Wizards of the Coast released the Grand Prix promo for 2016: Stoneforge Mystic. Given that Misty is currently banned in Modern, folks have been speculating as to whether this promo is a hint that she’ll be coming off the ban list soon.
Honestly, no. They choose the promo cards well in advance, and long before the powers that be sit down to update the B&R list.
I don’t think Misty’s getting unbanned. I could be wrong, so let’s consider the possibility that she will be unbanned some time in the future. First, I want you to consider the banning of Birthing Pod.
Pod was banned in Modern because it was warping the metagame; furthermore, they realized that, as they printed more good creatures, Birthing Pod would just keep getting incrementally better, thus warping the format more and more with time.
If they unban Stoneforge Mystic, that leaves us with two potential scenarios:
1) They have made a conscious choice to no longer design powerful equipment that would be Standard/Modern legal; or, 2) Stoneforge Mystic will eventually fall victim to the same problem as Birthing Pod, and have to be banned again.
The second scenario might take time, as good creatures are printed far more abundantly than equipment, but all it takes is another Batterskull or Sword of X&Y type equipment to push Mystic over the edge in Modern. If Misty remains banned in Modern, WotC won’t have that specter looming around their future designs.
I love Modern, and I love Stoneforge Mystic, and I think, right now, Misty would be fine in Modern. Between Abrupt Decay and Kolaghan’s Command and other solid answers in the format, Stoneforge would help push White-based archetypes or help create a new one. But I don’t know how long that balance would last. Forever, I guess, if they never print powerful equipment again.
What do you think?
Bud Johnson
MTG Philosopher 