Paying the 1 isn't fun.

Rhystic Study has been a problem in Commander since the format's inception. The more competitive the environment, the bigger the problem. It consistently results in bullying, homogenous experiences, and tedious gameplay. This goes far beyond personal preference, and Rhystic is all too prominent.

Rhystic Study creates a Prisoner's Dilemma for the opponents. In 1v1 Rhystic's effect is unimpactful, but in multiplayer the effect is quite different. If a person were to go without paying in 1v1, no one would bat an eye. Whereas in multiplayer, the other two opponents must pressure them into paying for Rhystic or risk losing the game.

Inevitably someone won't pay: perhaps paying is impossible, perhaps they're tragically far behind, perhaps they hope to end the game before it matters. And the consequence of that betrayal is often losing the game to the player that drew a fistful of cards. Such a situation is begging for antisocial behavior, and is no fault of the victims.

Worst of all, that behavior doesn’t stay contained to that game. Many players blame the player that didn’t pay the 1 for their loss, and guilt them over it, as happened with Trade Secrets. A vocal minority of the commander population blames Rhystic’s victims for their own misery: repeating “just pay the 1” or “just remove it.”

This is natural. Blaming the victim is encouraged by Rhystic Study in the first place. Prisoner’s Dilemmas are counterintuitive and demand social coercion in response. Rhystic has simply broken containment: That coercion is spilling into real life, and it’s turning us against each other.

If poisoning our community is not enough, there are practical reasons to ban it:

In casual commander, Rhystic is a broken and boring card. It doesn't have any unique synergy. It doesn’t have interesting counterplay. It doesn't contribute to self expression. It is simply powerful. A common “answer” is killing the Rhystic player, which shows how people feel about it.

At the cEDH level, players are tutoring for Rhystic as often as they can. It is homogenizing deck construction, gameplay, tournament outcomes, and player experiences. The existence of Rhystic Study can more than double the time casting spells takes. All too commonly, multiple Rhystics leads to glacial gameplay and drawn out stalemates.

For Commander’s governing body, we know bans are always a risk. We believe a ban of Rhystic would strengthen our community, and begin healing the division. If diversity and excitement are a priority, banning Rhystic Study is an easy win. Please give us hope that things will change.

For those that like Rhystic Study:

• Foremost we ask for compassion. For many of us, Rhystic Study leads to arguments over in-game choices. And hours spent trapped in games we no longer enjoy.
• For the casual players that like Rhystic, we suggest you use Rule 0 discussions. If your opponents don't have a problem with it, play it! If they do, please respect their feelings.
• For cEDH players that like Rhystic, we ask: Do you want diversity? Rhystic is the #1 tutor target for a reason, overshadowing all other strategies. And, is its existence worth your time? Every game and tournament you play in has a Rhystic tax of its own - time you won't get back.

If you own a Rhystic Study, please sell your copy! Withdraw your investment in such a harmful product before it’s too late. Every dollar it drops is less standing in the way of a ban, and less resentment when it is banned.

If you’re reading this and support this cause, forward this petition to your commander community. Every signature is a step forward. You can also post on social media with the tag #BanRhystic. If you want to become actively involved, join our Discord server for discussion and organization. Together we can achieve our goals.

And please share your personal stories about Rhystic Study! Have you been stuck in games you no longer enjoyed? Have you faced anger for not paying the 1? Do you find it detracts from creative deckbuilding? Has it wasted your time? Tell your story.

(I recommend against donating here, change.org won't be able to do much to help. We'll have a crowdfunding opportunity in the future!)