Dark Depths Unbanned In PreFIRE
Editor's Note: The following has been lightly edited from its original text, which can be seen here.
On Oct. 30, 2026, {Green Sun’s Zenith}, {Preordain}, and {Thopter Foundry}/{Sword of the Meek} combo were removed from the PreFIRE Watch List. Additionally, {Dark Depths} was unbanned and moved to the Watch List.
It’s been about a year since the previous change to the PreFIRE Banned and Watch Lists, which featured {Creeping Chill}'s ban and the removal of {Jace, the Mind Sculptor}, {Stoneforge Mystic}, and {Bloodbraid Elf} from the Watch List.
In that time, we have nurtured a great community, and our MTGO leagues have run consistently. We have even seen paper events occur worldwide! All of this has yielded many results, posted in our beloved TCDecks.
With this, some announcements are in order. Firstly, there are three cards that have proven on par with the power level expected for the format: {Green Sun’s Zenith}, {Preordain}, {Thopter Foundry}/{Sword of the Meek} Combo. As a result, they are no longer on the Watch List:
{Green Sun's Zenith} by David Rapoza
{Green Sun's Zenith} is a fine tool for [g] decks, which have not proven utterly dominant. Even in decks such as {Birthing Pod}, where I originally expected {Green Sun's Zenith} to be included as an easy four-of, it hasn’t proven significantly better than alternatives, since many creatures are not [g].
Amulet Titan is a potential concern but, since the banning of {Summer Bloom}, it has remained reasonable. At this point, {Green Sun’s Zenith} has established itself as a solid roleplayer without being too strong.
{Preordain} by Svetlin Velinov
{Preordain} is in a similar spot. Ensuring [u] decks have access to a strong cantrip is paramount to the color’s identity, and, as in Modern, {Preordain} has demonstrated it's at a good power level, providing solid selection without guaranteeing absolute consistency. As long as {Ponder} remains banned, which is the reality we will continue living in, {Preordain} feels safe enough to remove from the Watch List.
{Thopter Foundry} by Ralph Horsley
{Sword of the Meek} by Franz Vohwinkel
Finally, the {Thopter Foundry}/{Sword of the Meek} combo is weird, since it has seen little play so far. {Whir of Invention} combo decks have appeared in the format from time to time, and have felt reasonable. There aren’t any cards in the format, such as {Urza, Lord High Artificer}, to elevate the combo to a concerning level, so it remains limited by mana. This makes the combo relatively disruptable via artifact and/or graveyard hate, which every color has access to. For that reason, {Thopter Foundry}/{Sword of the Meek} on the Watch List feels unnecessary.
{Marit Lage} by Stephan Martiniere
Now onto the big one: {Dark Depths}.
When the format was created, I envisioned {Dark Depths} as a banned card that I would eventually reassess. It has a sound tournament pedigree in Extended and Legacy, and it seemed scary in [b][g] Turbo Depths shells, [g][w] decks powered by }Knight of the Reliquary|, and the potential to include {Dark Depths}/{Thespian's Stage} in {Primeval Titan} decks, such as Amulet Titan or {Scapeshift}. I am a little skeptical of the latter, but it could be real.
The beautiful thing about a community format is those within it who are willing to put in the legwork to test whether our assumptions are true. The findings were promising.
{Dark Depths} decks achieved a win rate against the field without being overwhelmingly. I am cautiously optimistic about {Dark Depths} as an interesting new inclusion to the format. For that reason, I am willing to give it a test run on the Watch List during the upcoming three leagues beginning on October 12, 2026.
It is in the spirit of the format to allow for unique experiences that weren’t possible in Modern before, so there is upside to this experiment. Multiple playable incidental answers have been printed over the years, including {Assassin’s Trophy}, {Field of Ruin}, {Harbinger of the Tides}, and {Reflector Mage}, which gives me more incentive to give this a shot. Remember, PreFire is 100% proxy-friendly.
Once we have a couple of months’ worth of data, it should be possible to make a final determination if {Dark Depths} is indeed too strong for PreFIRE or another role player. Until then, brew to your heart’s content. I look forward to seeing what the community comes up with!
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Featured image: {Dark Depths} by Stephan Martiniere