Deadpool, Trading Card

With an astonishing regular monthly average of +20% growth in top decks visibility over the last 6 months, Deadpool, Trading Card has proved to be an explosively growing card among the visibly played metagame, both as a Commander AND as a regular card choice overall, especially outside a Command Zone, being just a generic "goodstuff/value" addition to a lot of lists, which is generally a bad sign when predating too many previous slots.

The many (many) tricks, as intended from its lore, that its stats and textbox can generate, blanking — at worst —  an enemy commander as Oko, Thief of Crowns or many similar effects would do now, but outside the blue color identity, without putting a trigger on the stack, without the use of copy effects, or even needing a target, but still triggering enter-the-battlefield effects, adding pressure on enemy life points from two angles at the same time, are, as usual, concordant factors towards representing a problem (among others). The card is also pointed recurrently as not being available on digital platforms, starting with Magic Online™, which can be seen both as a value or an inconvenience for the experience, same goes for the fact it prevents Commander-centric abuses, or decks that need to rely on higher-impact creatures, especially those that bypass resource development constraints or use their Commander as a core game plan, both in a fair and unfair way. In short: the noise it generates as well as the threat it represents, the gratuitous consequences of resolving it, all make, as usual, a sum of triggering factors that converge to Deadpool, Trading Card being banned in Duel Commander starting today. 

Nadu, Winged Wisdom

17 months ater being restricted, Nadu, Winged Wisdom is banned for creating a one-sided spellslinging engine that snowballs far faster than most decks can realistically answer. Its ability converts trivial targeting effects into overwhelming card draw and mana, enabling early-game sequences with virtually no counterplay.

Nadu has already been banned in Modern, Legacy, and Commander, and Wizards of the Coast themselves opened an official article, two months later, starting with “Nadu, Winged Wisdom was a design mistake.”

Our emergency ban in summer 2024 mitigated the issue but clearly was not enough to stabilize the format. Nadu homogenizes deckbuilding, invalidates interaction windows, and suppresses strategic diversity. As one of the most fundamentally broken creatures ever printed, it is permanently removed from play for the health of the format.

Force Of Will 

Force Of Will will remain one of the most iconic cards in Magic The Gathering™’s history, serving as both a safety mechanism and a skill-testing element of blue decks. Today’s metagame is faster than it used to be, even a couple years ago, more creature-centric, and filled with resilient threats that can easily slip through slower control tools. 

In this environment, Force Of Will helps maintain strategic balance by:

• Preventing early-game blowouts from combo decks or snowballing starts.

• Rewarding deckbuilders who maintain sufficient blue card density.

• Giving slower decks a tool to survive the early turns without warping the mid- or late-game.

Unbanning Force Of Will is not about empowering blue decks — it’s about protecting fair Magic more than adding unfairness to it. Its return restores a crucial pressure valve for the format and reaffirms our belief that Duel Commander is healthiest when all archetypes can meaningfully interact from turn zero onward. The idea with banning this card in July was that, without Force Of Will, games would feature fewer “non-games” decided by an early free counterspell, and players could more safely commit to the board in the early turns. After several months of tournament data and feedback, we’ve found that the expected benefits did not materialize, hence Force Of Will being necessarily legal again. 

Humility 

Banned a very long time ago, in April 2013, after years of existence, Humility returns as a balanced response to the format’s current creature and commander-centric builds overabundance and game solving direction, notably embodied through the rampant power creep, mostly visible on creatures. As a noncreature, symmetrical enchantment, it efficiently handles all creatures without benefiting the same strategies it slows down. Its cost and timing make it fair — impactful but not oppressive — and its price and availability are reasonable.

While complex to rule, it remains proactive and interactive, offering reactive decks a tool that stabilizes without creating locks. Humility fits today’s faster, creature-heavy metagame perfectly. It helps restore balance by rewarding thoughtful deckbuilding and countering the “creature swarm versus removal” disastrous dynamic.

Imperial Seal 

The game rules, the environment, the structure of decks played in 2011, when Imperial Seal got banned were fundamentally different. Imperial Seal comes back as a fairer tool in today’s faster, more efficient environment. Once banned for slow "tutor" abuse, it now plays more like a balanced Vampiric Tutor with a real tempo cost — sorcery speed and life loss matter far more in a 20-life, high-pressure metagame, yet very different from the game-health-risky yet emblematic Demonic Tutor, for instance.

Unlike slow, combo-heavy eras of the past, with more time to set up their strategies, most contemporary decks cannot afford to lose early tempo for delayed value anymore. Its return supports black’s identity as a color of risk and resource exchange without enabling degenerate loops. Now accessible through acceptable reprints, Imperial Seal also helps narrow the gap between casual and competitive play. We believe it will reward planning and sequencing rather than instant wins and is worth a comeback in Duel Commander. 

