If you’ve been playing Magic: the Gathering for any decent amount of time, you’ve probably lived through a few card bannings in various formats. Banned and Restricted announcements often have a lot of anticipation around them, because they often help shake up and improve the formats they affect. Well today, Wizards of the Coast announced a really cool new event on Magic Online, called the Modern Banned Gauntlet.
What is the Modern Banned Gauntlet
The Modern Banned Gauntlet is a limited time mode running from December 1 to December 8, where you can choose a deck from Modern’s history that has had a card banned from it. You sign up for the event, pick one of the decks (which are denoted by the banned card being on the deck box), and play a few best of 3 matches. Here’s the list of the decks you can choose from and the banned card in each.
- Affinity –
Mox Opal
Mox Opal
Metalcraft — {T}: Add one mana of any color. Activate only if you control three or more artifacts.
- Melira Pod –
Birthing Pod
Birthing Pod
({G/P} can be paid with either {G} or 2 life.)
{1}{G/P}, {T}, Sacrifice a creature: Search your library for a creature card with mana value equal to 1 plus the sacrificed creature's mana value, put that card onto the battlefield, then shuffle. Activate only as a sorcery. - Dredge –
Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis
Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis
You can't spend mana to cast this spell.
Convoke, delve (Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for {1} or one mana of that creature's color. Each card you exile from your graveyard pays for {1}.)
You may cast this card from your graveyard.
Trample - Counter-Cat –
Green Sun’s Zenith
Green Sun’s Zenith
Search your library for a green creature card with mana value X or less, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. Shuffle Green Sun's Zenith into its owner's library.
- Jund –
Deathrite Shaman
Deathrite Shaman
{T}: Exile target land card from a graveyard. Add one mana of any color. (Activate only as an instant.)
{B}, {T}: Exile target instant or sorcery card from a graveyard. Each opponent loses 2 life.
{G}, {T}: Exile target creature card from a graveyard. You gain 2 life. - Eldrazi Aggro –
Eye of Ugin
Eye of Ugin
Colorless Eldrazi spells you cast cost {2} less to cast.
{7}, {T}: Search your library for a colorless creature card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. - Bant Stoneblade –
Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath
Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath
When Uro enters, sacrifice it unless it escaped.
Whenever Uro enters or attacks, you gain 3 life and draw a card, then you may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.
Escape—{G}{G}{U}{U}, Exile five other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its escape cost.) - Temur Aggro –
Oko, Thief of Crowns
Oko, Thief of Crowns
+2: Create a Food token. (It's an artifact with "{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life.")
+1: Target artifact or creature loses all abilities and becomes a green Elk creature with base power and toughness 3/3.
−5: Exchange control of target artifact or creature you control and target creature an opponent controls with power 3 or less. - Bloom Titan –
Summer Bloom
Summer Bloom
You may play up to three additional lands this turn.
- Sunny Side Up –
Second Sunrise
Second Sunrise
Each player returns to the battlefield all artifact, creature, enchantment, and land cards in their graveyard that were put there from the battlefield this turn.
- Twin Exarch –
Splinter Twin
Splinter Twin
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has "{T}: Create a token that's a copy of this creature, except it has haste. Exile that token at the beginning of the next end step." - Blue-Red Aggro –
Treasure Cruise
Treasure Cruise
Delve (Each card you exile from your graveyard while casting this spell pays for {1}.)
Draw three cards.
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You can check the full deck lists out in the announcement article, but that’s pretty exciting! Now players who weren’t playing Modern during the time those cards were legal can get a taste of what the decks felt like. One thing to note, the Temur Aggro deck has Oko in it, also has ANOTHER banned card in the sideboard,
Mycosynth Lattice
Mycosynth Lattice
All permanents are artifacts in addition to their other types.
All cards that aren't on the battlefield, spells, and permanents are colorless.
Players may spend mana as though it were mana of any color.
. I’m not sure if that was an oversight but that seems like it’d be a pretty powerful option.
READ MORE: Cascade Tribal Is A Blast In Commander
What Deck Would I Play?
Honestly, if you can go infinite with the rewards in this event, I’d give each deck a try. That being said, the first deck I’d probably go in with would be Dredge, Affinity, or Bloom Titan.
Hogaak was an insane card, and that version of dredge was one of the most dominant decks out there. Affinity was an OG Modern deck that had a lot of power, but Mox Opal really pushed the deck to new heights, giving the deck more fast mana to turn on Metalcraft.
Summer Bloom
Summer Bloom
You may play up to three additional lands this turn.
was a card that saw a couple of years in the spotlight before it was snuffed out. If you’re familiar with the current Amulet Titan deck, then you’ll be right at home with this one.
READ MORE: When Can We See The Eldrazi Again?
What do you think about this event? What deck do you want to play in the event, and what deck do you wish that they brought back? Would you want to see this type of event for other formats? Let us know in the comments!