Wizards of the Coast has banned Fall from Favor in Magic: the Gathering’s Pauper format. The change takes effect today on Magic Online.
Fall From Favor
“Magic Online league data and tournament results for the Pauper format have shown that the recent addition of Fall from Favor is having an adverse effect on the metagame,” said Principal Game Designer Ian Duke. “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.”
Therefore, Wizards has banned Fall from Favor from Pauper in order to “create more space in the metagame for aggressive decks that punish slower decks and reduce the importance of the monarch mechanic early in the game.”
Fall from Favor was added to the Pauper format with the release of Commander Legends in November and immediately bolstered the already-powerful aggressive Blue archetypes.
Pauper Izzet
| Creatures (16) 4 Faerie Seer 4 Augur of Bolas 4 Spellstutter Sprite 4 Ninja of the Deep Hours Spells (21) 4 Brainstorm 1 Dispel 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Preordain 4 Skred 4 Counterspell Enchantments (3) 3 Fall from Favor | Lands (20) 4 Ash Barrens 3 Evolving Wilds 11 Snow-Covered Island 2 Snow-Covered Mountain Sideboard (15) 2 Gut Shot 4 Hydroblast 4 Pyroblast 2 Red Elemental Blast 3 Fiery Cannonade |
What About Tron and Monarch?
Today’s Banned and Restricted Update only impacted one of Pauper’s three top decks—Blue aggro—while leaving Tron and Boros Monarch untouched. (Despite being a card that features the Monarch mechanic, Fall from Favor wasn’t actually a part of the Boros Monarch archetype.)
“We’re aware that there is continued community discussion around other aspects of the metagame, including (but not limited to), the role of Tron, other monarch-based strategies, and blue aggro,” Duke continued. “However, we wanted take action to address Fall from Favor’s impact on the environment prior to the upcoming Magic Online qualifier tournament on January 23,” which will be held during Magic Online’s All-Access weeks that allow players to access almost every Magic card on Magic Online for $25.
“We’ll continue to watch the evolution of the environment through that event and beyond and will make further adjustments as necessary based on play data, tournament results, and community feedback,” Duke concluded.