Genesis Storm 

Banned during summer 2020, in a very different context than today's metagame, Genesis Storm returns to Duel Commander as the format’s speed and interaction have grown beyond its previous explosiveness. Once banned for enabling uncontrollable snowball turns and 2-card winning combinations that would rely on a "mostly permanent-less deck", it now faces a metagame filled with faster decks, efficient disruption, and fewer ways to safely chain spells, mostly due to the 2022 rules change that handles multiple objects in Command Zones.

Its high mana cost and reliance on setup make it a fair payoff rather than a guaranteed finisher. Green decks, even if used as a splash color, gain a powerful engine that rewards creative sequencing and resource management and remains in check, much harder to build around than Natural Order, but easier to cast and set up than Genesis Wave, for instance, while matching current standards of threat timings.

Unlike modern combo pieces, Genesis Storm requires real structural investment and minimal board presence to matter. That's why we thought it could be legal again in Duel Commander. 

Rain of Filth  

Previously banned in 2023 for enabling early combo abuse, Rain of Filth is now deemed balanced within today’s faster, more interactive metagame and Banned / Restricted list. Its land-sacrifice cost enforces discipline and limits overextension, rewarding precise timing and calculated risk. The card offers black decks a flavorful, high-risk resource without overwhelming the format, promoting skillful and engaging gameplay. 

Emrakul, the Aeons Torn  

Previously banned in 2010, then again in 2017 due to uninteractive victories, the current fast and punishing metagame makes casting it without risk as a plan much harder. Its extremely high mana cost and requirement to attack first into a mostly empty battlefield to crush a victory ensure thoughtful timing and planning. While devastating when resolved, it no longer guarantees wins and rewards strategic sequencing by simply being part of a deck. Emrakul, the Aeons Torn provides iconic flavor and a satisfying payoff for decks that invest in "ramp" and resource development. 

Najeela, the Blade-Blossom   

Najeela, the Blade-Blossom, a slightly controversial card banned in August 2019, is now legal again in Duel Commander, providing a strong but interactive tool for aggressive and/or tribal strategies. Previously restricted for enabling overly fast, repetitive win patterns in a lot of possible ways that cannot always be predicted by opponents, the current metagame speed and interaction reduce its ability to dominate unchecked, now scaling at the same speed and only partially compares to the recently banned Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Its reliance on combat and mana investment ensures careful sequencing and board management. While it can generate significant advantage, it does not guarantee crushing or instant wins and rewards strategic planning. Najeela, the Blade-Blossom enhances deck diversity and rewards skillful play without undermining the game's overall balance. Najeela, the Blade-Blossom offers attack-phase-oriented and flavorful gameplay while fitting into the interactive, skill-testing environment Duel Commander promotes. 

Krark, the Thumbless    

Previously banned in March 2021 for enabling snowballing based on random and psychologically diapproved effects, Krark, the Thumbless relies on a very unique setup and mechanics. While it can generate powerful and unexpected advantages, it does not create guaranteed wins and rewards strategic, interactive play, more than Comet, Stellar Pup or Maddening Hex, for instance.

The current metagame’s speed, removal options, and interaction make early dominance far less oppressive than in the past, and the resulting setup much harder to assemble before doing anything significant. Krark, the Thumbless encourages diverse deckbuilding and skillful gameplay without undermining the overall format balance. It provides a flavorful, high-risk option that complements very singular strategies while remaining fair and interactive. 

Geist of Saint Traft

Banned in July 2017 for enabling fast, oppressive, regular and mostly uninteractive board states, Geist of Saint Traft is legal again in Duel Commander as a legal Commander. Back then, Geist of Saint Traft decks often relied on locking the game temporization for a few rounds while opponents had minimal board presence and insufficient blockers, leading to oppressive early advantages and massive tempo-wise damage swings.

Its reliance on attack phases and careful sequencing ensures that deploying it now requires more thoughtful play. While it can generate significant advantage and pressure, it does not guarantee wins and rewards strategic decision-making. The current metagame speed, the abundance of blockers, and denser board states reduce the potential for oppressive early-game dominance, as well as the certainty of being able to swing unchecked for multiple turns, despite the new "boosts" that Geist of Saint Traft gained over years. Geist of Saint Traft supports skill-testing gameplay and encourages very specific deckbuilding without undermining overall format balance. It provides a flavorful, high-impact option for aggressive decks while remaining paired with current visible metagame choices and engaging, and is now legal again in Duel Commander.