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"...Barely even knew her"

1/17/21

On the 14th of January, Wizards of the Coast dropped the banhammer on Fall From Favor adding it to the pauper banned & restricted list citing the card as having an "adverse effect on the metagame."

Fall From Favor has been a popular choice since its release in Commander Legends towards the end of last November, due to its ability to not only lock down a creature, but also giving the color blue access to a cheaper and playable Monarch trigger.

A top 5 performer in around 20% of the current metagame, this blue meanie was seeing significant use in effectively stalling aggressive creature decks while managing to effectively open the valve on card advantage for its controller. According to Wizards, this move is intended to "create more space in the metagame for aggressive decks that punish slower decks" and also "reduce the importance of the monarch mechanic early in the game."

1 + 1 + 1 = 7

In addition to this ban, Wizards also confirmed their awareness of several other pieces that have been dominating the current metagame. Tron or "Urza Lands" otherwise known as Tower, Mine, & Power Plant, blue aggro, and other Monarch-based strategies were mentioned specifically as being under watch with potential "further adjustments" to be made to this banned and restricted list.

With Expedition Map being banned last July, it's possible that we're seeing the beginning of the end for not only three of Urza's ancient gifts, but one of the top most performing engines in the format.