September 2023 Forbidden and Limited List Analysis
One can just imagine someone at Konami cracking their knuckles and stretching for a moment before typing slowly while glancing out the window into a perfect September afternoon. Konami dropped one of the smallest ban list updates we have ever seen. Let's figure out what this does to the current metagame!
Konami is currently attempting to fix the format while keeping it mostly as it is, if that makes any sense. In this update, only five cards were touched, with two of them leaving the list entirely. While this does have some strong implications, part of the community was expecting a little more from Konami while others believe that, given the current state of the meta, the list seems adequate.
The only card that was banned is . While banning only one card may seem like a minor change, the ban effectively degrades Kashtira to a very fair deck that no longer threatens opponents' graveyards, making it seem—at least for the moment—less broken. somehow escaped the ban hammer, meaning it will stay ever-present in decks that can afford the space for it.
The banning of Arise-Heart means that decks such as Unchained, Tearlaments, and other graveyard-reliant strategies get the chance to shine again. Expect to see as a staple in any deck that can make rank four plays now. Also, don't forget that the next core set, Age of Overlord, which is bound to drop on October 19, will introduce the heavily graveyard-reliant Horus engine. It appears that Konami are taking steps to ensure the set is competitively viable while making sure not to damage the sale of this year's tin by keeping Fenrir off the ban list.
Next up, we have two cards that are now limited, the first being . Everyone was expecting this one to be touched by the ban list to some capacity. Not only is it an interruption, which by itself is fine, but it is also a searcher for any dragon in the game. This does make it somewhat unfair, especially if you are searching for more Bestials to act as further interruptions. The hit would limit, but not nullify the threat of Bestials as a side deck option or engine, and make them somewhat more bearable.
Then, we have , which also ended up in the limited section of the ban list. Now, both hits together have a strong effect on Dragon Link decks, curbing its power after it won Worlds this year. The deck has been present for a long time, and recently started gaining momentum sneaking into top cuts. The limitation of Chaos Space will certainly be felt due to the insane card advantage it used to help the deck generate. Of course, it can still do that since it is not completely banned, but not as consistently as before.
As for cards that are no longer featured on the ever-growing list, has left the building! It could be a buff for Tearlaments and Drytron, but it remains to be seen if this card will really have any impact on the format. Will Drytron now be able to compete as the boogeyman himself, , is no longer terrorizing graveyard-reliant decks? What about Tearlaments? Will Age of Overlord push the deck back to top contender status? We just need to wait and see. Granted, the card was semi-limited, so it could have still been used at two copies anyway.
The final card on—or I should say off—the list is . With Legendary Duelists: Soulburning Volcano hitting the shelves last month and introducing new Salamangreat support, it remains to be seen whether Salamangreat can be great again, or will remain Salamandecent for the moment. Gazelle is by far one of the best cards in the deck, and seeing it at three will tempt a lot of players to pick up the deck again and give it a try, especially now that Arise-Heart is no longer in the picture. My issue with the deck is that even with the new support, it still grinds to a halt with a single . However, as a counterargument, is very popular right now, giving Salamangreat an answer to the threats it faces. The deck will probably be somewhat popular, at least in the beginning of the format. Just look at the price spike of .
Personally, I believe the list makes Unchained the deck to beat for the moment, followed by Purrely, at least until Age of Overlord hits the market. The format is now wide-open and we'll have to see if decks such as Runick and Spright can do anything after escaping the ban hammer again!
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, not of Cardmarket.
