Wizards of the Coast issued an update to their Magic: The Gathering Banned and Restricted List on March 6, 2023.
This update affected the Legacy format, where they banned both Expressive Iteration and White Plume Adventurer. Expressive Iteration, an uncommon found in the Strixhaven set (see “‘Strixhaven: School of Mages’“), was banned because was a key component of Izzet Delver that allowed the deck to too easily adapt metagame changes. The Izzet Delver deck has comprised 15% or more of the Legacy metagame for a few years now, and needed to be toned down.
The White Plume Adventurer was a part of the newer Mono White Initiative deck. The card, from Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate, allowed a player to gain Initiative and repeatedly venture into the dungeons. This mechanic provided a sustained advantage in Legacy play that was very difficult for opponent’s to come back from if the Adventurer hit the board on turn 1, thanks to fast mana Legacy cards like City of Traitors, Ancient Tomb, Chrome Mox, and Lotus Petal. Thus, the Adventurer was banned to balance the format a little more.
For more information on future releases of Magic products, check out ICv2’s 2023 calendar (see “‘Magic: The Gathering’ 2023 Release Calendar“).
Source: ICv2
