Commander:
Shorikai, Genesis Engine is no longer banned.
Partner / Companions:
No changes.
Cards:
No changes.
Rule Changes:
No changes.
Evaluable List Changes:
No changes.
| Announcement Date: | October 15, 2026 |
| Date of entry of changes: | October 15, 2026 |
| Next Announcement Date: | To be set |
See the banlist (changes might not be immediately visible)
Dear Centurions,
Our recent 64-player Level 2 big event, Apocalypse 2026, has given us a great picture of the format.
In the current metagame, the coexistence of Spider-Man 2099 and Ajani, Nacatl Pariah as tier 1 pillars highlights a balanced competitive ecosystem.
While both command immense respect at the top tables, neither crosses the threshold into the toxic or oppressive territory that has historically ruined 1v1 formats.
Rather than suffocating the metagame, these two commanders actually keep each other—and the rest of the format—in a state of dynamic equilibrium.
Ajani acts as a gatekeeper against hyper-greedy control or ultraslow combo decks by punishing them with an incredibly fast clock and wide boards.
Spider-Man 2099 acts as a pressure valve against linear aggro, utilizing its Izzet color identity to answer explosive threats while deploying its own clock.
This competitive tension leaves plenty of room for creative tier 1.5 and tier 2 strategies to thrive, as evidenced by the varied top 8 structures in modern tournaments.
Shields up!
Shorikai, Genesis Engine
We have closely examined the position of Shorikai, Genesis Engine within the format’s ecosystem.
While Shorikai was historically banned as a commander due to its inherent resilience as an artifact vehicle and its incredible ability to simultaneously generate card advantage and tokens, current developments present strong arguments for an experimental or permanent unban.
When Shorikai was originally banned, pure control decks dominated, abusing a value engine in the command zone that evaded traditional creature removal.
However, recent evolutions in the format show that pure control is no longer the dominant archetype.
Aggro and midrange creature-based strategies have received extremely fast, high-impact tools in recent years, making slow 4-mana engines much less oppressive.
A major reason for the initial ban was the structural difficulty of interacting with a commander that is not a creature unless crewed.
Over time, Magic card design has introduced a massive influx of versatile, low-cost removal capable of targeting artifacts or nonland permanents.
Today’s Centurion meta decks are far better equipped to answer these threats in the early turns.
The committee’s recent philosophy favors strategic variety over prolonged “no changes” periods.
Unbanning Shorikai allows Azorius Control/Midrange to return, offering fresh options to players without the risk of toxic polarization compared to past historic threats.
In addition, the success and legality of a commander like Quintorius, History Chaser in our meta serve as another vital case study, significantly strengthening the argument for unbanning Shorikai, Genesis Engine.
Historically, the Centurion committee heavily regulated cards that act as self-contained value engines from the command zone.
However, Quintorius, History Chaser is a 4-mana value powerhouse that loots, mills, and floods the board with high-stat tokens (3/2 Spirits) just by interacting with the graveyard, serving as an amazing wincon by itself.
By allowing Quintorius to remain legal, the format has openly accepted that 4-mana commanders capable of generating massive card and board advantage are healthy for the modern meta.
This changes the conversation around Shorikai from “Should a 4-mana engine be allowed?” to “Is Shorikai inherently more toxic than the engines we already tolerate?”
For all the reasons stated above, Shorikai, Genesis Engine is no longer banned as a commander.
News & Note:
- Follow us live on Thursday, October 15th, from 9:30 pm on our reference channels.
Thanks for reading.
The Centurion Committee
