Effective 20 June, 2009:

Gifts Ungiven is BANNED
Fastbond is BANNED
Braids, Cabal Minion, is BANNED as a GENERAL
The Watch List is DISCONTINUED
No other changes

GIFTS UNGIVEN
We know that this will raise a great cry from some players, but as we previously noted, Gifts is simply broken (especially at the 3U cost and the fact that it’s an Instant). The ability to tutor for two combo pieces and two ways to recur them generally makes this a one-card game-ender, which we feel is completely contrary to the EDH vision.

FASTBOND
The overwhelming reason Fastbond gets played is to fuel a degenerate combo. The EDH life total makes Fastbond easy and safe to use for an inconsiderable cost. Couple that with the land destruction combo with Crucible of Worlds (which we’re still very happy we unbanned), and Fastbond becomes even worse. We’re not opposed to land destruction or even mass land destruction, but asymmetrical mass land destruction that’s nearly uncounterable worries us a great deal.

BRAIDS, CABAL MINION
If you’re not absolutely prepared for it and capable of doing something about it on the first few turns, a Braids lock is nearly inevitable. We also don’t want games to devolve into being about a single card every time that card hits the table (see Kokusho). Braids as a General defines “unfun,â€