As a non-competitive player, I might have a skewed view of the debate, but I was under the impression that the whole point of Competitive game play was to come up with the best and most consistent winning strategy. Asking for players to auto-regulate and tone their decks down "because that's in the spirit of the format" seems to miss the point of what the term Competitive stands for...
You're right, and that's kind of where the issue arises.
For pretty much every other format, bans are put in place with competitive play at the forefront of the decision, but that is not the case for EDH.
EDH was born as a casual format, and those in
charge want to keep it that way. They are not interested in explicitly supporting cEDH as a format and have regularly stated that self policing is their recommended solution. They ban with a view to the "spirit of the format". It's a unique format in that respect, and that doesn't look like it's going to change any time soon. Their decision to ban cards tends to lean towards cards that generate a state of the game that is not fun for every one involved (
Paradox Engine was banned because it would often lead to games where players would take excessively long turns but still not close out the game. Iona was banned because it was easy to completely hose anyone who was in a mono coloured deck).
Now of course, not everyone will agree with these sentiments. Many people think
Paradox Engine is fine. But the RC for EDH have even gone so far as to say that individual playgroups are welcome to ignore those bans if all participants are happy with it.
With all this in mind, I am personally of the opinion that it is good to have a ban list in place as this makes it a lot easier for players who go to events and regularly play with strangers etc., but the philosophy should be good enough for those who have regular play groups.
If you don't like
flash and think it should be banned, don't play it.
If there are other cards and combos that you think are ban worthy, don't play them.
If you want to play
Coalition Victory and every one else is cool with it, go nuts.
Ultimately, EDH belongs to those who created it and they get the final say. You wouldn't ask Picasso to paint realistic portraits. You wouldn't tell Robert Plant to stop wailing. When someone makes something for your consumption/enjoyment, you have the choice to consume and enjoy it or to leave it alone.
I personally think that the RC for EDH should be commended for committing to their original idea of EDH being casual and not being swayed by loud voices, while explicitly offering and even recommending self policing as an option for those who want to play it differently.
The only time the ban list matters is when people are playing with new pods or groups, most likely at an event or similar. For these situations, it is important to have a ban list. Given that the RC aren't budging on their ban philosophy (nor should they in my opinion), I think what the format really needs is an emphasis on communication. We are starting to see this more, especially with many of the biggest MTG and EDH content creators creating content aimed at helping people discuss deck power levels and the like, and I think more of this is only
a good thing.
I get why people like having rules in place and a ban list and all that good stuff. It stops people taking the piss. But ultimately we're all people looking to have fun with one of our hobbies. We should be able to take to each other to make sure we're all going to have fun in the same way.
Those are my thoughts anyway. Please all feel free to rip my arguments to shreds.