Announcement 11/08/2025
Ban List E16
Ban List E16
Channel
Chatterstorm
Disciple of the Vault
Experimental Synthesizer
Fall from Favor
Glacial Chasm
Goblin Bushwhacker
Hopeless Nightmare
Kraark-Clan Shaman
Merchant Scroll
Mystic Sanctuary
Sadistic Glee
Sojourner's Companion
Ban : Sadistic Glee, Goblin Bushwhacker, Hopeless Nightmare
Unban : Gush, Ephemerate
Hello fellow peasants!
Back in April, we gave you a schedule for the committee’s announcements and—surprise, surprise—we’re actually sticking to it.
At GroPez 2025, as well as since the last French Cup, we’ve noticed that unfortunately the tier 1 decks haven’t found a true predator and, in our view, are suffocating the rest of the metagame.
We have therefore decided to lower the power level of tier 1 decks and give some tools back to the most neglected macro-archetypes.
This new banlist will take effect starting August 15th, 2025.
Let’s dive into the presentation by deck and macro-archetype.
The deck dominated the last French Cup and the most recent GroPez. It is highly oppressive for grind decks, can go off extremely quickly, and benefits from strong redundancy. One of the few decks well-positioned against it is Kuldotha Burn, which can outrace it while maintaining enough disruption.
We wanted to reduce this redundancy and give more opportunities to interact. Three options were on the table :
Ban Basking Broodscale: this would have killed the deck entirely, and our policy is to preserve as many viable builds as possible in the format. This option was therefore naturally dismissed.
Ban Demonic Consultation: this would have reduced combo redundancy but would also have impacted other decks, such as Storm, which we did not wish to weaken.
Ban the other combo piece (Ghost Lantern or Sadistic Glee): this was our preferred path. We chose Sadistic Glee for the following reasons :
By removing the common and keeping the uncommon, players are mechanically forced to choose between combo pieces and Demonic Consultation, which lowers the deck’s redundancy.
It was very hard to interact with Sadistic Glee using instant-speed artifact/enchantment removal, because Broodscale Combo could make an ∞/∞ creature in response (as the aura was already enchanting Basking Broodscale on the battlefield). Since equipment can only be attached at sorcery speed, responding to the combo becomes easier, providing better tools against the deck.
With the combo necessarily going through Ghost Lantern, it is inherently a bit slower than with Sadistic Glee.
Decision : Ban Sadistic Glee.
A pillar of the format for several years, this deck sets the pace of the metagame, severely punishes slow strategies, and forces many archetypes to include instant-speed wraths just to stand a chance.
To give other decks more breathing room, we considered the best way to reduce its impact on the metagame. Its main strength : a very wide board, assembled very quickly, that can be boosted with haste.
We wanted to tone down this “wide board + haste pump” aspect. We therefore had two possible approaches :
Ban a goblin producer (Kuldotha Rebirth or Gleeful Demolition),
Ban a pump effect (Goblin Bushwhacker or Painter’s Studio / Defaced Gallery).
We chose to reduce its explosiveness by targeting its ability to deliver a lethal haste-fueled pump, in order to give more decks a way to respond other than with an instant-speed wrath. We therefore went with the second option, aiming to slow the deck down and create more windows for interaction.
Decision : Ban Goblin Bushwhacker.
The last member of the top trio, Wee Bee applies a pressure that is more subtle, yet just as real.
Its combination of recursive discard, flying creatures, and value generated through bounce effects makes it a nightmare for decks without a strong card advantage engine or high redundancy.
We decided to reduce the frequency of its best openings and its ability to fuel its bouncing creatures while simultaneously attacking the opponent’s hand in a recursive way.
Decision : Ban Hopeless Nightmare.
We now leave the tier 1 decks to move toward the macro-archetypes that have been somewhat neglected in the metagame. After extensive testing on some cards from the current banlist, we have decided to give Gush another chance.
It’s a powerful card that may seem intimidating at first glance, but our tests have not shown it to propel any combo or tempo deck into tier 0. Unlike when it was first banned, there are now many other cards that generate two-for-one value at a low cost (Of One Mind, Deadly Dispute, etc.).
We hope that its return will bring tempo decks back into the spotlight and that blue will regain some presence in the new metagame.
Decision : Unban Gush.
Since control is currently the second most underrepresented macro-archetype, it needed a small boost. We chose to make Ephemerate available again — a value engine that has lost some of its former shine due to the increased number of answers and the faster pace of the format.
The Archaeomancer / Mulldrifter + Ephemerate loops are now easier to break than they were at the time of its banning.
Decision : Unban Ephemerate.
These changes aim to narrow the power gap between tier 1 decks and the rest of the metagame, while making a wider range of strategies viable.
We remind you that the next time we will get back to the community will be after the Coupe de France (between October 31 and November 15).
We look forward to hearing your feedback on these updates and are available to discuss them with courtesy and good humor.
See you in large numbers at the Coupe de France on October 24, 25, and 26 in Chalon-sur-Saône to test this new metagame.
The committee wishes you a lot of fun with this new banlist, and long live the Peasant format!
The Peasant Committee