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How four expensive cards imploded Magic: The Gathering’s most popular format

Photo collage of four banned Magic: The Gathering cards with a banned symbol.
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Wizards of the Coast

Wizards of the Coast is fundamentally changing how Magic: The Gathering’s most popular format will operate. Earlier this week, the card game’s publisher announced that it will assume control of the Commander format after a week of controversial decisions punctuated by an outpouring of violent harassment. The decision ends the format’s 13-year run as a volunteer-led and community-driven entity wholly independent of Wizards of the Coast.

Last week, the Commander Rules Committee, a volunteer panel of Magic: The Gathering experts, made the decision to ban four highly sought-after and powerful cards, prohibiting their inclusion in Commander decks. In response, some players began harassing committee members, which included sending death and…

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