Anyone peering into the world of MTG over the past few days may have heard about the 30th Anniversary Edition product. This unique product allows players to open some of the most exclusive sought-after cards in MTG’s history, like the Power Nine. This includes Black Lotus, the most expensive card in MTG’s history, retailing for tens of thousands of dollars.
There are two simple catches with this new product. The first is that it’s not tournament-legal since the Reserved List prevents many of these MTG cards from being printed in such a capacity. The second catch? Sixty randomized slots of this product cost $999 to purchase. These exceptions made the product extremely unappealing to most of the MTG community. There was only one remaining area where most interested MTG players may use these cards: Commander. We now know that MTG’s 30th Anniversary Edition will not be legal in the game’s most popular format either.
Commander Rules Committee Shares the Verdict
On the morning of October sixth, Sheldon Menery, the Commander Rules Committee’s founding member, confirmed that “the Magic 30th Anniversary Edition set won’t fit within the definition of Commander-legal cards.” He has continued to state that he will make sure that, in the committee’s official statement, these will compromise the legalities of anything else that could be affected by this statement.
Sheldon Menery is often credited as the name behind the Commander format. While EDH did not start with Menery, his work with the format defined the current rules that Commander is governed by.
The Last Line
However, the sentence that drew the most attention from the MTG community is the last one. It has long been accepted by most of the MTG community that proxies are perfectly acceptable in most Commander games – with the minor exception being sanctioned event play and amongst players who are uncomfortable with them. Redditors following this tweet are just as ready to accept these new gold-bordered additions as well:
“I have literally never played with anyone who has ever complained about a CE/IE or gold border card.” – kolhie
“I don’t think games at home will be a problem. It can get dicey though when you’re playing at an LGS or a GP/Command Fest and there’s a prize on the line.” – Daotar
“First of all You can still use the 6 cards [[Garth one-eye]] uses for token/copy spell purposes Secondly…rule 0 with your playgroup” – Spiderbot1810
The last line of Menery’s tweet is the one miring the most attention. According to most of the MTG community, Menery’s final sentence basically states that, while any officially sanctioned events (competitive or not) will ban these cards, private tournament organizers and casual players, in the words of ThopterFactor, “can address this, or not. I’m not here to make waves. Deal with this internally as you see fit.”
What Will you Do?
It will be interesting to see how the MTG community decides to treat this product once it actually ends up on the market. For those who want to spend the money on these, what are your plans for them? While the few diehard collectors out there who want to own every milestone in MTG history will likely seal these away in a binder, what will players who wish to use these cards as game pieces do? For now, the controversy surrounding this product seems only to continue getting thicker.
