which deck wins, the format as a whole loses, leading to The Fantasticar’s ban as a Commander.
MTG Spider-Man 2099 Banned as Commander
- Spider-Man 2099 is banned as a Commander in Duel Commander
Winning multiple events every week despite being targeted for its overall popularity, Spider-Man 2099 has been on a nonstop rampage. While the deck is far from unbeatable, opposing decks need to keep a lot of things in mind to have a fighting chance. Between its high level of interactive elements and combo-esque finishes, Spider-Man 2099 requires lots of instant-speed removal and a game plan that can rebuild quickly to fight it.
This has essentially pushed multiple different archetypes out of Duel Commander, causing the format’s overall homogeneity to become a concern. To give fairer strategies a fighting chance without completely warping their decks to fight Spider-Man 2099, the card will no longer be leading decks in Duel Commander.
Lumra, Bellow of the Woods Banned as Commander
- Lumra, Bellow of the Woods is banned as a Commander in Duel Commander
Similar to Spider-Man 2099, Lumra, Bellow of the Woods’s gameplan has caused Duel Commander deckbuilding to change. This combo deck attacked on a different angle than the rest of the format, using land-based combos that can win surprisingly quickly. Combine this with Lumra’s instant rebuild potential, and the strategy can grind into the late game as well, presenting repeatable win opportunities.
To stop this deck effectively, you need graveyard hate, land hate, and to stop Lumra from getting out of the command zone. Considering Duel Commander’s singleton nature, even if you do put all of these checks in your deck, you’re unlikely to find them. With this in mind, it’s no wonder Lumra, Bellow of the Woods is being banned as a Commander.
A New Dawn
Hopefully, with these three titans now being banned as Commanders, Duel Commander can see a proper, diverse resurgence at the format’s highest levels. While it wasn’t uncommon for new brews to pop up in smaller events, the format’s signpost tournaments often looked a bit too same-y. With plenty of opportunity to try new strategies, it’s never been a better time to get into Duel Commander.
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