1.) Proxies anyone ?

Proxies are a very difficult issue. While we advise players to always support Wizards of the Coast and their beautiful game, we understand that sometimes players use proxies.

If players use proxies, the proxies should contain all information a regular card does, exact mana costs, color, and rules text etc. (It shouldn’t  be just a slip of paper with an unreadable scribble on it.)

• It is fair for us if a player owns a card in its original state and uses a proxy as a replacement in his deck to preserve and protect the mint state of this valuable card. Some players have an extra binder containing these cards with them to proof they own the original cards.

• It is also fair for us if a player owns a card in its original state a single time and uses proxies in his other decks to present this card. The action of searching his deck containing the original card, then unsleeving it and finally putting it into the other deck is unfavourable, as it often takes several minutes for a player to do so. In order to save time and to have a harmonic game event we allow proxies in this case, as long as this behaviour is not exploited and refers to a handful of cards, please. On the other hand, maybe this is an opportunity to play other, unusual cards or to stock up your collection with some more copies of your favourite cards ?

• It is also fair for us to use proxies for deck testing. Before ordering expansive cards, players may use such proxies for gametesting.

2.) Who are you ?

Our group consists of several players, some are more active, some are just casually joining, some have left over the course of the years, some rejoined. Some started playing Magic the Gathering as early as 1994, some later on. Some players play tournaments, some are collectors, some also play in other groups… so we are a mixed company.

3.) Why is this format called Team Commander ?

We were asked why this format is called Team Commander, when it is primary a Twoheaded Giant format. Yes, you are right: 2HG is the most frequently played way of this format and what we had in mind when designing the lists, but you can use it for 3HG as well. The format is meant for teams playing against each other, may they be as small as one person teams (which is another way to describe a one on one game), but you can play any size you like. The name is referring to the fact that this banlist is the only one which especially takes care of cards which would otherwise harm a teamplay format.

4.) Why do you ban all the fun cards ?

While it may be fun for you to control/own a game with an Armageddon or a Mind Twist, for other players it is not. Worst case, it could end up in a totally ruined evening for your opponent, who is hopefully your friend and comrade. So try to play with our list, please. Get used to it, try to inhale the Philosophy behind it. Don’t try to break or bend the rules and bypass them, but build smart Decks which will give your opponent an approving smile on his lips when he loses to your unconventional yet clever strategy.

5.) What is your intention by publicly publishing these ban list and rules ?

It would be easier if EVERYONE uses one list (One list to rule them all… o.O). Okay, this is a bit too utopic, but at least we can try to create fair and entertaining games for everyone. If more people would use our lists in every playgroup and game store, there wouldn’t be the need of switching cards and decks, too. Also, as our ban list is quite long, we might raise some attention on card design and rules. While it might always remain a dream to be able to somewhat participate in creating new Commander decks and rules or thelike, we might point out some problems or give suggestions for the magic developer team: e.g. a better distribution of playable and fun commanders on the color spectrum .

6.) You said that all Decktypes will be playable, but XYZ is not !?

We honestly think that all Decktypes are still playable – but we also said that certain Decktypes will not be predominant anymore or do have to adept: So for example certain players refer to an Aggro Deck as a „red Deck with CMC <= 2, haste creatures and burnspells.“ Nope. Aggro means „an aggressive Deck which attepts to win the game through persistent, quick damage Dealing“ (MTG wiki) – while „quick“ is relative and can be totally different in vintage (with moxes and fast mana), modern, standard … and now even Team Commander. But here is also an example of how high a mana curve for an AGGRO deck can be even in Standard (click on the Link). Carnage Tyrant with CMC 6 is not what people believe Aggro would include, but there are and were tons of such decks (remember Wingmate Roc for CMC 5 in 2015 or Stormbreath Dragon even played by Chad White placing 1st ?). So don’t let yourself be misguided. Creature heavy and creature based decks can still be played. And aggressive decks can still be played. And in a generally slower format Aggro can mean that the CMC can go up a bit higher than you are used to be, and such Decks won’t win in turn 1 or 2 or 3 like you may be used to, but they still can win pretty fast (for Team Commander) and are viable Decks. The same is true for Combo (yes! you can still play combo. Maybe not your favourite turn 1 combo, but there are still millions of interactions and combinations left.) or Discard or Reanimate or Control or … (enter other strategies here) It’s just that you have to adept a bit. A Weenie Deck with cmc <=2 may have a harder time and as said before must think about a second backupplan like Direct damage or a Patriarch’s Bidding, but Blue Skys, Elves and Goblins are still out there, and even if it’s not a guaranteed winner but then it’s for the flavour and fun. Also look at the opposite thing: you can’t just build a deck with CMC>8 cards and expect it to be very competetive and working – most of the time you will just play a land and do nothing until you reach 8 mana, and most likely you will be dead long before that – we all agree that such a deck won’t be playable in a lot of formats and won’t be successfull. In a duel format everyone would laugh about it. Now once again back to a Weenie Deck: you can build of course a Deck with CMC <=2 cards, but you can’t really expect it to be successfull either, can you ? Get it ? So just adept, build ways around it, like high CMC Decks will use ramp spells for example to hit 8 Mana earlier. It’s also like in Modern: when a certain set and certain cards drop out because of the rotation, there are still all Decktypes quite playable, and noone would cry and say: oh no, Wizards totally ruined it bc without Winter Orb noone can ever again play control – nonsense. There are hundreds of alternative cards, they may be not as good or fast, but they are out there, waiting for you. If you want Tutors: go for a Demonic Tutor. If you want reanimate, try Animate Dead. If you say only green can ramp now play Wayfarer’s Bauble, Myriad Landscape or even Chrome Mox or Mox Diamond which are pretty fast and available for all colors. Most people who complain never ever tried Team Commander – and they just want to go on and win in Turn 1. No, that’s the only thing we can’t offer you: easy and boring wins anymore.

7.) But card XYZ is NOT banned ?!

Yes: we are aware we can’t avoid exploitions. There will always be a best card, a best deck to beat, a commander which is stronger than others. We already said: if you ban a special card, another one will take over its place. But we can try to exclude the most common, „cEDH“ turn 1-3 combos. And while we do not ban all combo cards (we simply can’t because this is part of magic), the leftover combos mostly just resolve in later game states at turn 6 or 7 or 8, it doesn’t go consistantly in turn 1 or 2 or 3. So players can at least enjoy their decks a bit, a broader spectrum of decks can be played, and players will most likely play a bit more stylish commanders – hurray for Dragon Decks, Elves, and all the unseen ones again!

If you look at our philosophy closely, you will read that we might limit the amount of cards available for a certain style or we might ban a specific card, but we can’t ban EVERY card which CAN destroy multiple lands. For example, we haven’t banned cards like Flashfires, though it can destroy all Plains, and maybe all lands a single player has on the battlefield. We think it is highly meta gaming and depending on the matchup if such a card will work out, and normally noone would/should play such a card. So what happens if someone really plays a card which taps, bounces or steals all your lands and you would consider „Mass-Landdestruction“ or „Mass-Discard“ like a Gilt-Leaf Archdruid? the best reaction would be: laugh about it, congratulate your opponent and start a new game rather than sulk, get anraged, argue and discuss.