Momir Pile: Ban List Update

Have you ever wondered how a card made it through development? You know, when it's clearly too powerful for the environment? Why would they make a card that we all know is too powerful and will eventually be banned?

I understand what Randy Buehler was talking about in this article when he said:

"We could make Magic permanently safe from the threat of having to ban cards if we always played it safe. Homelands, for example, was a set where R&D made sure that none of the cards were too good by, to put it bluntly, making them all suck. Well that’s no fun for anybody. Magic is more fun when there are powerful cards floating around so it’s a mistake to constantly weaken cards just to avoid the threat of sometimes having to ban one. ... Basically, it’s a good thing when players say, 'Wow, I can’t believe they printed this card.' If we ever get to the point where no one thinks that upon seeing new cards, then the game is probably going to die".

Magic is more fun when there are powerful cards floating around and that means you sometimes have to ban them. It's better than only creating lame cards that are safe.

I agree. This is the exact spirit of Momir Pile: fun and slightly too much power. (If you haven't caught up on this Momir series, start here. ) The most fun matches I've played involved overly powerful creatures that smashed face and won in 2-3 more turns. For example, Omnath, Locus of Rage is definitely overpowered in Momir. It's also incredibly fun to use Jaya Ballard, Task Mage's ultimate ability to destroy your Elemental tokens and send the damage to your opponent.

For me, I'm having fun as long as I can play Magic, even if I'm losing. Cards and decks that don't allow me to play like Lantern of Insight (curse you Saihaan!) are not fun. I sometimes feel bad for piloting 8 Rack when my opponent just lets out a long sigh as I drop Raven's Crime on T1. No wait, I don't feel bad at all, I'm playing Magic!

I always thought Rosheen Meanderer would be too powerful. Until my opponent created it and effectively went from 4 mana to 9 mana in one turn, while I was still on 5. No big deal, I created Beguiler of Wills and took his Rosheen Meanderer. So, as long as I'm playing, I'm having fun. There's always a chance that the next creature created will be a Royal Assassin or one of hundreds of cards that can take care of Rosheen Meanderer.

Let's look at some cards that actually aren't fun because they don't allow you to actually play Momir Magic:

Stormtide Leviathan's islandwalk is fine, as is the effect that makes all lands islands. But the last effect that shuts off most combat is no fun. In a game of creatures, how are we going to play if we can't attack? This isn't terrible, but it's hardly fun.

Abilities that can destroy lands each turn are also no fun as they shut off gameplay rather quickly.

White Paladins are even worse just fine as they can NOT destroy basic lands, just creatures. It's interesting that the Black Paladins only target creatures.

Dandan isn't fun because it's a crap card.

So, in Momir, cards that create epic lines of play are fun even if they're too powerful. Cards that don't allow each player to play Magic should not be included. We've talked previously about Phyrexian Revoker and Azorius Guildmage. Hokori, Dust Drinker is just as lame.

In order to keep things fun, the following cards are banned in Momir Pile:

• Phyrexian Revoker
• Azorius Guildmage
• Hokori, Dust Drinker
• Stormtide Leviathan
• Helldozer
• Northern Paladin
• Southern Paladin
• Dandan (so that Bruner will stop talking about it)

EDIT: Thanks for the correction regarding lands being colorless, therefore they can't be targeted by Northern/Southern Paladin.

I'd rather have fun losing to an overpowered card than not be able to play at all.

Love it? Think I'm wrong? Want to tell me about it? Come find me in discord, I'll be sitting at the bar in #pub. Cheers!