Wizards of the Coast banned the card Fall From Favor from Magic: The Gathering’s Pauper format today.
The card was previously used in two of the format’s top-five deck types that combined to represent around 20 percent of the metagame, according to stats on MTG Goldfish.
The card was also a staple in Pauper’s most-used deck type, which was a blue and red deck consisting of numerous card advantage mechanics, such as “scrying.”
Fall From Favor was added to the Pauper format in November when it was originally released as a part of the Commander Legends set. But the card’s impact on the format presented “adverse effects” on the metagame, according to Wizards.
“Serving as both a creature removal tool and a card advantage engine, Fall from Favor pushes out aggressive creature decks and places too much emphasis on a player becoming and remaining the monarch before opposing decks can prepare counterplay,” Wizards said in its ban announcement.
The ban is meant to create “more space” for aggressive decks that can “punish slower decks and reduce the importance of the monarch mechanic early in games.”
The ban is taking effect immediately online. Wizards said the change was made specifically to prepare for the Magic Online qualifier tournament coming on Jan 23.
In its post, Wizards also acknowledged that it’s looking at the role of other deck types in Pauper, including Tron, blue aggro, and other monarch-based decks.
Fall From Favor joins a list of 20 cards that are now banned in the Pauper format.
