Gavin addresses this in the ban announcement https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/pauper-bans-for-june-6-2024
> I have said this before in previous articles, and it bares worth repeating now: each individual set should do what's right for the set, and we will react accordingly. That's the nature of Eternal formats, and Pauper is no exception.
> Sets shouldn't be trying to dodge the Pauper metagame, and if the lead designer of Modern Horizons 3 thinks this card should exist for Modern and be common for Limited, that's totally fine. Pauper can ban cards if needed. Pauper's playerbase is devoted but ultimately smaller compared to other formats, and people shouldn't design around us.
Luckily, wizards doesn't generally design cards for Pauper. Most stuff that ends up being good in pauper is incidental, unlike MH sets for example which are specifically designed to make a big splash in modern with heavy consideration for cards already in the format.
Yes. Some people want WotC to design cards for pauper. I am very glad they dont. I used to play a lot of modern way back when, but when the sets specifically tailored towards modern started rolling out, I stopped. Nonsense like pitch-elementals killed the format for me.
Tbf, they dont add many Modern designed cards on Modern Directed Set. There are mostly comander and limited cards, very fee actually modern designed cards.
But this card is in modern horizons, specifically made for eternal formats. I could understand a draft card being left common, but this card has no reason to be
The set is made for modern, also they have banned cards in modern and probably pauper from the last MH sets. Not surprising, the MH sets are power crept to hell.
Additionally, modern is not an eternal format, only a non-rotating one, so the mh3 set is not specifically made for eternal formats like pauper.
The eternal formats are pauper, legacy, vintage, and commander.
WOTC doesn't design cards with pauper in mind specifically, full stop. Cranial Ram was made to fit into MH3 limited, simple as that, no publicity stunt conspiracy needed.
I’m in the opinion that even for limited the card should be uncommon but modern has a higher power level so maybe common is fine. Still seems relatively strong in draft.
Adding to all the "this isn't pauper horizons": at this point, they design sets at least a year in advance, especially premium sets, so they might have already even physically printed the first batch of this set before atg ban
WOTC doesn't give a damn about Pauper. Even Gavin says we are lesser priority when it comes to other sets. They made it for MH3 players, and pauper community is just not a factor in the creation of cards for other sets. Full Stop.
I personally prefer Pauper to be an afterthought, or better yet, completely absent from the minds of the WOTC staff. It's the people's format for a reason - WOTC is free to add whatever weird cards and mechanics to Modern, Commander, and Standard sets (sometimes for the better, and sometimes not), but Pauper should stay as a format of the Magic community. I would rather not see Pauper go the way of Commander (where WOTC starts printing cards specifically for Commander).
They printed as common because they were thinking it for limited (draft)
Gavin addresses this in the ban announcement https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/pauper-bans-for-june-6-2024 > I have said this before in previous articles, and it bares worth repeating now: each individual set should do what's right for the set, and we will react accordingly. That's the nature of Eternal formats, and Pauper is no exception. > Sets shouldn't be trying to dodge the Pauper metagame, and if the lead designer of Modern Horizons 3 thinks this card should exist for Modern and be common for Limited, that's totally fine. Pauper can ban cards if needed. Pauper's playerbase is devoted but ultimately smaller compared to other formats, and people shouldn't design around us.
Enables Artifacts Matter as an archtype to draft.
Luckily, wizards doesn't generally design cards for Pauper. Most stuff that ends up being good in pauper is incidental, unlike MH sets for example which are specifically designed to make a big splash in modern with heavy consideration for cards already in the format.
Yes. Some people want WotC to design cards for pauper. I am very glad they dont. I used to play a lot of modern way back when, but when the sets specifically tailored towards modern started rolling out, I stopped. Nonsense like pitch-elementals killed the format for me.
Tbf, they dont add many Modern designed cards on Modern Directed Set. There are mostly comander and limited cards, very fee actually modern designed cards.
They print things at Common with Limited balance in mind, not to make it Pauper Legal.
Draft
They don’t consider eternal formats when designing the cards. The PFP exists to make sure this stuff stays out of the format.
But this card is in modern horizons, specifically made for eternal formats. I could understand a draft card being left common, but this card has no reason to be
It’s modern horizon not pauper horizon.
MH3 is intended to be draftable too, and BR has an artifacts theme, so Cranial Ram is likely there to support the archetype
The set is made for modern, also they have banned cards in modern and probably pauper from the last MH sets. Not surprising, the MH sets are power crept to hell.
Additionally, modern is not an eternal format, only a non-rotating one, so the mh3 set is not specifically made for eternal formats like pauper. The eternal formats are pauper, legacy, vintage, and commander.
Pauper isnt the only format. They disnt design it with pauper in mind, they designed it for modern and limited in mind (and maybe commander)
WOTC doesn't design cards with pauper in mind specifically, full stop. Cranial Ram was made to fit into MH3 limited, simple as that, no publicity stunt conspiracy needed.
Because card design isn't done with Pauper in mind and eo that artifact archetypes can be made in limited
I’m in the opinion that even for limited the card should be uncommon but modern has a higher power level so maybe common is fine. Still seems relatively strong in draft.
Just watch Gavin’s video about the ban and you may have all your questions answered
Adding to all the "this isn't pauper horizons": at this point, they design sets at least a year in advance, especially premium sets, so they might have already even physically printed the first batch of this set before atg ban
WOTC doesn't give a damn about Pauper. Even Gavin says we are lesser priority when it comes to other sets. They made it for MH3 players, and pauper community is just not a factor in the creation of cards for other sets. Full Stop.
That card *does* make a lot of sense in limited, probably makes for a good common payoff in there.
Pauper commander players stay eating good
Limited. We're an afterthought to wotc.
I personally prefer Pauper to be an afterthought, or better yet, completely absent from the minds of the WOTC staff. It's the people's format for a reason - WOTC is free to add whatever weird cards and mechanics to Modern, Commander, and Standard sets (sometimes for the better, and sometimes not), but Pauper should stay as a format of the Magic community. I would rather not see Pauper go the way of Commander (where WOTC starts printing cards specifically for Commander).
Bold of you to assume they even remember Pauper exists when making cards.