Eternal Durdles Banned & Restricted Roundtable Analysis
Written by Francis Cowper (FGC on MTGO)
As the next Banned and Restricted (BnR) update on March 31, 2025, approaches, the Legacy community is once again evaluating the format. Looking at previous announcements, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has taken intervention and hands-off approaches.
The most recent BnR update banned Psychic Frog and Vexing Bauble, with broad agreement from the playerbase. However, it is unclear with current Legacy as to what, if anything, should change to move the format forward.
Personally, I find it difficult to assess what I want from Legacy and what is reasonable to expect from WotC on March 31. Frustrated with the state of Legacy gameplay, I documented the sentiments of the players interviewed as part of the Eternal Durdles BnR roundtable, which can be seen below:
In the above video, 33 players are interviewed about three key questions:
- What would you like banned in the Legacy format?
- What would you like unbanned in the Legacy format?
- What will WotC do in the BnR announcement?
While reviewing the interviews, I logged each player's responses to these questions, grouping opinions into categories to make a final analysis easier to digest.
One challenge was distinguishing between players discussing potential bans and those making definitive ban recommendations. Additionally, documenting responses consistently proved difficult when players advocated for sweeping changes but only specified a single card.
Throughout the data-gathering process, I made judgement calls on how to interpret certain responses. For the full picture of the interviewees’ perspectives, I recommend watching the video yourself.
Question 1: What Would You Like Banned in Legacy?
Responses regarding potential bans were mixed, though most interviewees leaned toward banning at least some cards.
‘No card suggested’ refers to those who supported bans but did not specify a target. ‘No bans requested’ represents those who explicitly stated they want no bans. It is good to see some players happy with the format as it is and want to see it evolve naturally.
The most commonly suggested card to be banned was Sowing Mycospawn, followed by Troll of Khazad-Dum, and then Entomb. Cards from various Ancient Tomb and combo decks ranked highly after these—most notably, three cards from Oops! All Spells made the top 10 most suggested cards for banning.
A wide range of cards were suggested for banning, but the majority focused on banning cards from Ancient Tomb — primarily Eldrazi — Reanimator, and other combo shells.
When categorizing the reasoning behind ban suggestions, three top reasons emerged:
- Strengthening fair midrange and control decks
- Continuing to weaken Reanimator
- Eliminating unhealthy play patterns
Generally, the perception of the format is that threats are difficult to interact with, pushing out fairer midrange and control strategies. Specifically, Sowing Mycospawn, the most requested card for banning, heavily restricts strategies that rely on making land drops and maintaining consistent mana throughout longer games.
While Eldrazi decks don’t have a particularly high play rate, this single card has a disproportionate impact, pushing slower decks out of the format.
The One Ring (fourth most suggested) plays out like a two-mana Time Walk plus Ancestral Recall when cast off sol lands like Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors. It snowballs games immediately while offering a full turn of protection, and indestructible makes it difficult to interact with once in play.
The other major reason for banning cards was to weaken Dimir Reanimator, much as the Grief and Psychic Frog bans have done. Players are tired of the tempo/combo hybrid shell and how difficult it is to exploit in three-game match sets.
Banning Troll of Khazad-Dum is seen as a way to move the Reanimator package back to its dedicated shell. Banning Entomb would decrease the deckbuilding efficiency of having the two-threat, four-Entomb, four-to-eight Reanimate effects that can be slotted into any deck playing black mana.
Players want longer games with more points for interaction and agency. The power level of new printings has constricted the format and limited what is playable, despite Psychic Frog and Vexing Bauble's bans in the previous announcement.
A smaller category of reasons relates to low tournament attendance and player apathy with the format. While metagame data could support the argument that the format is balanced, many players are uninterested in the format's gameplay.
Question 2: What would you like unbanned in Legacy?
As with the potential bans, the topic of unbans sparked a range of opinions. While some favored returning older cards that had been banned historically, others advocated for more recent bans to be reversed.
Engagement with what to unban was lower than with the previous question. Most interviewees suggested cards they’d like to see freed from the ban list, but 15 interviewees did not respond.
The conversation during the roundtable was largely focused on potential bans, likely due to the immediate impact of those cards in current Legacy. Cards banned and, therefore, not played aren't at the forefront of players' minds when discussing the format's future.
Regarding suggestions to unban, there was strong support for freeing Deathrite Shaman. This was followed by cards typically viewed as relics from the pre-modern era, such as Earthcraft, Mind Twist, and others.
Mana Drain emerged as the most potent of these older suggestions. Some argue it could add tactical depth to the format, providing an incentive to play a ‘draw-go’ strategy, counter to the paradigm of tapping out for threats. Mana Drain is without a home — it has been powercrept out of Vintage.
Many interviewees argued that the cards they want freed were of a lower power level than what is currently allowed in the format. Some suggested it was "outdated" or "embarrassing" to have these cards still banned. They believe these older cards, even if once deemed too powerful, would have a more balanced impact alongside more recent printings.
A recurring theme in the reasoning was the desire to bolster fair midrange and control decks, which are perceived as underrepresented in the current metagame. Deathrite Shaman, in particular, was seen as a potential tool to speed up traditional blue fair decks, enabling them to compete with the speed of Ancient Tomb-based strategies while offering valuable graveyard hate against combo decks like Reanimator, Oops All Spells, and Cephalid Breakfast.
Advocates for Deathrite Shaman’s return pointed out that power levels have shifted significantly since its ban in 2018. Many feel it would be a balanced and valuable option alongside other one-mana plays like Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student, and Dragon’s Rage Channeler in the current environment.
A few players believed that Deathrite Shaman could help create room for a more robust control deck in the format. Control strategies could prey on Deathrite Shaman-based midrange strategies.
Question 3: What Will WotC Ban or Unban?
While the interviews presented a broad range of opinions on potential changes, the question of what WotC will act on remains outstanding. Players considered changes they believe would improve Legacy, keeping in mind WotC's design philosophy and recent track record.
In the unbans and bans categories, most interviewees expect that WotC will do nothing to change Legacy. This expectation starkly contrasts the opinions of those interviewed; there needs to be a change.
A few players suggested the WotC banning Sowing Mycospawn, “something from Eldrazi”, or "something from Reanimator." Why is the expectation of what WotC will do so different from the opinions of the interviewees?
The responses regarding what WotC may do are unflattering. Many interviewees expressed a lack of faith in WotC to make meaningful changes.
Another prevalent view was that WotC primarily considers the metagame share of decks and cards when deciding bans. While this approach is typically effective, it was criticized in this case, as the metagame is seen as balanced (apart from the lack of cont