Your question:

"Why is Mox Amber still legal when most of the permanent fast mana is already on the B&R?"

Our answer:

Over the past years, permanent-based fast mana got more and more problematic, and though the power 9 ones (as well as other absolutely impossible cards like Sol Ring) got removed a long time ago, all the “mox” cards were added to the B&R year after year. Though Mox Amber’s fate is not sealed yet, the card requires too much of a special setup to become effective, especially during the precious first turns, which is why it is still considered fair. Moreover, to be really efficient, it has to be paired with low cost commander and we think it’s restrictive enough for now. 

Note: This question is also outdated now, as many B&R questions. Mox Amber is now banned in Duel Commander.

Your question:

"Why hasn't Silas Renn, Seeker Adept been banned? I don't think it is "too powerful" but all the other bicolor, low-mana-cost partners have been banned. So why did it survive to the ban hammer unlike Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist or Reyhan, Last of the Abzan?"

Our answer:

Silas Renn, Seeker Adept was studied as a potential ban instead of Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist or Reyhan, Last of the Abzan. It was acknowleged as giving less tempo than Reyhan, Last of the Abzan and proved less flexible (it need to deals combat damage) and a weaker creature than Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist.

Note: This question is also outdated now, as many B&R questions.

Your question:

"I dont get it: why is Lutri, the Spellchaser banned? It's broken as a companion, but why is it banned in a deck, it's just like Dualcaster Mage..."

Our answer:

We do not want to make a "banned as a companion" section in the B&R only for it". It does not really deserve to be banned as a card but this doesn't really matter as it would not be widely played if it was legal anyway.

Your question:

"Are there any plans to ban Galazeth Prismari as a commander? it's very similar to Urza, Lord High Artificer which deck I previously built, and I would hate if I bought it and it was banned right after. Thank you. :)"

Our answer:

Galazeth Prismari is a strong card that the will supervise. But it is notably weaker than Urza, Lord High Artificer as the mana cannot be used to cast more artifacts and then snowball. The card is strong but doesn't seems to be a problem in the foreseable future.

Your question:

"Is it a consideration to ban Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle and unban Scapeshift?

The latter was initialy banned because of the abusiveness of Field of the Dead, but it was banned on the very next announcement. Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle is a card that has no "fair" uses, while Scapeshift *could* open up some fun strategies.

I don't really expect an actual Scapeshift unban, I'm just wondering if it's something that has been discussed among you.

Thank you in advance for your consideration"

Our answer:

It could be done. But any new printed land that would be broken with Scapeshift would reset that problem. Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle legal is a fairer card with less potential for future broken interactions.

Your question:

"Why is Balance still legal?"

Our answer:

Balance is a card that needs a complex setup to be powerful. The card is widely weakened by the singleton / 99-cards nature of the format. In most games, Balance is unplayable or a bad equivalent of Toxic Deluge. On few occasions will it be a very spectacular card that punishes players that forgot to win and only gained pointless card advantage.

Your question:

"Why is Prossh, Skyraider of Kher still legal?"

Our answer:

Even if Prossh, Skyraider of Kher is a strong Commander it is not overperforming at the moment.

Your question:

"Why is High Tide banned (blue) while other cards that create lots of mana within black like Bubbling Muck, Cabal Coffers or Lake of the dead are allowed? Making mono black very powerful as it can pay commander taxes without a problem..." 

Our answer:

High Tide historically got far higher results than Bubling Muck. Also "untap X lands" is a natural blue mechanic (Time Spiral/Turnabout/Frantic search).

Note: This question is also outdated now, as many B&R questions. High Tide is now legal in Duel Commander.

Your question:

"Is Back to Basics planned to be unbanned or at least tried for some time, cause it's powerful, but sometimes less opressive than Blood Moon or Contamination, as it still allows to cast an answer..." 

Our answer:

Duel Commander rules natively highly favor massively multicolored commanders (99 cards, singleton, color identity). Blood Moon balances that a bit. It is not perfect but it is a bit positive (and a bit negative for Price of Progress and Back to Basics). 

Your question:

"Hello all! Why is Aminatou The Fateshifter still a playable commander since it clearly overpowers games due to the fact that enchantments (which are most played in the deck) are the hardest permanents to remove and thus make it one of the most aggressive control decks?

Thank you!" 

Our answer:

Your question has to be split into several subquestions that need specific addressing. 

The first one is about Aminatou The Fateshifter being legal (the "still" word being a potential bias). This commander offers "esper" players and decks a strong commander, that is effectively not a creature, which is one of its best advantages, along with having the minimal structural cost apart from alternative costs (like phyrexian mana). The rest of its text only adds acceptable, yet exploitable abilities. We closely watch non-creature commanders, as those were never part of the original game rules Duel Commander derives from, but added since the rules hierarchy flipping that exists since 2011, when Commander integrated Magic The Gathering rules. This is addressed in our 2023 panel.

The second one is the statement that it "overpowers". According to stats ever since it was legal, decks that play this card as a commander did not really overwhelm any seasonal metagame. What it seems to do is more "overwin" through recurring, attrition-oriented abilities than overly winning. Yet, decks that bring permanents fast from graveyards or libraries are closely monitored as deeply non-interactive and segregating decks in two: those that can answer them, and those that can't.

The third one is about enchantment removal. Enchantments are actually still a little easier than lands to remove (more cards destroy/exile them one by one or wiping all of them at once). That being said, both of these are harder to handle than the rest of permanent types.

Finally, calling a deck that sees a lot of changes, including different game plans and summarizing it using two words like "aggressive control" might reflect more an individual opinion that facts. It is still a deck that will win on later turns than early ones, and might be deck that could win a little faster than others, sometimes, not more, as of the time this answer is written.

Your question:

"Why wasn't Esior, Wardwing Familiar unbanned as a partner commander, now that the partner mechanic has been weakened?" 

Our answer:

We promote interactive gameplay. Esior, Wardwing Familiar favors solitaire-like Magic.