Less than one month ago, Wizards of the Coast looked to shakeup Magic: The Gathering by banning the powerful Field of the Dead from the game's popular Standard format. Unfortunately, the ban of Field of the Dead did little to increase the number of viable decks in Standard, and now Wizards is back to try again, issuing yet another Magic: The Gathering Banned and Restricted Announcement that bans three more Standard cards.
Specifically, the Magic: The Gathering November 18, 2019 B&R Announcement bans the following cards from Standard: Oko, Thief of Crowns, Once Upon a Time, and Veil of Summer. These bans are effective as of today, November 18, on both MTG Arena and Magic Online, and they will be honored in tabletop play beginning November 22.
Furthermore, Wizards has announced that Oko, Thief of Crowns is also banned in the tabletop incarnation of Magic: The Gathering's Brawl format. Indeed, Oko was banned from MTG Arena Brawl just under two weeks ago, and today's announcement looks to bring tabletop play in line with its digital counterpart.
Additionally, the Magic: The Gathering November 18 Banned and Restricted Announcement has some older formats in its sights as well, with Wrenn and Six receiving a ban in Legacy. This two-mana Planeswalker has been making waves in several formats since its printing in Modern Horizons, and it seems that the recent performance of Legacy Temur Delver decks has been enough to prompt Wizards to ban the card.
Finally, today's announcement confirms that Narset, Parter of Veils, a card that was introduced in MTG's War of the Spark set, is now restricted in Vintage. In a format where powerful cantrips and card draw spells are pervasive, it is not surprising that Naset's static ability, which prevents opponents from drawing more than one card a turn, was overperforming, and restricting the card should greatly reduce the frequency at which this three-mana Planeswalker is taking over games.
While the sheer number of cards that were addressed in today's MTG Banned and Restricted Announcement may leave some fans frustrated and forced to find new decks, the impact on the affected formats should be positive overall. For many players, the bans made in Magic: The Gathering's Standard format will be the most pertinent, but the changes made to Brawl, Legacy, and Vintage are all noteworthy as well.
The Magic: The Gathering Throne of Eldraine expansion set is available now.
Source: Wizards of the Coast