While Final Fantasy spoilers are flooding the internet, much to the delight of many, we’re still living in the shadow of Tarkir: Dragonstorm. Thanks to a few cards, or rather one in particular, this set has had a massive competitive impact. Standard has practically been overturned as a newly empowered deck has completely taken over.
In case you’ve not played Standard recently, Cori-Steel Cutter is the major problem right now. As an equipment with instant impact, this card is a true value engine that’s working wonders in Izzet Prowess decks. Since the set’s release, this deck has been topping the charts, and most MTG players aren’t happy about it.
As time has gone on, this deck has only gotten more and more popular. Despite this, however, it seems many MTG players aren’t expecting this problem to be dealt with. We may be approaching Eldrazi Winter levels of meta dominance, but Wizards always have an out.
Death By 335 Cuts
This weekend, another Regional Championship event took place at SCG CON in Hartford, Connecticut. As has been the case for a lot of this year, the format for this event was Standard. As you can see above, this event was dominated by one deck in particular: Izzet Prowess.
While this meta share might look bad, with 335 Izzet Prowess decks being registered for day one, this isn’t surprising. Going into day one of a tournament, it’s rare we don’t see a meta share like this for one deck or another. After all, many players will want the best odds of winning, so they will gravitate toward the format’s best deck.
What’s surprising, or rather worrying, is the performance of Izzet Prowess on day 2 of SCG CON Hartford. Typically, the day two meta share of events is much more representative of a deck’s actual strength in a metagame. Due to this, day two will often be more balanced, with the most popular deck’s meta share slashed significantly. This didn’t happen to Izzet Prowess.
As you can see, the meta share of Izzet Prowess increased from 36% on day one to 41% on day two. At the very least, this means that the deck really is as good as players fear, which is hugely worrying. If the meta wasn’t being warped enough, results like these are certainly going to make the problem worse.
Due to this, it seems obvious that something out of Izzet Prowess needs to go. Should bans happen, Cori-Steel Cutter is the obvious problem child in need of a ban. While the meta shares from SCG CON may make this look inevitable, many MTG players aren’t so convinced.
Doubt
Unsurprisingly, the meta share at SCG CON Hartford quickly caught the attention of MTG players online. On Reddit, players quickly identified that Cori-Steel Cutter was the problem and that it should be banned. At the same time, however, many MTG players commented that what should happen and what will happen may be worlds apart.
RealityPalace: “Hmm, yeah, seems like Cori-Steel Cutter is not long for this world.” –
Exorrt: “Nah, they’ll release a ban announcement next month saying nothing is banned because they’re still seeing how the meta game settles after Final Fantasy, then one after EoE saying it’s ok because rotation is soon and the metagame will change.”
While it sucks to hear, past precadent suggests that Exorrt is right on the money here. Wizards of the Coast has historically been very hesitant to ban anything in Standard. It has happened on occasion, but the threshold appears to be far higher than in Pioneer, Modern, and beyond.
For better or worse, Wizards of the Coast just has too many reasons not to ban anything in Standard. Now that Universes Beyond sets are Standard legal, the format gets new cards basically every two months. Either the metagame is in flux following a set’s release, or it might change soon, since there’s one coming up.
No matter which stage we’re at, Wizards has a reason not to ban cards. As Exorrt notes, Standard rotation, which is happening when Edge of Eternities launches, complicates matters even further. Due to this, it seemed many MTG players don’t expect much from the next ban announcement on June 30th, 2025.
A Glimmer of Hope
Ultimately, it makes sense that Wizards of the Coast doesn’t want to ban Cori-Steel Cutter, or anything, for that matter. For starters, Standard is meant to be the competitive entry point for Magic, so complexity needs to be avoided where possible. While banlists aren’t unheard of, it’s a major boon for Standard not to have one if possible.
On top of this, it’s impossible to ignore the financial implications of banning a recent card. Tarkir: Dragonstorm has effectively only just come out, so a lot of packs are still being cracked. It’s never a nice feeling to open a pack and find a banned card that you might otherwise be excited to use.
Due to this, it makes perfect sense that Wizards will keep using whatever excuse they have not to ban anything. Obviously, there will be a point where bans need to happen if a problem persists for too long. While Cori-Steel Cutter hasn’t been around for long, there’s a chance it’s nearing this point already.
Looking ahead, Izzet Prowess is barely going to be affected by Standard rotation on July 25th. The only card this deck is losing from the main board is Shivan Reef, and that’s hardly what’s tying the deck together. Subsequently, unless Final Fantasy really mixes things up, Izzet Prowess is going to be around for a long time.
Due to this, banning Cori-Steel Cutter on June 30th may be the correct decision that Wizards should implement. Sadly, again, this is just a should rather than the all-important will that we really need.
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