MTG Standard is currently in one of the strangest spots in its history. Despite the format being balanced and evolving, Wizards of the Coast and players alike agree that Standard has an identity issue. Power creep has pushed the format’s speed to unprecedented heights, causing games to commonly end around turn four. Instead of feeling like a unique experience with lower-powered cards, Standard now just feels like a reskin of Modern or Pioneer.
Sadly, this issue is so ingrained in Standard that a few bans won’t fix the issue. Instead, Wizards of the Coast needs to make sweeping changes to Standard, and they might have a chance to do that soon.
Slowing Down Standard With Bans
If Wizards wanted to slow down Standard with bans, the list would need to be about 20 cards long. There are two types of cards causing Standard’s speed issues, and both would need to be removed from the format entirely.
The first of which is the Llanowar Elf and Badgermole Cub-style of effects that demand answers during Standard’s opening turns. Answering these, even one turn too slow, creates a massive mana advantage, often snowballing into a win on the spot. Slickshot Show-Off, and even cards like Mightform Harvester fall into a similar camp, causing kills if not immediately answered. These cards force out the traditional low-powered cards that many players feel Standard’s identity revolves around, outspeeding them while forcing players to load up on answers.
The other category of cards is cheap spells that offer both immediate value while being a persistent threat. Stormchaser’s Talent and Ba Sing Se, are examples of this, immediately replacing themselves on entry while demanding answers. These designs render removal redundant, since the player who uses the card will always be ahead. Due to a lack of effective answers, players are basically forced to play with these cards or lose to them.
Thanks to these styles of cards, Standard’s power level is at an all-time high now, pushing the barrier of entry for new cards. This calls for even more cards with the same problems, like Practiced Offense and Tablet of Discovery, to cause Standard shakeups, pulling it further away from its roots. Because of this, the commonly recommended fix of going back to two-year rotation likely won’t be enough for an immediate fix, since many of Standard’s problems would still be part of the format.
Because Standard’s speed and efficiency issues are so deeply ingrained in the format, banning them would essentially force a rotation. Considering all of this, if Wizards of the Coast decides to take a swing at fixing the speed issue now instead of 2-3 years down the road, next month might be their best chance to do it.
Rotation Ban Coming?
Interestingly, the recent ban window change creates the perfect opportunity for Wizards of the Coast to make some sweeping Standard bans. The June 30th ban window lines up with Standard’s massive early rotation window from last year, where 7 cards left the format. According to Wizards, this is a recurring window, meaning that it’s their best opportunity to take big action.
That said, as previously stated, if Wizards wants to slow Standard down, the ban list would need to be massive. Even if you hit Standard’s top decks like Landfall and Prowess, other turn four kill decks, like Omniscience combo and Mardu Discard, would just fill the void. Throw in power outliers like Tablet of Discovery that could create a slower, but one-deck Standard, and the ridiculously long amount of bans seems somewhat unrealistic.
Still, should Wizards of the Coast seriously try to fix the speed problem they’ve outlined, a mass ban seems like the only way to do so. Sadly, this just makes a slower 2-3-year fix more likely, as there’s no guarantee we’ll get a more balanced format after the sweeping changes. The bright side, at least, is that the current Standard is quite balanced, but it certainly doesn’t feel like what many players think Standard should be.
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