Summary
- Bans and unbans: No changes.
- Natural Order: The six-month unban trial continues until November 15th, 2026. Early feedback is broadly positive, but summer activity has provided too little gameplay to draw a final conclusion.
- Card to watch: The council continues to monitor Entomb and intends to revisit it after the summer.
- Player questionnaire: The format received an average rating of 4.16/5 across 32 responses. Most respondents considered Natural Order powerful but acceptable so far.
- Next update: November 1st, 2026.
Bans, unbans, and trials
No changes.
Natural Order remains legal as part of its six-month unban trial, which runs from May 15th to November 15th, 2026.
Cards discussed
Unban trial: Natural Order (trial ongoing; no vote)
Natural Order has now been legal for a three months. The early impression from both council members and the community is that the card is powerful but not out of line with the format. It asks for real deckbuilding commitments, is not an automatic inclusion in every green deck, and has not produced a clear shift in the metagame so far.
At the same time, we do not yet have enough experience to reach a final conclusion.
The player questionnaire reflects this limited exposure. Most respondents described Natural Order as fine, fair, or powerful but acceptable. However, several players said that they had either not encountered the card at all or had not played enough games to form a firm opinion.
This is precisely why the trial was set for six months. Natural Order will remain legal through the more active autumn event season, and we will make a final decision in the November update. We will continue to watch its overall adoption, the performance of the decks using it, and whether particular Natural Order packages create unhealthy or overly consistent gameplay.
Card to watch: Entomb (no vote)
Entomb remains a recurring topic in discussions about Reanimator and UBx graveyard-based strategies. These shells are among the format’s most consistent and successful strategies, and adding a compact reanimation package can give them access to very powerful early plays. In particular, an early Entomb can reduce the usual setup requirements of Reanimator and produce sequences that are difficult to interact with in time.
As discussed in the May update, it is not yet clear whether Entomb itself is the correct point of intervention. The strength of these decks may instead come from the overall quality and redundancy of their surrounding blue-black shells, while current tournament results do not establish that Reanimator is dominating the format. Removing Entomb would also affect dedicated Reanimator decks and hybrid midrange builds differently.
No ban decision has been reached during this update cycle. We are highlighting Entomb as a card to watch and intend to revisit it after the summer, when the council’s new composition is in place and more tournament data is available. We especially welcome feedback based on actual games: whether Entomb creates too many non-games, how consistently opponents can interact with its early sequences, and whether the concern is Entomb itself or the broader UBx Reanimator shell. Players can share their experiences with local council members or through the European Highlander Discord.
Card to watch: Fastbond (no vote)
Fastbond has been raised as a potential future ban as GWx Cradle strategies and five-color Lands decks have performed increasingly well over the past year. Brightglass Gearhulk has made it easier for these decks to assemble Fastbond-based combos, while their creature shells can also win through efficient threats and combat. The creature plan demands removal, while the Fastbond combo often requires a different kind of interaction and can be deployed for very little mana.
At the same time, Fastbond is a unique and iconic build-around card. Midrange and goodstuff decks continue to gain strength naturally from modern card design and power creep, while older synergy-driven cards such as Fastbond help distinct strategies compete and contribute to the format’s variety. Its power alone therefore does not necessarily mean that it is unhealthy.
The proposal came too late in this update cycle for proper council discussion or a ban vote, so no action is being taken now. We are adding Fastbond as a card to watch and would especially welcome feedback based on actual games: how often the combo creates difficult-to-interact-with wins, whether recent additions such as Brightglass Gearhulk, Natural Order, and Survival of the Fittest have pushed these shells too far, and whether Fastbond’s deckbuilding role and contribution to strategic diversity justify its place in the format. Players can share their experiences with local council members or through the European Highlander Discord.
Player questionnaire
Thank you to everyone who responded to the latest community questionnaire. We received 32 responses.
Format satisfaction
The overall view of the format remains strongly positive. The average rating was 4.16/5, with a median of 4/5. Of the 32 respondents, 27 (84.4%) rated the format 4 or 5, including 11 (34.4%) who gave it a perfect 5. Only one respondent gave a rating below 3.
These results suggest that the format remains healthy despite a quieter summer in some local communities. The open comments did not identify a single broadly shared problem with the format.
Natural Order
The questionnaire’s main focus was Natural Order. Of the 31 respondents who left written feedback on the card, most considered it an acceptable addition to the format so far. Common themes were that the card is strong but carries meaningful deckbuilding costs, fits only a limited range of decks, and has not appeared often enough to reshape local metagames.
The most important caveat was limited experience. Several respondents had not played with or against Natural Order, while others had seen it only once or twice. The cautious responses generally supported continued monitoring rather than an immediate end to the trial. A smaller group raised concerns about early high-impact sequences and the possibility that Natural Order increases the number of non-games.
Overall, the responses support continuing the trial as planned and reassessing the card after the autumn tournament season.
Other feedback
The open comments covered a wide range of cards and format philosophies rather than producing a clear consensus. Reanimator and Entomb were again mentioned as concerns, and two respondents raised Fastbond. On the unban side, several players suggested cards such as Skullclamp, Tolarian Academy, and Sensei’s Divining Top, with some also mentioning Tinker, Underworld Breach, Treasure Cruise, or Mana Vault.
We appreciate both the specific card suggestions and the broader feedback on how actively the banlist should be managed. These comments will inform future discussions, but no additional card was considered urgent enough for action during this update cycle.
Change in council
Demppa and Frost
After about two years, Demppa has decided to depart from the council.
As I recently haven’t had as much time to dedicate to the format as I’d want, I want to give space to fresh faces. I firmly believe it is paramount to actively play and participate in the communities as a council member. Fortunately we have quite the refreshed council ready to keep EUHL the format we know and love. I’ll stick around to help with many of the tech assets we have established during the past few years, such as this website and the Discord server.
To replace Henkka aka Demppa, we would like to welcome Henkka aka Frost to the council following a unanimous “yes” vote.
Hi! I’m Henri, better known as Henkka or Frost, a 37-year-old player from Helsinki, Finland. I’ve been playing Magic and European Highlander since 2011 and remain active in weekly local tournaments and major Finnish events. I especially enjoy Green-based creature and toolbox decks, creative brewing, and the variety offered by the 100-card singleton format. I’ve also been active in growing the Finnish Highlander community by welcoming new players and lending decks. I’m looking forward to contributing to the council and helping keep the format diverse, innovative, and healthy.
Nemmie
Following a 5–0 vote (1 abstaining), we are also pleased to welcome Nemmie to the European Highlander Council. Based in Berlin, Nemmie is an active player and spectator and a member of AnimateBread, where they help create European Highlander content, film tournaments, and connect local scenes. Nemmie has already acted as an ambassador for the Berlin community and the format, and we look forward to the community-focused and content-oriented perspective they bring to the council.
Next regular update
The next regular update will be November 1st, 2026.
It will include the council’s final decision on the Natural Order trial before the trial period ends on November 15th.
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