Hello everyone, dear readers! In this article, we will step away from the technical aspects of Centurion to focus on its history, from the very genesis of the format to the present day.
1v1 Commander has always been a format followed by a large group of players seeking the competitiveness and power level of an eternal format, where deckbuilding skills, the ability to manage unique resources, and the focus on the chosen commander are prominent.
Over the years, 1v1 Commander variants have multiplied, especially in Europe, each with its own philosophy and banlist; suffice it to say that today, the old continent alone has at least five distinct ways to play 1v1 Commander.
The dawn of Centurion Commander
But let’s begin narrating the story of Centurion from a specific date, November 12, 2018: Wizards of the Coast announced the cessation of support for the MTGO banlist for 1v1 Commander, effectively plunging this game mode into a limbo of uncertainty.
It was precisely this cessation of support by Wizards that gave the idea to five Italian players, who already had experience managing 1v1 Commander variants, to create a new format that would emphasize competitiveness without being unbalanced or left to its own devices. Their goal was to rekindle the enthusiasm of players and unite the community. After several months of testing, at the beginning of 2019, the Centurion format was introduced to the public, with a dedicated banlist and the distinctive feature of playing with 30 life points.
The first year of Centurion’s life was dedicated to its promotion and thorough testing among player communities, while the first major events began to be held at the national level. For example, the Legionwar in Cento saw 64 participants in its very first edition in May 2019, and as many as 94 in November of the same year.
The national spread
The real turning point came at the beginning of 2020: during the lockdown caused by the pandemic, live events could not be organized, and Magic was affected as a whole. As for Centurion, online tournaments began to be played on the Cockatrice platform, and thanks to this initiative, the format spread widely throughout the national territory. The Decimatio Tournaments, as these events were called during that period, grew very rapidly, consolidating with numbers around 70-80 players per event.
At that time, the format was very different from what we know today: thanks to the 30 life points, the meta was predominantly focused on blue-based decks, with the control archetype making up the largest portion of the metagame, while aggressive decks had to exert enormous pressure on their opponents with commanders of extremely high power level, such as Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow.
To balance the playability of different archetypes, a radical change was made in the fall of 2020, reducing the starting life points from 30 to 25. This change allowed all types of decks to find a place within the metagame, giving aggro decks the opportunity to apply pressure without relying on overly powerful cards, and slower archetypes like control or certain types of combo decks the chance to develop their game plan without constantly being on the edge. These five additional life points, compared to the usual 20 in other Magic formats, also allowed for a much leaner banlist, where interventions were only made on truly problematic cards, without the need to act on those that consistently put pressure on opponents, as the 25 life points gave players enough time to find solutions.
Centurion continued its evolution and spread. After the pandemic, local leagues playing the format were active across the country, live events resumed, and the community grew rapidly.
At the beginning of 2022, another very important structural change was made: to balance the strength of commanders with the partner ability, a shared tax between commanders was introduced. This change allowed players to retain the possibility of having two commanders but limited the advantage of being able to play them efficiently on curve, specifically and fairly addressing the presence of an additional card available to those playing two commanders.
The golden age and turning point
Thanks to these structural changes, the community realized that the format was being managed carefully and wisely, and continued to appreciate it more and more. Thanks to the implementation of a national competitive circuit structured on multiple levels, and the growing spread driven by local communities, the numbers have been steadily increasing since 2022. The Legionwar events continued to see a rise in participants (106 players in March 2022, 124 in September of the same year, and as many as 132 in April 2023, a national record for a 1v1 Commander tournament).
Everything was proceeding in the best possible way, but like any story worth telling, there must be a sudden plot twist: in August 2023, the format suffered a significant setback. Some differences in vision within the Committee led to a drastic banlist update, with the removal of many cards from the format, including some iconic ones like free counters (e.g., Force of Will). The community strongly opposed this decision, the committee unfortunately split, and the heavily criticized banlist was revoked, replaced by the ban of Raffine, Scheming Seer and Dihada, Binder of Wills, the two commanders that were dominating the metagame at that time.
It can be said that this moment marked a turning point for the Centurion format: the Committee realized that a partial re-foundation and a change in the banlist management philosophy were necessary, especially considering that Wizards itself is printing increasingly powerful and impactful cards at an unprecedented frequency.
And so begins the current phase of Centurion. The final months of 2023 were used to plan a new approach, and by early 2024, the Committee was integrated with new members to continue the development of the format. A new national competitive circuit was launched, which includes, among other things, the opportunity to qualify for the event that will crown the Player of the Year, to be held in Cento on December 7.
Centurion today and tomorrow
In 2024, we began to see the new management philosophy in action, with a complete overhaul of the official website, an increased frequency of content aimed at players, and a banlist management that more than ever reflects the philosophy of following the overall power level increase of the cards, without rigidly adhering to outdated concepts and evaluation parameters.
It is undeniable that the format has experienced a decline in player numbers due to many factors, from the memory of past stumbles to the rise of other 1v1 Commander formats. However, the direction taken demonstrates a strong determination to carry on the project with care and a broader vision.
It is worth noting that, after the summer, new foreign communities were officially integrated (in Croatia, the Czech Republic, and even Russia), the Committee was further reorganized, and aims to expand the format’s horizons thanks to collaborations with new high-profile content creators. The banlist is under careful review to assess which cards may no longer pose a problem today, so much so that on September 16, cards like Protean Hulk and Oath of Druids were unbanned, cards that had never seen the light of day in Centurion before.
No one can say for sure what the future holds, but one thing we can say with certainty: the Committee will continue to work for the good of Centurion and is ready to face the challenges that lie ahead, ensuring the continued growth of this format.
We can’t wait to see you at the Legionwar National Championship in Cento on December 8th!
Written by
Jonathan Quarantiello
