Yesterday, the remainder of the Edge of Eternities Stellar Sights bonus sheet was revealed. The collection of cards isn’t amazing from a reprint value perspective. However, there are some key heavy hitters and really powerful lands that are deserving of a reprint.
One major thing to note, too, is that many of these lands will be getting added to MTG Arena for the first time. This has the potential to shake up formats like Historic, Brawl, and Timeless significantly. In fact, a handful of these cards are almost certainly too good for Historic and will likely be pre-banned before the cards even get on the client.
Today, we’re going to discuss what we believe are the most likely additions to the inevitable pre-ban announcement. To kick things off, why don’t we start with a card that has been confirmed as a pre-ban candidate.
Strip Mine Confirmation
Strip Mine was just revealed yesterday, and this reprint already has everyone talking. As a card that’s banned in Legacy and restricted in Vintage for being too strong, there’s no chance it would remain legal in Historic or Timeless, right? Well, sort of.
Wizards of the Coast employee Jay was quick to let everyone know the plan regarding Strip Mine. With regards to Historic, he did state that just like every elite form of land destruction or denial added to Arena beforehand, Strip Mine is a no-go in the format. This makes a lot of sense. After all, Spreading Seas is still banned in Historic, as it falls under the land denial category. Strip Mine is a million times better.
Where things get interesting is when we get to Brawl and Timeless. Jay mentioned that they only ban cards in Brawl that go against “the spirit of the format.” This mostly pertains to cards like Drannith Magistrate that don’t let your opponents cast their Commanders that their whole decks are built around. With this in mind, it sounds like Strip Mine is in the clear, at least for now.
For Timeless, there will apparently be no pre-restriction here. Jay acknowledges that there’s a good chance Strip Mine goes in the future, but just like Dark Ritual, could end up sticking around. Dark Ritual is a pillar of the format but clearly isn’t seen as too oppressive.
All things considered, it’s hard to imagine an environment where players can utilize a full playset of Strip Mine lasting too long. As a land, Strip Mine has a very low opportunity cost to play. At the same time, its presence could easily warp the format, where decks like Zoo get severely punished.
Throw in some land synergies such as Sowing Mycospawn or ways to play lands from your graveyard, and things can really get out of hand. We fully expect Strip Mine to end up on the restricted list, though it could take time.
Fast Mana
Up to this point, Strip Mine is the only card that’s guaranteed to be pre-banned in Historic. That being said, we sincerely doubt things will stay that way.
Two major sources of fast mana from the bonus sheet come to mind as problematic for the format. The first is Ancient Tomb. Many players expect this card to be banned immediately, which isn’t surprising at all. Ancient Tomb is so easily abusable. Whether you’re playing Chalice of the Void on turn one or accelerating out Eldrazi, this card promotes unfair starts that are difficult to punish.
Based on Jay’s commentary on Strip Mine, Ancient Tomb will likely have its time to shine in Brawl and Timeless for a little while at least, and players are worried. Brawl enthusiasts are frustrated with the state of broken accelerants like Chrome Mox and Mana Drain, and Ancient Tomb is very much in the same sphere.
Moving past Ancient Tomb, we have another “Sol Land” in the form of Eldrazi Temple, except this time it’s much more restrictive. While Ancient Tomb felt like an obvious pre-ban, players are curious how Wizards will handle Eldrazi Temple.
Some players are skeptical that Wizards will allow Eldrazi Temple to stick around with Ugin’s Labyrinth already in the format. Most top tier Eldrazi payoffs that exist in Modern, such as Kozilek’s Command, are on Arena as well, so there’s reason to be concerned.
Our best guess is that Eldrazi Temple will end getting pre-banned out of caution, though it wouldn’t shock us if Wizards gives the card a shot with the intention of closely monitoring the situation.
Other Considerations
Finally, we wanted to go over a couple cards that are on the fence that we think won’t get pre-banned. The first of these cards is Gemstone Caverns. Gemstone Caverns is technically a source of fast mana. However, the fact that it only serves as a mana boost when you’re on the draw helps mitigate this issue.
A huge problem with mana accelerants like Chrome Mox that were pre-banned in Historic is that they allow combo decks to cement an advantage ahead of schedule. Slamming Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord on turn two on the play before the opponent has a piece of counter magic up isn’t a fun play pattern.
Gemstone Caverns is still a solid card for combo strategies but only getting a boost on the draw means that this effect shouldn’t lead to as many non-games that feel hopeless for the opponent. Once again, Wizards may still pre-ban it just to be safe. We just don’t think that it’s necessary.
Beyond Gemstone Caverns, we wanted to bring up Green Sun’s Zenith from the Special Guests package. Green Sun’s Zenith is extremely strong. There’s a reason it was banned in Modern for quite some time. Fortunately, with no Dryad Arbor to be found on Arena, Green Sun’s Zenith is much fairer as a tutor.
With the next round of Arena announcements coming on Monday, there’s a good chance we will receive more information on ban decisions. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for any upcoming announcements.
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