The Archon Council decided to put changes up for vote. You can vote on the following changes:
1. Ban Attractions and Stickers
2. Ban Comet, Stellar Pup
3. Ban Yoshimaru / Tymna, the Weaver (If the pairings is banned, Yoshimaru will be banned as a Partner overall and can only be played as a single Commander.)
Voting closes: 21-01-2026, 12:00 CET
You can head over to our discord to cast your vote!
Here are the reasoning for the proposed change:
BAN ATTRACTIONS AND STICKERS
he proposal to ban Stickers and Attractions in the Archon format is driven by structural and organizational concerns, not by the power level of individual cards. These mechanics require additional external components that must be prepared and presented at the start of a match, even if they never become relevant during gameplay. This introduces avoidable logistical overhead and friction, which is especially problematic in a competitive, paper-focused environment like Archon.
Experience from other formats has shown that once these mechanics are legal, players feel obligated to account for them “just in case,” leading to awkward incentives and unnecessary complexity in deck construction and tournament procedures. As a result, focus shifts away from actual gameplay and toward administrative preparation. It is also important to note that Stickers and Attractions are already banned in all other competitive Magic formats. Aligning Archon with this established standard would reduce confusion, improve consistency across formats, and better meet player expectations in competitive settings.
For these reasons, the Archon Council is proposing to ban all cards that create Stickers or Attractions, aiming to preserve clarity, accessibility, and long-term format health.
A full list of all the cards can be found here:
https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/may-13-2024-banned-and-restricted-announcement
BAN COMET, STELLAR PUP
The proposal to ban Comet, Stellar Pup is based on concerns about game experience and competitive integrity rather than on a clearly measurable power level. Comet is notoriously difficult to evaluate: in some games it appears underwhelming, while in others it can effectively decide the game immediately after being cast, depending largely on the outcome of die rolls. This creates a play pattern where strategic planning and careful decision-making are frequently overshadowed by randomness.
While players may sometimes make deliberate choices around Comet, in practice the card often encourages a “let the dice decide” approach. This leads to one of the least satisfying gameplay experiences Magic can offer in a competitive context, as outcomes may hinge on chance rather than skill. In a highly competitive format like Archon, cards that can drastically swing a game based on random effects do not align with the goal of rewarding strong play, strategic foresight, and consistent decision-making.
Community experience also suggests that Comet creates social friction: players often feel compelled to apologize for playing the card, acknowledging that its impact can feel arbitrary or unfair. Despite its randomness, Comet has proven to perform consistently well overall. Decks that include it are rarely truly out of a game, as there is almost always a realistic chance to recover and win through a single activation. At the same time, meaningful interaction with Comet once it is in play is extremely limited.
The council therefore proposes to ban Comet, Stellar Pup in Archon.
BAN THE PARTNER PAIRING OF YOSHIMARU, EVER FAITHFUL & TYMNA, THE WEAVER
The partner pairing of Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful and Tymna the Weaver is being brought back to a vote because the previous community vote ended without a clear majority. Neither the votes in favour nor the votes against reached more than 50%. Under Archon’s voting rules, any vote with such an inconclusive result is automatically held again two months after the results are published, this time without the option of a blank vote. The current vote is therefore a direct continuation of that process.
Should the vote result in a ban, Yoshimaru would be banned entirely as a partner. This means Yoshimaru could no longer be used in any partner combination, regardless of the second commander.