[66] During the COVID-19 pandemic, which drew more players to the online Magic games and generated volumes of data of popular deck constructions, Wizards of the Coast was able to track popular combinations more quickly than in a purely paper game, and in mid-2020, the company banned additional cards that in specific combinations could draw out games far longer than desired
This is the set that started it all
Often it outperformed the main purpose of the deck
Make no mistake, this change would be a drastic buff to Metal, and maybe even make it the premier type to draft
Unlike other sources of ramp, like creatures or artifacts that tap for mana, lands are very difficult to remove from the battlefield, and unlike temporary ramp, like Dark Ritual, extra lands continue to provide an advantage turn after turn