Thoughts on Rebalancing Non-Digital Cards in Historic and a Proposal for Restrictions and Controlled Unbans

I’d like to share some constructive feedback regarding the current approach to rebalancing cards in Historic, particularly when it comes to non-digital (printed) cards.

I’ve been playing Historic on MTG Arena since its very beginning, and a big part of my enjoyment comes from constant deckbuilding and testing. I like exploring the full card pool while still aiming for competitive, well-tuned decks. From that perspective, I genuinely believe Historic is a great format — but also one that could be even better with a few structural changes and a more confident use of the tools that a digital-only environment allows.

Rebalancing non-digital cards: a solution that adds friction over time

Digital rebalancing made a lot of sense as an initial experiment, and it still does when applied to Alchemy or fully digital designs. However, over time it has become clear — at least from my experience — that applying rebalances to iconic, non-digital cards creates unnecessary confusion and frustration.

Cards such as:

Agent of Treachery

Orcish Bowmasters

Teferi, Time Raveler

Omnath, Locus of Creation

Alrund’s Epiphany

The One Ring

are just a few examples of printed, highly iconic cards that now exist in modified digital versions within Historic. This fragments player expectations, complicates deck evaluation, and makes the format harder to approach and reason about — especially when moving between formats or discussing card power in general.

I want to stress that these are representative examples, not an exhaustive list. My feedback applies to all non-digital cards that are currently rebalanced in Historic.

Wizards already took a step in this direction

Importantly, this isn’t just theoretical. A few months ago, Wizards already moved away from this philosophy by restoring The Meathook Massacre and Fires of Invention to their original versions and handling them through bans instead of rebalances.

That decision felt like a very positive correction, and to me it strongly suggests that the team already recognizes the long-term issues caused by rebalancing printed cards. My proposal is simply to continue consistently along that same path with the rest of the affected cards.

A cleaner alternative: original versions, bans, and restrictions

Rather than rebalancing non-digital cards, I believe Historic would benefit from a clearer and more coherent approach:

Use original printed versions of non-digital cards.

Ban cards when they are truly unhealthy for the format.

Introduce restrictions (1 copy per deck), similar to Timeless, as an intermediate and very powerful tool.

Restricting a card preserves its identity and excitement while preventing repetitive or broken synergies. It encourages more diverse deckbuilding and avoids the binary “playable vs unplayable” outcome that bans often create.

Personally, I think this restriction model could be valuable not only for Historic, but potentially as an experimental tool in other formats as well.

Encouraging controlled unbans and experimentation

In the same spirit, I’d also like to encourage re-evaluating long-banned cards. Historic has changed dramatically over time, and the card pool now includes many more answers and interaction points than when some bans were originally issued.

Cards such as:

Field of the Dead

Memory Lapse

Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath

Veil of Summer

(and others) could potentially be reintroduced under close monitoring, with the understanding that they can be quickly banned again if they prove problematic.

The key point is not that all of these cards must remain legal, but that there should be less fear around testing and adjusting.

Closing thoughts

Historic is uniquely positioned as a digital-only format. That flexibility is one of its greatest strengths. Leaning into experimentation, being willing to make changes — and even to correct them shortly after if needed — would, in my opinion, bring far more benefits than risks.

Some issues are inevitable whenever changes are made, but the long-term gains in clarity, consistency, and player trust seem well worth it.

Thank you for taking the time to read, and for the continued work on MTG Arena and its formats.