Pioneer is still being balanced and green decks are overrunning the format, despite bannings last week. Whether it’s by ramping faster, drawing more cards, or creating an aggressively lethal battlefield, the color is far and above the best in the format. Out of the top 8 decks currently in play, 4 are primarily green based.
In an attempt to remedy the situation, Wizards of the Coast has decided to ban yet another card from green: Veil of Summer.
Protection from counters too potent for Pioneer
Veil of Summer is an incredibly powerful instant that allows green to dodge much of the counterplay against it. Black discard and removal spells just fizzle, and blue counterspells fail to work. On top of this, Veil of Summer also cantrips, letting you draw an additional card. This alone has lead many to say that, “green has the best counterspell,” as against many decks it is a one-mana version of blue’s Cryptic Command (choosing the popular modes ‘Counter target spell’ and ‘Draw a card’). With Veil of Summer out of the Pioneer format, other decks should be much more effective against green.
The banning of Veil of Summer in Pioneer may also forecast the possibility of it being banned in Standard as well. If this is the case, will any other cards go along with it? Oko, Thief of Crowns is the most likely choice, but with Throne of Eldraine still needing to sell booster packs, the odds are pretty unlikely. Hydroid Krasis, Gilded Goose, or Wicked Wolf will most likely bear the weight of Oko’s sins against Standard instead.
What do you think of Veil of Summer getting the ax? Is there a different card that should have been hit, or do Green decks need even more bannings? Let us know what you think down in the comments below!
