The article was ready the week after the restriction, but its publishing was held up my website issues. They were resolved just last week, so this went up this week.

I hope you enjoy the read.

http://www.mtgassist.com/article/Shop-Class-Plugging-the-Leaks-to-Opening-the-Floodgates

Amazing article. And I am not sure how, or even if we can, stop the format from eventually homogenizing into a blue based 5 color good stuff deck. I really liked your point about Spheres now being the glue of vintage, keeping broken stuff such as turn 1 kills in check, over Force of Will. Especially as they print more and more cards that have effects whether they are countered or not (Second Dawn, Ulamog, Emrakul 2.0 etc) and uncounterable cards. Great read. Thank you.

Sorry for the bit of necro, but I just came across this article now and loved it. The majority of content I read is pro-Blue and anti-Shops, so this was a refreshing take on the health of the format.

There's a statement in the article that I don't think it's true.

For Steve, Trinisphere was an acceptable restriction, as was Chalice of the Void, as was Lodestone Golem, but not Gush.

I don't think anyone was really in favor of Chalice of the Void at the time. Most people, including Steve, felt Golem had to go first and that would probably make CotV OK again. I still believe an unrestricted CotV would've kept phyrexian mana spells and Preordain in check.

I did not see this article until the above post, but WOW, this article is full of unsubstantiated and factually incorrect claims.

For example:

"For Steve, Trinisphere was an acceptable restriction, as was Chalice of the Void, as was Lodestone Golem, but not Gush."

Wow, is this an inaccurate and false statement.

Just a few days before the restriction of Trinisphere, I was on record asserting that Trinisphere should not be restricted at that time:

http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/vintage/9021-What-should-Wizards-Restrict.html

What do you think should be restricted and what do you think will be restricted?
Stephen Menendian (Smmenen)
Should: Goblin Welder
Will: Nothing

Then, if you go back and listen to the podcast or read the old mana drain boards, I repeatedly and vocally opposed the restriction of Chalice of the Void.

Here's just one post example of that: http://www.archive.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=48138.msg667573#msg667573

If Chalice was actually the problem, then why was it allowed to exist for 12 years? It clearly was not the problem, to the extent that there was one, or it would not have been unrestricted all this time. Except the last 12 months and the first few months of its existence, there were few calls to restrict Chalice.

I suppose publishers will publish anything these days, but there are so many unsubstantiated and factually incorrect claims in this article, it's actually shocking.