Lobo Blanco
Tier: 9Predictions for June 30th Banned and Restricted Announcement
On Monday, June 30th, 2025, Wizards of the Coast is going to have its annual scheduled banned and restricted announcement, and anticipation is very high. Pro Tour Final Fantasy was absolutely dominated by Izzet Prowess and Mono Red Aggro, and Magic: the Gathering fans are positive bans will touch Standard in hopes of regulating that format.
I stream on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/hamhocks42
… On Monday, June 30th, 2025, Wizards of the Coast is going to have its annual scheduled banned and restricted announcement, and anticipation is very high. Pro Tour Final Fantasy was absolutely dominated by Izzet Prowess and Mono Red Aggro, and Magic: the Gathering fans are positive bans will touch Standard in hopes of regulating that format.
I stream on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/hamhocks42
The question of the day, though, is which cards get the hammer and how much of an impact will such bans have on the format? I decided to weigh in with what my image of an ideal Standard format looks like and whether or not bans can actually get us there. This is something of a rant video from the perspective of an old-head janky deck builder who just wants to return to a slower-paced, lower-power Standard similar to what we've had in years past.
Feel free to rip on me in the comment section as this is potentially an old-man-yells-at-cloud ramble, but I felt the need to express this opinion. Magic: the Gathering Standard, especially that played on Magic: the Gathering Arena is at its best when many decks are viable across a variety of archetypes. Currently, Aggro appears to be the best option available with Control and Midrange being completely absent. Combo is present in the case of Abuelo's Awakening Omniscience, which isn't inherently a bad thing, but it's only seeing success because it's one of the only decks that can race the Izzet Prowess beat down.
The bottom line of this video is a sense of frustration in the current speed of the format and an understanding that banning a few cards can help improve the health of the format, but it won't slow it down significantly enough for my taste. The slower-paced, brew-friendly formats of the past are gone and I would like to hope that they will return in the future, that hope is difficult to maintain.
Wizards of the Coast's current design philosophy seems to be to crank the power level to eleven in each set with an understanding that the expensive cards that are okay in limited might live out their days in Commander/EDH decks and, therefore, not be totally without value. Meanwhile, single cards such as Stock Up can be the entire selling point for whole sets like Aetherdrift.
Here's hoping my frustrations and discouragement are misplaced and Standard can repair itself after a few key pieces are banned. Some day I'll be able to resolve six-drops again. Some day.
I stream on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/hamhocks42
… On Monday, June 30th, 2025, Wizards of the Coast is going to have its annual scheduled banned and restricted announcement, and anticipation is very high. Pro Tour Final Fantasy was absolutely dominated by Izzet Prowess and Mono Red Aggro, and Magic: the Gathering fans are positive bans will touch Standard in hopes of regulating that format.
I stream on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/hamhocks42
The question of the day, though, is which cards get the hammer and how much of an impact will such bans have on the format? I decided to weigh in with what my image of an ideal Standard format looks like and whether or not bans can actually get us there. This is something of a rant video from the perspective of an old-head janky deck builder who just wants to return to a slower-paced, lower-power Standard similar to what we've had in years past.
Feel free to rip on me in the comment section as this is potentially an old-man-yells-at-cloud ramble, but I felt the need to express this opinion. Magic: the Gathering Standard, especially that played on Magic: the Gathering Arena is at its best when many decks are viable across a variety of archetypes. Currently, Aggro appears to be the best option available with Control and Midrange being completely absent. Combo is present in the case of Abuelo's Awakening Omniscience, which isn't inherently a bad thing, but it's only seeing success because it's one of the only decks that can race the Izzet Prowess beat down.
The bottom line of this video is a sense of frustration in the current speed of the format and an understanding that banning a few cards can help improve the health of the format, but it won't slow it down significantly enough for my taste. The slower-paced, brew-friendly formats of the past are gone and I would like to hope that they will return in the future, that hope is difficult to maintain.
Wizards of the Coast's current design philosophy seems to be to crank the power level to eleven in each set with an understanding that the expensive cards that are okay in limited might live out their days in Commander/EDH decks and, therefore, not be totally without value. Meanwhile, single cards such as Stock Up can be the entire selling point for whole sets like Aetherdrift.
Here's hoping my frustrations and discouragement are misplaced and Standard can repair itself after a few key pieces are banned. Some day I'll be able to resolve six-drops again. Some day.
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