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Unstable looks like a blast. Shenanigans everywhere. If only there was a casual-focused format dedicated to fun and silliness to play them in.

...

Hey, wait, we have one of those!

Until the next banned list announcement (January 15), silver-bordered cards are legal in Commander.

Yes, you heard that right. Dust off those Fruitcake Elementals and unleash the unsanity! It’s time to celebrate Unstable.

The following cards are banned. They have rules that span multiple games, which is problematic for single-game multiplayer, are variants of cards already banned, or are too nightmarish for even us to contemplate:

Ashnod’s Coupon
Double Cross
Double Deal
Double Dip
Double Play
Double Take
Enter the Dungeon
Magical Hacker
Mox Lotus
Once More With Feeling
R&Ds Secret Lair
Richard Garfield
Staying Power
Time Machine

You should be careful with the following cards. They work OK within the framework of Commander, so we aren’t going to ban them, but are likely to give your playgroup a headache or lead to problematic games if you’re not careful. Use them responsibly and remember that if you’re playing cards your opponents don’t enjoy playing against, they probably won’t want to play with you any more:

Ach! Hans, Run!
Collector Protector
Incoming
Infernal Spawn of Infernal Spawn of Evil
Johnny, Combo Player
Mirror, Mirror
Topsy Turvy
Yet Another Aether Vortex

Personally, I recommend avoiding the Gotcha cards, as they’re a fast way to lose friends, but they’re not terribly broken in the wider context of silver borders, unless you use them to collude. But, if you’re doing that, you’ve missed the point entirely.

Contraptions don’t count against your 99. The correct thing to do is put one of every one of them into your contraption deck, but that’s up to you. Make sure you have at least fifteen.

Finally, for all of you who are falling over themselves to play with Spike, please remember that Rule 13 exists, and she only functions under whatever rules the rest of your playgroup sets for her. 

We hope people will use these cards in the spirit in which they are intended. Go, have a good time. And summon lots of squirrels. The Earl demands it.