Legacy: What Could Be Banned On February 9th

Greetings, Legacy community! Another banlist update is just around the corner. As usual, in this article we'll go through what could happen and how the format could change as a result.

The last banlist update indeed affected Legacy quite a lot. Back then, the format was a bit stale and more than a few players had already voiced their frustration with it. Once Entomb was removed, the archetype that peerlessly dominated the format for nearly 2 years fell. Then, the rising Nadu archetype was stopped before it could fill that empty throne and throw Legacy into a particular hell that had already wreaked havoc in other formats (which had already banned Nadu).

Though many players expected these cards to be banned, some were still skeptical that these bans would indeed change Legacy for the better. There were two other cards that became critical in the format and hadn't been banned yet:

Months later, this skepticism proved to be, in part, unnecessary. The fear that Forge Combo would eventually lose control, as it was the strongest deck back then and none of its cards had been banned, turned out to be just anxiety. Post-bans, tempo decks and Show and Tell lists became more popular and simply pushed out Forge lists and The One Ring lists to the sidelines. Yes, it's true that new trends made Forge and Red Stompy relevant again, but they're just two of the many decks in the format right now. There is no indication that The One Ring is an actual problem for WotC either.

Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student, in turn, is still dominant in the format, and Dimir Tempo sits at the very center. Tamiyo is simply very powerful, difficult to deal, and can carry games by herself. Her interaction with Brainstorm makes her resilient to creature removals and both her front side and her back side are relevant against all types of decks.

But has she truly lost control? Should WotC intervene?

We have to admit, Legacy is much more diverse and healthy than it was throughout most of 2025. Yes, there are some cards we can still discuss and archetypes that could become problematic, but overall WotC doesn't interfere with Legacy unless it's truly gone out of control. Sometimes, they don't interfere even then, which was what happened in the second-to-last banlist update last year.

That being said, here is everything that could happen on February 9th:

No Changes

If I were to bet on the most likely outcome, I'd bet on this one. The format is still evolving, Lorwyn Eclipsed brought relevant cards to the meta and no deck has lost control to the point we started playing limited cards in our main lists (like graveyard removals to deal with Entomb in the past meta, for instance). Considering that WotC clearly stated in the last banlist update (which wasn't very long ago either) that they would like to give some time for Legacy to breathe, this is probably the most likely announcement we'll get.

Unbans

On the other side, they also stated in the same occasion that they avoid unbanning cards when they ban something, as the bans should take center stage in these banlist updates. So, if, as we think, WotC decides to not ban anything, this could be an opportunity to bring back some cards that introduce new ideas to the format but don't break it.

Many players have been asking for some cards to return, but I'll only mention the three I believe could be graced with a 'get-out-of-jail free' card.

This enchantment is often mentioned when players bring up cards that could be unbanned and not destroy the format. It can see play in a 2-card infinite combo with Squirrel Nest, but this combo will still not win on the spot. It is also vulnerable to many answers in Legacy, and isn't that different from many other mechanics that see play in this format. This card has never seen the light of day in Legacy and could adapt really well.

Hermit Druid does what Oops does on turn 1, but Oops is a bit more redundant. Druid also costs two mana to put in play and another mana to activate, and it is a super vulnerable 1/1 that doesn't have haste. So, it's a nerfed version of a combo deck that already sees play in the format. When WotC reprinted it in Innistrad Remastered, I thought this was a sign they could bring it back, and now could be a good time to do that.

Unfortunately, Troll was a victim of WotC's unfortunate attempt at controlling Dimir Reanimator without banning Entomb. As we all saw later on, banning Troll didn't only make this deck less dominant. It also affected game plans like Monoblack's. Yes, it's true that cycling Troll on turn 1 to reanimate it straight away is incredibly powerful, but we can answer it. It also doesn't end the game on the spot. This card paid for Entomb's sins so it could be released now.

Bans

It might not seem like WotC will ban anything, but they could still do it if they have internal data that points to something we don't know. In that sense, I see two cards that could stand out to the balance team:

Tamiyo walks a thin line and has already destroyed many cards in Legacy: it is simply a cheap card advantage engine for tempo decks. This was the reason WotC banned cards like Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Dreadhorde Arcanist, and Psychic Frog. Thus, I believe Tamiyo will eventually be banned. I just don't believe this will happen right now. My opinion is that this will most likely only happen if we get set after set that doesn't impact the format, and it gets stale again. That's when Tamiyo could start dominating it a bit more.

Oops lists are always concerning because of their play pattern. It basically disables strategies that can't play Force of Will. WotC once stated they were keeping an eye on this strategy, particularly to make sure it doesn't perform beyond what it should, but, right now, it has become one of the most efficient lists online. Maybe some of their data could inspire them to take action.

Based on what the last banlist updates brought us (or didn't bring us), I don't believe February 9th will change much. Right now, Legacy has been self-regulating well, and strategies have come and gone like the tide. As I mentioned above, the most likely outcome is that nothing will change, though WotC could unban something. I believe the cards we listed above are under their radar, and, if they indeed become unhealthy, they will announce changes to them in future banlist updates.

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!