2020 has been a tumultuous period both inside the 7PH world and outside. Since January we’ve seen the advent of Thassa’s Oracle combo, the rise and errata of Companions, two members retiring from the committee and two new members joining. What a time!
June 29 points update:
No changes.
Today, we’re pleased to announce an offset to the wild ride of 2020: some stability.
Paper tournaments have been few and far between, we believe the healthiest move for the format is to give it some time to settle.
We still discussed cards and decks. Find below our updated watch list:
Wrenn and Six: This planeswalker continues to be an efficient threat and prison piece when used in combination with Wasteland and Strip Mine. Throw in the ability to pick off 1-toughness threats and you have a very powerful package in a single card. It’s possible a point on Wrenn and Six would come with a point off Life from the Loam, but that is still being discussed.
Mystic Sanctuary: This widens the gorge between blue decks and everything else. Mystic Sanctuary is particularly troublesome with Ancestral Recall, Time Walk and reanimation in Thassa’s Oracle decks. Highlander manabases are already constructed to minimise the three-island requirement, and the advent of Triomes paired with fetchlands means the steep blue investment is not keeping it in check. This provides frequent uncounterable recursion of powerful cards.
Ancestral Recall: Historically we’ve resisted any individual card costing more than 4 of the 7 points. If the printing of cheap recursion effects continue, Ancestral Recall will always be a problem. However at the moment, Mystic Sanctuary is the card abusing these power pieces most of all.
Thassa’s Oracle: Provides a quick combo finish for tempo/control blue decks, allowing them to ignore grindy game plans that traditionally preyed on them. Thassa’s Oracle decks are at the top of many metas.
Enlightened Tutor: Top-deck tutors are less powerful than they used to be. Tutoring Time Vault, Oath of Druids, Underworld Breach and Black Lotus, is undeniably powerful.
Lutri, the Spellchaser: The errata to Companions has vastly reduced the power level of Lutri. That said, it is still an additional card in hand with zero deckbuilding constraints in the format. While some people are concerned that Lutri has never been tried at zero, we are certain that every blue and or red deck would run it for free, warping the metagame.