Great news for Commander players in Magic: The Gathering Online. Wizards has just announced the addition of tournament play for 1V1 Commander as well as an official list of banned cards in the format online.
Magic R&D Developer Bryan Hawley has announced that tournament play for 1V1 Commander will launch in Magic Online starting May 10. The tournaments will consist of two-players queues and a Friendly Constructed League. The company reminded that 1V1 Commander will have a starting life total of 30, and multiplayer will remain at 40. This move could potentially draw more casual players to MTGO, and I'm excited to see how this format will evolve online.
In addition to the tournament announcement, Wizards also released an official banned list only intended for Magic Online Commander.
"Changes to the banned list will be driven by negative player experiences, so if/when clearly dominant decks or strategies emerge we'll look to take action," Hawley explains. "We expect to be relatively reactive when it comes to banning or unbanning cards. Given the lack of pressure from premier-level play, we expect changes to be slower than for formats that have that level of competition. We will also consider the impact of changes; we weigh whether bans invalidate entire decks or just remove individual cards and where possible try to preserve the viability of players' decks."
Check out the official list of banned cards in Magic Online Commander (Note that this is intended for both 1V1 and Multiplayer Commander in MTGO).
Fast Mana:
Black Lotus
Channel
Fastbond
Gaea's Cradle
Mana Crypt
Mana Vault
Mishra's Workshop
Mox Emerald
Mox Jet
Mox Pearl
Mox Ruby
Mox Sapphire
Sol Ring
Tolarian Academy
Combo Enablers
Bazaar of Baghdad
Doomsday
Entomb
Food Chain
Gifts Ungiven
Hermit Druid
Protean Hulk
Survival of the Fittest
Time Vault
Tinker
Yawgmoth's Bargain
Oppressive Commanders
Arcum Dagsson
Braids, Cabal Minion
Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
Edric, Spymaster of Trest
Erayo, Soratami Ascendant
Griselbrand
Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
Yisan, the Wanderer Bard
Zur the Enchanter
Other:
Ancestral Recall
Back to Basics
Balance
Humility
Karakas
Library of Alexandria
Mana Drain
Mind Twist
Moat
Natural Order
Necropotence
Oath of Druids
Serra Ascendant
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Time Walk
Are you excited to play 1V1 Magic Online Commander tournaments? What other cards do you think they should ban in this format? Share your thoughts in the comments section below or discuss in our Facebook group.
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