EDH New American B&R List

Effective immediately (20 March 2009):

* Tinker is Banned
* Metalworker is Banned

* Crucible of Worlds is Unbanned
* Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary is Unbanned

* Gifts Ungiven is on the Watch List
* Sundering Titan is on the Watch List
* Time Stretch is on the Watch List

Tinker
The subject of much debate, this should come as no real surprise. We decided that the low cost ability of Tinker to get high cost artifacts (such as Sundering Titan, Mindslaver, or Darksteel Colossus) into play early in games and significantly impact their outcome easily warranted its banning.

Metalworker
Cards that easily and cheaply produce great deals of mana are inherently dangerous to the health of the format. Metalworker is clearly one of those cards, and had to go.

Crucible of Worlds
We felt as though the primary combos with Crucible (Strip Mine and Wasteland) aren’t particularly dangerous in a multiplayer format. We will keep an eye on other potential combos with Crucible, but think that for now, it will make the format healthier by being able to provide some control of explosive decks.

Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
Rofellos has been the poster child for "what might be" without ever being proven to be broken. We think that while strong and possibly have the potential of such terribly anti-social Generals such as Braids, Zur, or Arcum, it also has many social applications. As with any unbanning, we’ll keep our eyes peeled, but we seriously doubt that Rofellos will be a format-changing General.

Gifts Ungiven
You love it or you hate it. The reason it’s been added to the Watch List is its ability to search your library for two of your best four cards for only four mana. There are many game-breaking two card combos, so we want to keep a serious eye on the ability to get to them so quickly.

Sundering Titan
Three, four, and five color decks being the majority of what gets played in EDH, Sundering Titan can easily strangle any single player, moreso when it comes out early. The fact that it can go into any deck and its asymmetrical nature multiplied this advantage. We’re hoping that banning of Tinker and Metalworker will help, but we’re still watching this for serious abuse (and recurring ST with Academy Ruins has not escaped us).

Time Stretch
The ability to take multiple turns is a significant advantage in multiplayer games. Time Stretch resolving once isn’t so bad, but the second extra turn gives the player a great deal more opportunity for recursion, which we think is problematic. The primary thing saving Time Stretch from the banned list right now is that it costs 10 mana. We’ll revisit next time.