An Alchemical Distraction

Those of you keeping track of M12 spoilers in the midst of Commander reveals and the roiling discontent surrounding Standard may have noticed a curious Green enchantment, Arachnus Web, an amusing fusion of Arrest and Domestication. Well, it just so happens that I wrote my GDS2 color-shifting essay about this very design decision, so I thought it pertinent to reprint it here and see how folks feel about Green branching out into the wide-world of Pacifism.

The core mechanic best suited for a permanent color shift is Pacifism, moving it from White to its ally, Green. While Green has seen pseudo-Pacifism in the form of Utopia Vow and the much earlier Song of Serenity, Green is deserving of permanent possession of this effect for many reasons. The primary intent is to provide Green with a more reliable form of common removal for limited purposes, while simultaneously taking away from White, as the rise of Exile-based mechanics has resulted in an abundance of removal for the White drafter. By giving Green a means to remove non-fliers through enchantments, players will be more inclined to draft Green, a color that has a habit of being typically less useful (or simply less fun) due to its reliance on bomb-dependent beatdown strategies. Pacifism-effects also avoid circumstances like Hornet Sting, where Green has been provided with marginalized but unconditional direct damage.

Though I refer to it as the Pacifism mechanic, Green should more specifically receive Arrest variants, as Green has a precedent of opposing activated abilities through the counterspells Bind and Voidslime, as well as somewhat briefly in its use of Entangling Vines. Green Arrest represents not only a reflection of Green's occasional opposition to combat damage (Fog) but its mistrust of Blue's creature-based board manipulation. From a flavor-perspective, Green Pacifism/Arrest is found in its asceticism and willingness to put down arms in favor of supporting nature, more in line with the concept of Pacifism itself, rather than White's imprisonment. With this shift, White would retain broader taxation of combat, as per its taxing/balancing nature, but the individualized non-taxing effect would be specific to Green.
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As a slight amendment to the above, please understand that the GDS2 essays were restricted to 250 words, so statements like "reliance on bomb-dependent beatdown strategies" should be construed as hyperbole for effect, rather an accurate representation of how I perceive Green's position in the typical limited format.