Custom Banlist that my EDH playgroup uses

[WWolfe]

From the sounds of it you might as well ban the original dual lands since price is such a factor in your ban decisions.

[mjb3102]

Dual lands are expensive, yes, but not broken. They mana fix, which there are other options without the price hike. Things like Mana Crypt or Strip Mine are just plain broken, expensive or not.

[Soren841]

Mana Crypt isn't broken just very good. Instead of banning the druid just ban combos in general and let people use what they want with that restriction

[Soren841]

And strip mine isn't "just plain broken" or particularly expensive.. if that's your definition of broken then you must just be playing underpowered decks

[Khurtz]

It's more that this list was created for 1v1 play where those cards have been banned forever. Multiplayer is less competitive and more about diplomacy than strategy so the bannings are less important. Strip Mine/Crucible is still pretty broken in multiplayer although I can see the argument for it being legal by itself in multiplayer since it's weaker when you're not disadvantaging all your opponents. Mana crypt at 40 life just lets ppl drop bombs way too fast. Sol Ring is almost too powerful but his group wanted it in since they all had it. If you don't think accelerating to 3 mana for nothing on turn one isn't broken then explain to me why all the Moxen are banned. If you're not abusing 3 mana on turn 1 your deck needs work.

[WWolfe]

I didn't mean that last post as snarky as it may sound, but I think you'll find a wide variety in what different players can afford in all play groups. In mine we have a huge disparity in income...ranging from an IT guru that makes well over 6 figures down to someone who makes a little over minimum wage (but I tell ya, you'd probably guess wrong if you picked which one enjoyed their job more).

I guess there's a part of me that just doesn't like price coming into the decision on whether or not a card should be banned (which is sounds as though it does in your group) because banning some cards with part of the rationale being their cost creates an uneven scale on why other cards aren't banned despite their price. 

[Major Woolley]

Aw come on! How can you ban Chaos Orb? :p

[Soren841]

Dexterity cards are no longer used in any normal Magic format. And things like Sol Ring and Mana Crypt are not broken because they're limited by being one ofs, produce colorless, and honestly everyone who can afford it runs it, so it evens the playing field. If you make more than enough to afford it and your friends don't, then buy everyone a copy if u care that much. Strip Mine isn't OP in any circumstance other than Crucible soft lock. It's trading 1 land for 1 land. Yes it disadvantages them but it has an impact on you too. If your deck is built to abuse things like that then so be it, you should ban OP cards not entire strategies, just because you don't like them

[ApothecaryGeist]

For a casual format like Commander and for a local playgoups local banlist, card cost is certainly a factor in banning decision.  If only a small factor.  Even the Rules Committee has stated that the reason that the moxen remain on the banned list is due to price.

For cards like Emrakul, the Aeons Torn  Prophet of Kruphix  Leovold, Emissary of Trest  it is all about raw power.  But for mana producers and the like, it is only fair when everyone has access to that type of thing.  As mjb mentioned, they considered banning Sol Ring, but everyone had one.  Everyone did not have a Mana Crypt.  And it is expensive for some of their player to acquire one.

Bannings are primarily about leveling the playing field.

[ApothecaryGeist]

It is all about their playgroup having fun the way that they want to.

Soren, are you suggesting that if I cannot afford all of the power cards in Standard that someone should else should just buy me a playset?

I would be all for that.  But that isn't the way the world works.
 

[Khurtz]

I didn't mean that last post as snarky as it may sound, but I think you'll find a wide variety in what different players can afford in all play groups. In mine we have a huge disparity in income...ranging from an IT guru that makes well over 6 figures down to someone who makes a little over minimum wage (but I tell ya, you'd probably guess wrong if you picked which one enjoyed their job more).

I guess there's a part of me that just doesn't like price coming into the decision on whether or not a card should be banned (which is sounds as though it does in your group) because banning some cards with part of the rationale being their cost creates an uneven scale on why other cards aren't banned despite their price.

No, I do agree with you that price shouldn't be a large factor in the decision to ban a card so I get it. Strip Mine was more of a casualty of a 1v1 focused banlist that was more intent on preventing multiplayer cards from being banned in single, like Balance, than in making sure single player banned cards weren't banned in multiplayer. This is largely because the playgroup has 1v1 tournaments somewhat frequently and generally seem to take it a lot more serious than multiplayer.

[Soren841]

I'm saying Mana Crypt isn't overpowered he's just mad that some can't afford a good card and others in his group can. I was just suggesting if that was such a big factor then why can't they buy the ones who can't afford it a mana crypt and call it a day

[Soren841]

And I wouldn't be against situational rules. Maybe ban Mana Crypt only if your deck is running green, for example

[Khurtz]

Aw come on! How can you ban Chaos Orb? :p

Lol, I know right? The only problem with Chaos Orb is that if you allow players to respond to it by rearranging their board then they can just stack all their cards on top of each other with the least desirable permanent on top and then since it's only "touching" the top card Chaos Orb isn't that good. If you don't allow for the rearranging then Chaos Orb is pretty damn good : - P Honestly though, I'd want to go back to the old school method of allowing the player to rip up Chaos Orb and throw the pieces all over their opponents board. The good old days...

[mjb3102]

Although I mentioned price, it wasn't a huge deciding factor on the banning of these cards. No card was banned without the approval of multiple players in the group. I apologize if I made it seem like a bigger deal than what it was.

I however completely agree with khurtz (who is one of the people that helped me make this list) with our intent on focusing more on 1v1 than multiplayer.