About Us:

Who We Are:

The EDHBL is governed by the Elder Dragon Highlander Ban List Committee (EDHBLC, or “BLC” for short). The Committee was formed in September of 2024 following the controversial CRC Ban List from September 24th of that year.

Recognizing that Commander originated as an unofficial format established by the community for the community, no singular entity should have the right to determine how the community at large can and cannot play the game. As such, the BLC was established to put the power back into the hands of the community by providing them with an alternative Ban List they can opt to use and adhere to in place of the CRC (now Commander Format Panel) Ban List (as well as in place of the “Bracket System” and “Game Changers List”).

The BLC is currently comprised of 5 active members that act as community advocates in order to preserve the community’s freedom to play the game the way they want to play it. Providing the community with an alternative Ban List option aids in maintaining this freedom, and protects the community from a singular corporate/non-corporate imposed list that potentially denies them the opportunity to play the game the way they want.

Who We Are Not:

The BLC is not a Rules Committee or a replacement of the Rules Committee. The BLC simply seeks to provide the EDH community with an alternative Ban List as an optional List that may be used by LGS’s, Tournament Coordinators, and players who desire such an option.

The BLC is not an official entity of Wizards of the Coast (WOTC), and does not own the rights to any officially licensed WOTC (or associated) products and/or terms. The BLC DOES recognize, acknowledge, and respect, that all rights are reserved by WOTC (all credit to their respective owners).

What We Do:

The BLC seeks to provide the community with an alternative Ban List option that may be used by LGS’s, Tournament Coordinators, and players, in place of the Commander Format Panel’s Ban List, Bracket System, and Game Changers List. This List is meant to remove potential confusion caused by a “Bracket System” or “Game Changers List”, putting the power back into the hands of the players who want to use a classic “Rule 0” conversation, and play the cards they want to play (the BLC also STRONGLY recommends utilization of the classic 1-10 “Power Level” system as a way to aid in this).

How We Do It:

The BLC bases its decision to ban or unban a card based on the following criteria: Power Balancing, Mechanical Preservation, and Historical Preservation. If a card appears to be “too overpowered”, or if the format appears to be so flooded or lopsided by one particular card (or strategy), the BLC may place a card on the Ban List for Power Balancing. If a card “breaks game mechanics”, the BLC may opt to place said card on the Ban List for the preservation of game mechanics. The BLC may also opt to place a card on the Ban List in the event Historical Preservation is needed. For example, if “Black Lotus” wasn’t on the Ban List, it may encourage individuals not in possession of an actual copy of the card to attempt to reproduce a fake (a “proxy”) for use in games/tournaments. This could cause confusion with the legitimacy of product, and cheapen both the experience of the game, as well as the experience of owning the real thing for those who actually do (hence, “Historical Preservation”).