Should we ban Arcum's Astrolabe or Ephemerate in Pauper?

Yesterday at my livestream on Twitch we discussed a bit on the subject of whether Arcum's Astrolabe or Ephemerate should be banned or not. It made me reflect on both Arcum's Astrolabe and Ephemerate. They are strong and changed the format, but are they healthy for the format?

The artifact Arcum's Astrolabe allowed for a large color variation in the format. Now we have many 3-color decks variants. A few weeks after it was spoiled we realized a relatively healthy format with a large variation of decks, but mostly gaining value within card advantage, and other decks that try to win the game before card advantage can impact the game.

The Arcum's Astrolabe itself was not so strong, but rather its strong interaction with Kor Skyfisher and Glint Hawk. I really believe that none of them will be banned as they allow for a greater variation of decks, colors and possibilities. Initially believed in the ban, but this would lower the power level of the format, the best solution is to wait for stronger cards that enable other types of mechanics.

Ephemerate on the other hand has an absurd power level, this is undeniable. The fact that after the re-cast she goes to the graveyard and not exile is scary: it can work on various deck versions that use cards that bring the graveyard back to the deck or to the hand. It has such a high value that it can make a Mulldrifter draw up to 6 cards or Memonic Wall fetch several cards from the graveyard including ephemerate itself. Of course his great value is enhanced by the combination of Glint Hawk + Arcum's Astrolabe + Ephemerate. In my regard I believe more in the ban of Ephemerate than the Arcum's Astrolabe, but their combination brought out 100% of the Skred and it has being dominant in the format.

Within the analysis via games and possible combinations, it is possible to ban the Ephemerate, but I think Arcum's Astrolabe remains in the format for a while. Wizards of the Coast normally prefers to lower the power level of the format by banning every time it makes unbalanced cards, but I will say it again that it is always better to create new strong cards than banning others.

The next B&R announcement will be on October 7, 2019. What do you expect from it?