Yup - I played L5R for years... then when they came out with Gold Edition they said that all previous cards were illegal. Think I ever bought a single Gold (or later) pack? No. I still have one of my old Lion clan decks, but I doubt I'll ever buy another L5R card as my deck is probably becoming more and more illegal/out-of-date.

I think if WK went through all the trouble of designing a figure, and playtesting it, then they aren't going to ban it. The system is supposed to work so you'll never create a figure that needs banning. Even if there WERE figs that should be banned, WK wouldn't admit they made a blunder and muck up the game by having a ban list.

Nah. There won’t be any banning. There will always be officially supported come-one-come-all head to head constructed tournaments.

M:tG was the first of its kind. If it was designed now I doubt there’d be any banned cards. First because the one turn kills would have been designed out. Second, they’d simply make the different formats (all, newest, topic specific expansion, etc) from the get go, instead of implementing them later (and looking like greedy guts in so doing). Everyone’s happy – collectors collect, players play the format they like, sales keep going because being the smart company they are the “newest “ format would get the big support and keep drawing people in.

WK built the CMG with CCG lessons already learned. The only reason, IMO, that the “Banning” issue comes up is that WK has tried to create a system where the same fig can represent an individual sniffing around a treasure chest for traps to the lowliest grunt or the top Commander of a huge army, all without a pencil to be seen. The same self contained fig, mind you, can be any of those and all the characters in between. Think about that a moment, and reflect on how well the game works, and it’ll sink in what a brilliant system they’ve actually managed to create! It’s no surprise that some of the figs are better than others in hth (as it stands now).

Anyway, more interesting than the ban/no ban topic is the lack of comment on M:tGs “4 of any one card” rule. This rule is MUCH more significant than banning cards. IIRC when I started playing M:tG (1994), there was no such rule; a deck could contain anything and everything in your collection. It was a major change to the game when it was restricted to only 4 of any one card.

Yet no one talks about it, I never read “What? I can’t play 10 Lightning Bolts? No fair!!!”. Why? Probably because the rule is so obviously good for the game!

I suggest that the idea that prohibiting (or mandating, actually), figs/types of figs in certain official hth tournaments, is more along the lines of the “4 of any card” rule, and is not a “banning figs” rule. I think it would be GREAT for the game to have official hth formats in which certain figs (and certain terrain, and certain Victory Conditions), are not allowed, or are mandatory. Not to do away with the ‘come-one-come-all’ hth game, heck, if people like it keep doing it. But to make it official (ranked, prize support, all that good stuff), that there are valid ways to compete in the game that do NOT involve letting every single fig be in every single army.

Now that I’ve steered totally off topic… :) (And I hope I have my M:tG history right… it’s been years since I’ve followed it.)

I don't think I could play a collectible game where components are banned. Feel like I was hoodwinked into buying in the first place.

What they should do is make the sets with those "broken" figure more available. The prime example is Amazon Draconum and them being sold out in little over a month.

Humm maybe in rebillion games the haveing 3-4 only of one figure might work to make more orignal armys. Maybe for every 100 points have only 1 type of each figure you use. So like in 300 points you could have up to 3 troll artys while in 100 points only 1 troll arty. Might be fun and an imporvement on the game if it works.

O yeah then in conquest this rule doesn't aply since it is supposed to be massive armys going to head2head.

Thoughts

yup I feel ya, I just got done makeing a pretty decent Crab deck and buying a some cards for fun decks I had then I heard about this. I have hated WoTC ever since.

Gaidin - But really, haven't they already banned figures? By making new figures like the Amazon Draconum, haven't they eliminated the effective use of the High Battlemage, and other examples? I know that this is not 'banning' figures, but could this be taken as banning figures? Please tell me what you think?

Talin - I don't play magic, so I wouldn't know.

Yandros- I really like that rule; no Titans or MDF's. That is how my friends play.

Jgklaw- You have a PM. I am interested in how you designed your armies. Hope to hear from you soon.

Nukekitty - I suppose that the situation would suck. Point well taken.

Talin (Again) - Is he really legal on Christmas Eve? Please tell me. :p

GFD - Now that is debateable. Some say that they DO compensate for the others, but then again, some say they don't.

Zoomastagoph - that is a very good point.

Ajgm6286 - That is a good point too. I agree and bet too that WK would never admitt it.

Kenntak - Huh??????

i dont like the idea of banning figures. (thats the reason why i stayed away from magic)

in MK, its not actually banning figures. i think its more of rendering the old powerfigs obsolete. i mean with the emergence of new mixed SA's.

i dont think they have to ban figs. usually, players then to go with the current trends and try other army types. which powerfigs is hot. we have seen these trends, a good example would be when sinister came out. i mean everybody wants to have a striker. then came corpheous, now the amazon drac. its all a trend. every figs have his share of the spotlight, but when a new expansion comes out, old figs become obsolete.

so bottomline, figs shouldnt be banned.

just my thoughts though.

Yeah banning figures would be horrible.
I always hated going to a magic tourney and having to get my deck checked out and finding that one of my cards was "newly banned" Why do they even make the cards if you can't use them?

i dont think that they should ban figs but i think a restriction on some tactics would be a good idea. limit the ram gun for example, you can only use so many levitations on one fig, limiting the amount of times that they can ram. but overal they have really kept up on fixing big problems that the new figs bring on.

Really I dont see that many of the new figures makeing the old ones "obselete"(sp?). I know I'm going to sound like an oldy here and most people say over and over but it is all in the play of the army. I have an almost all rebillion army(1 lancer figure or is he whirlwind I forgot) that does extremely well once you get the hand of it. Altough I do have an army I haven't played yet(still missing a piece) that is made up of most of the "trendy" pieces, and I have heard the other person(Isabee) that tryed it say it did pretty well.

Cowkrugg: here is what santa's tag says about playing him:

"On December 24th of each year, Santa has a Point Value of 0 & and unlimited Speed Value.
He's got lots of toys to deliver"

but he is still not tourny legal.

If he was Tourney legal, every single Dungeons tournament ran on Christmas Eve would be won by a Santa figure, if one was played:)

David A. Blizzard

I am a firm believer that Banning (or better restricting) would be great from the game.

Kick a few figs out and then only allow 1 or 2 from a group of figs. You would see a lot more creativity in army design and it would make figures that are clearly overshadowed more usefull again. If you could only fit one red gunner in your AG army then things like Battlequeens and Incendery golems would start looking better. Or if you could only fit in a bounder OR a levitator.

It doesnt have to be even for EVERY for format, but there should be a supported one that does ban/restrict.

banning only ruins the game :(
but you could ran a themed tourney ...
70/30 ...
single faction ...
no uniques ...
no figs over 100pts. cost
poor mans army(a 200pt game with no figs over 20pts in cost, and 1 fig at 20-30pts cost)
no mounted ...
all mounted ...
no chargers ...
no bounders ...
all melee
magic units (only figs with magic on their SA are allowed)
and that's just to name a few
that's how diverse this game can be ...
-------------
hehehehe i'm going to FINALLY join a scenerio tourney :) weeee

Santa was intentionally made without a green starting area, and he hasnt been errated like some figures. If you look at the game rules, the part about setting up the game, it says set all figures to their starting positions, which is determined by the green box. Santa doesnt a green starting area, so he is not legal, even on Christmas Eve.