Banned & Restricted Announcement January 13th, 2020

Hello, internet, my name is Blue, and today we’ll be going over the B&R announcement from earlier this morning. I’ve been a little out-of-touch with modern lately, but I still fully expected all of these bannings. Hopefully, with these all gone, I can get back in. So let’s get into it, then, shall we?

The King is Dead… Again

Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room; Oko, Thief of Crowns. This banning announcement marks the third format Oko has been banned in since being printed three months ago. He completely warped the standard meta, decimated the pioneer meta, and has been one of the leading factors in Urza, Lord High Artificer‘s prominence in the modern meta. I can’t say I’m sad to see Oko gone. He had it coming and I fully anticipate at least one more for him before July.

No Moxen Allowed

Next up, this one has been in the discussion for years and I’m over the moon with it. Mox Opal was another leading factor in the success of Urza decks and was part of the problem when Krark-Clan Ironworks combo was ruining the meta over a year ago. It had its time to shine, but I genuinely couldn’t be happier. If Modern can’t have Chrome Mox, it sure as hell shouldn’t have Mox Opal.

Karn’s Best Friend

Finally, the least impactful of the announcement, Mycosynth Lattice is gone. Lattice was near unplayable in Modern for a long time. It wasn’t until Karn, the Great Creator was printed in War of the Spark that it finally started to see play. The banning was super simple though. It doesn’t impact any deck except Karn-lock decks and the only people upset by it are the ones who spent $80 a copy for it. I think this is a very healthy move for Modern and I’m excited to see where things go from here.

Wrap-Up

Overall, I’m happy with today’s announcement. Mox had it coming for years now, and Oko was expected from day one. It’s sad to know Lattice died for the sins of Karn but at least not too many people are upset by it. Karn is still playable. Is there anything I missed? Do you agree with today’s bannings? Do you think something else should’ve been hit? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter @TwoBlueUntapped. Follow the site @MTGOracle to keep up with everything Magic. This is Blue, signing out!