I'm Not Selling My Mana Crypt or Jeweled Lotus

For the Patrick Star's out there, the Commander format "Rules Committee" just dropped an absurd ban announcement. The banned cards are: 

-Dockside Extorionist 

-Nadu, Winged Wisdom 

-Jeweled Lotus 

-Mana Crypt 

First, let's talk about the elephant in the room: Sheldon Menery, the godfather of EDH, and most outspoken member of the Commander RC, passed away last year.

Whenever ban discussion got hot enough, he'd publish an article outlining his position on the topic. In these articles, Sheldon always made a point to weigh both sides of things. He would also go out of his way to get the point across that these statements did not speak for the rest of the committee. Almost as if to low-key suggest that they were at-odds about some things. 

Several months before his passing, I messaged him on Messenger and to my surprise, he responded. First, I had him hear me out on an idea of mine (Which, in retrospect, was a pretty dumb idea). After that, I gave my two cents on the Hullbreacher ban. Then we had a pretty lengthy discussion about Tergrid (Okay, my end was lengthy. His responses were very concise). I opened with a Youtube video I had watched of a somewhat popular influencer who was SO very certain that a Tergrid ban was coming in the upcoming month. I linked the video to him and his response was hilarious to me: 

"I won't give him the hit. What's the nickel version?" 

What I gleaned from these conversations was that of a man who listened. He and I agreed on nothing, but I still felt like my words may have moved him, maybe just a little, on the topic of Tergrid. 

So exactly a year after the man's passing, they drop an egregious unprecedented ban? Not a coincidence. It seems to me that perhaps Sheldon was the bulwark against bans like these and now that he isn't in their way, after a one-year grace-period, a Pandora's Box of inevitable biased banwaves has been unlatched. That is to say that... this is just the beginning. 

Let's start with the ban that I care the least about: Nadu. 

I watched the "Nadu vs Hodaak" video to get a pretty good idea of how gross the Nadu loop is. It doesn't just durdle. It does it in the most boring manner, such as even the person playing it out hates the routine. I think one of the turns in said video took over 30 minutes, so they fast-forwarded most of it. 

Some, like Demo of the EDH Deckbuilding channel, have made the argument that many other commander decks durdle for a long time too. I feel like these people haven't actually SEEN this loop play out, to make this statement. 

Look, I have a Chulane deck that takes 15-20 minute durdle turns at times and the Nadu loop is still clearly on a different level. 

That said, Nadu is the ban that I'm simply just apathetic about. 

Next, Dockside. 

I am not, nor is anyone in my playgroup, affected by this ban. However, I just think the RC's reasoning given on their website makes little sense and contradicts itself. 

They state earlier in the piece that more cards are being printed that are powerful in the mid-game. The insinuation here was obviously that Jeweled Lotus and Mana Crypt propel players to this more powerful mid-game. 

Then, during the part regarding Dockside, they acknowledge that it is only good during the mid-game. After which, they contradict this, by stating that Dockside has scaled to be too powerful as of late. 

So which is it? 

Did the mid-game scale up so much that Jeweled Lotus & Mana Crypt generate more value? 

Or did the mid-game NOT scale up enough for Dockside to stay well-scaled? 

Pick one, because this is a ridiculous contradiction. 

They also then follow with the disingenuous claim that it continues to produce treasures after being played, despite the reality that 99% of the time, it's a one-off ETB. 

I'm not even trying to argue on whether or not Dockside should be banned. I am just pointing out that their reasoning for it, which includes a contradiction and a disingenuous claim, is awful and stupid. 

Onto the REALLY hot ones now: Jeweled Lotus and Mana Crypt. 

Let me be frank and quite clear: They didn't ban these cards because they are too powerful or because they propel you to the mid-game right away. 

No. They banned these cards because they are very expensive staples. Period. Their opening statement of  "Prioritizes creativity" being a Freudian Slip for this reality. 

...and that argument for why they won't ban Sol Ring? What a load of crap! 

Jeweled Lotus is almost just as iconic. It is literally the "Black Lotus" of commander. It can only be played IN COMMANDER. How could it NOT be very iconic? What, the $100 pricetag it had? Because that's the key difference, isn't it? 

Go look up the price of Jeweled Lotus post-ban now. Why is it still (As of this write) $60? Why not $5? After all, it isn't legal ANYWHERE now. 

Why is Mana Crypt still $80 for the cheapest version and $120 for the full art version?  

The answer is that both of these cards are SO ICONIC and collectible, that the people who own them still won't let them go and the people who still want them and will buy them are still many. 

Suggesting that a card being iconic is precedent for not banning it is ludicrous. Using that logic, why not UNBAN Black Lotus?! It's the most iconic card of all. Oh, it's too powerful? And Sol Ring isn't? You know, another card that is banned in every format but vintage. 

That said, and to be clear, I don't entirely disagree with the notion of banning ALL of these cards. The issue I have is that the RC is dishonest as far as their reasons for banning some and not others. It's the awful reasons, the fallacies, the double-standard, the contradictions, etc. 

Sol Ring doesn't escape a ban because it's "Iconic". It escapes a ban because IT COSTS A DOLLAR. 

So what's my skin in the game? I own one regular-print Commander Legend's Jeweled Lotus. I own one full-art Special Guests Mana Crypt. Not-surprisingly, they are still holding half their previous value even in the frenzy of lemming's panic-selling. And there's way more than "Price Memory" happening there.  

Guess what I also own? A full-art Ultimate Masters Mana Vault that just shot up from $60 to $175 BECAUSE of these bans. So, after all is said and done, I lost what? $30 so far? 

I'm not pointing this out to brag, I'm saying that the joke is on them that they think they can just ban away the $200 staple that easily. 

You know what bans like this will lead to? Lost faith in the RC and the legitimacy of their governance of the Commander format. People are going to forgo their rules and bans from this point. My playgroup is already having discussion about freezing the banlist to before this ban. Your group should consider it too. After all, all those lemmings just made these cards cheaper than ever. Carpe diem and turn this negative into a positive. Make Wizards reconsider their position on the RC managing the format. While we're at it, let's consider unbanning Primeval Titan, Hullbreacher, and Emrakul too. 

Screw these people and their "I don't like this card, ban it" shenanigans or their "We like jank, so ALL of you have to play jank too" or their "OH NO, EXPENSIVE STAPLE, BAN IT". 

For the record. I say all of this as a primarily low budget player. My cheapest deck is a $16 Juri deck. My most expensive one is (Now) a $500 Thrasios/Ravos deck. My second-most expensive is a $250 Goreclaw deck. The rest range from $50 to $200. 

That said, I'm not just some irate cEDH player or some collector who just lost his ass on an investment. These bans are barely going to be relevant to me. 

No, my concern here is, dare I pompously say, far more noble. I am worried about the terrifying precedent that this sets. To put it short: what's next? 

Gaea's Cradle? Mana Vault? Imperial Seal? Demonic Tutor? Vampiric Tutor? Lotus Petal? Kozilek, Butcher of Truth? Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre? Cyclonic Rift? 

Pick a few.

LET'S PLAY THE "WHAT GETS BANNED NEXT" GAME! 

You know what they WON'T ban? 

Dark Ritual, Simian Spirit Guide, Elvish Spirit Guide, Pili-Pala or Careful Cultivation, Pemmin's Aura or Freed from the Real, Blood Pet or Basal Thrull, Bubbling Muck or High Tide, Culling the Weak, etc. 

I think we all know why and it has not a damn thing to do with power level or fast starts.