Trinisphere

[kmzandrew]

Why is this still banned? Since academy and mana vault have been banned it seems much harder to drop this turn 1 as well as to build around it. The only comparable cards to trinisphere are blood moon or back to basics. In some ways trinispheres effect is less cripling than both of those effects. The only difference is trinisphere is an artifact making it splashable and can be cast turn 1 off of a workshop. Is this enough to warrant a ban? I have personally thrown it into a number of decks when testing and have never found it to be problematic. To me it seems like a t1 library or a turn 2 survival are both much stronger plays than a turn 1 trinisphere as both will usually win the game in short order. Trinisphere also gets significantly weaker as the game progresses while those cards both make fine topdecks.

[kmzandrew]

Nobody has any thoughts or explanations on this?

[pyyhttu]

I don't recall the specifics so did a quick search: http://magicplayer.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1606&start=30

Google Translate will follow:

Trinisphere

The much talked Start "Workshop + Trinisphere" is not the only way one can put the sphere in Turn 1st Even Ancient Tomb, Grim Monolith, Sphere makes this possible, just like City of Traitors to replace the Tomb. But acuh a played only in Turn 2 Trinisphere switches the opponent from practical. This combined with the massive mana denial, which operates the deck, the deck would m. E. improve so massive that it is dominant. Against the background that enhance all other potentially unbannbaren the Staxx cards, this may not be the right way.

Mod points for some German who can clear up that translation.

[Tabris]

So I did a fast translation

"Its not just about the "Turn 1 Workshop --> Trinisphere insane draw" we are talking about. Some other cards are also able to get the
Trinisphere early in the game.  Lands like Ancient Tomb or City of Traitors combined with Grim Monolith are offering a Turn 2 Trinisphere which is also
a hard lock. If you add this card  with some mana denial (which is usually in every deck which is interested in runing Trinisphere) your opponent is
not able to do anything. So we dont want Staxx getting any stronger like it allready is, so thats why we are not unbanning the card."

The key argument is: "not only a T1 Trinisphere is bad also is a T2 Sphere...combined with mana denial"

[Nastaboi]

Yea, Stax is not even remotely the best deck though it used to be some years ago. Trinisphere is certainly not devastating enough to warrant ban. It is, however, so unfun when it works that I would maybe leave it as it is just because of that. It is also terribly random: sometimes it makes your opponent unable to do anything in a given game, sometimes it just does absolutely nothing.

[Mythrandir]

Yea, Stax is not even remotely the best deck though it used to be some years ago. Trinisphere is certainly not devastating enough to warrant ban. It is, however, so unfun when it works that I would maybe leave it as it is just because of that. It is also terribly random: sometimes it makes your opponent unable to do anything in a given game, sometimes it just does absolutely nothing.

well, there are a lot of other terribly random and unfun cards outhere.
Also, let's leave the bannings/unbannings issue a rest, at least till the new updated list.