When Wizards of the Coast announced the new Commander Format Panel in October 2024, one name on the list kicked off way more discourse than any banlist ever could: Lua Stardust.
Lua is a well-known cEDH player, cosplayer, and alternative model who also does 18+ work online. She and her Scrybabies channel have been part of the Commander scene for years, especially on the competitive side.
On paper, adding her to a panel of community figures helping shape Commander made sense. In practice, a small link mistake turned into a multi-week fight over sex work, “family-friendly” branding, and who’s allowed to represent Magic.
Quick Background: The Commander Panel and Why It Exists
Before the Lua drama, there was already a different Commander drama.
- For years, Commander’s banlist and “vision” were overseen by the independent Commander Rules Committee (RC) with input from the Commander Advisory Group (CAG).
- After an extremely controversial ban update (Nadu, Winged Wisdom plus a set of high-profile staples), RC members were flooded with harassment and threats. That contributed to the RC dissolving in late 2024 and handing control of the format to Wizards.
- In response, Wizards created the Commander Format Panel: a paid, 17-person group of community members intended to advise Wizards directly on Commander, similar to the Pauper Format Panel.
The official article “Introducing the Commander Format Panel” lists Lua alongside other familiar names like Josh Lee Kwai, Olivia Gobert-Hicks, Rachel Weeks, and more.
That part went over fine.
The trouble started with the links.
The Link Error That Lit the Match
According to multiple posts on r/FreeMagic, the “Lua Stardust incident” began when Wizards’ article listed her as part of the panel and linked her name to a page that led directly to her adult content ecosystem—specifically, her link hub that includes OnlyFans.
The current version of Wizards’ article just lists her with a handle, “@LuaStardust,” with no external link. That strongly suggests the link was changed after the blowback.
The basic shape of it:
- Wizards publishes the Commander Panel article, with each member’s name linking somewhere relevant (site, social, etc.).
- Lua’s entry apparently links to a page that includes her 18+ content one click away.
- Screenshots start circulating with variations of “Wizards hired a porn star to help run Commander,” and the drama machine spins up from there.
So the actual “offense” wasn’t “a sex worker exists on the panel.” It was that an official Magic page—aimed at the general player base including minors—linked into a hub that also advertised adult content.
Was that a bad call from a big family-brand corporation? Yeah, probably. Was it an easy thing to quietly fix without turning it into a crusade? Also yes.
Who Is Lua Stardust, Actually?
Strip the discourse away and Lua is… very on-brand for modern Magic:
- Alternative model / cosplayer / burlesque performer based in Philadelphia.
- Longtime Magic: The Gathering and D&D fan, frequent con guest and panelist.
- Co-creator of Scrybabies, a gameplay channel focused on cEDH and EDH, and involved in other TTRPG and horror podcasts.
- Regularly appears on Magic podcasts and shows to talk Commander and cEDH.
Her personal site and media kit prominently list work with major nerd brands, including sponsored content for Wizards itself (e.g., The Lord of the Rings tie-ins, TCGPlayer, Moxfield, Whatnot, etc.).
And yes, she also runs an 18+ modeling account (OnlyFans), which is openly advertised on her site and Linktree.
In other words: she’s a modern, multi-platform creator whose income is a mashup of cosplay, Twitch/YouTube, sponsored TCG work, and adult content—all under the same brand name. That combo is extremely normal online; less normal for a big toy company still trying to market itself as squeaky-clean “family entertainment.”
The Community Meltdown: Three Different Fights at Once
Once the link was noticed, conversation fragmented into at least three overlapping arguments:
1. Corporate Brand vs. Adult Links
Some people had a pretty straightforward concern:
“I don’t care that she does adult content, but Wizards linking to a page that advertises it from their official site is not OK for a game kids play.”
That’s the most grounded part of the criticism. A Hasbro property linking into an 18+ business is a legal and PR red flag. That’s the part Wizards clearly agreed with, because they removed the link and left her on the panel.
2. Sex Work Panic and Moral Policing
But a huge chunk of the online reaction wasn’t about the link at all—it was about the fact that a sex worker was visible in a leadership role.
In one widely shared satirical “statement” post on r/FreeMagic, the fake press release parodies Hasbro saying “sex work is real work,” and the replies are… exactly what you’d expect:
- “Sex work is not real work.”
- “This is disgusting / not family friendly.”
- “Why would you want someone like this representing a game for children?”
It’s worth stressing: that “statement” was not a real Wizards or Hasbro press release; it was a parody. But the comment section absolutely reflects the real sentiments bubbling around the community: a lot of pearl-clutching about sex work in general, not about link hygiene or corporate policy.
3. “Who Gets to Represent Commander?”
Underneath the moral panic is a more subtle, but important, conversation:
- Some players are uncomfortable with the idea that any content creator—especially one with a strong personal brand—is now part of the machine that helps shape their favorite format.
- Others are frustrated that Wizards is happy to lean on edgy, tattooed, queer, alt-model energy for clout and marketing, while also sanitizing card art to remove cleavage and thighs in the name of “family-friendly” optics.
Lua ends up sitting right at that intersection: she is the kind of creator modern Magic wants for reach, diversity, and community cred—but she also exposes how flimsy and inconsistent Wizards’ own “wholesome brand” narrative really is.
What Wizards Actually Did (and Didn’t) Do
If you zoom out and look at the official side:
- Wizards announced the Commander Format Panel on October 22, 2024, with Lua listed as a member.
- At some point early on, the Lua entry linked to a page that led to her adult content hub, according to contemporaneous Reddit posts.
- That link was later changed; the current article just names her and references her handle.
- Wizards never issued a big public “we’re sorry for linking to OnlyFans” statement; they just edited and moved on.
- Lua remains on the Commander Format Panel and shows up in later official communications, including Commander Brackets updates and discussion of the Commander Summit in Renton.
So the corporate response was basically:
- Fix the link.
- Don’t fire her.
- Say nothing.
From a damage-control perspective, that’s honestly the least destructive option they had.
What the Dust-Up Actually Reveals
The Lua Stardust situation isn’t really about one person. It exposes a bunch of tensions Magic has been dancing around for years:
Magic’s Player Base Is Adult, But the Brand Still Pretends It’s Kid-First
Commander in particular is a 30+ millennial hobby now. Cards are expensive, conventions are expensive, Commander decks are expensive. Wizards leans hard into nostalgia, bar nights, and TCG influencers whose content is clearly aimed at adults.
At the same time, Hasbro wants the halo of “family-friendly fantasy card game”. Those two goals rub against each other:
- Adult fans want Wizards to treat them like adults—including not freaking out about consenting adult work.
- Parents (and PR lawyers) want to know their kids won’t be one click away from an 18+ page via the official Magic site.
The Lua link error forced that contradiction into the open.
Sex Work Stigma Is Alive and Well in Nerd Spaces
Even after the link was fixed, people were still insisting a sex worker should not be in any visible role around a “game for children,” ignoring that:
- Magic’s core competitive scene, Commander pods, and most content are dominated by adults.
- Lots of Magic-adjacent creators quietly do adult modeling or spicy cosplay on the side already.
The idea that you can be a respected competitive player, commentator, or community organizer unless you’ve ever done adult content is just another way of gatekeeping who gets to be “professional” in the space.
Wizards Needs Clearer Policies, Not Sacrificial Lambs
If Wizards wants to avoid repeats of this kind of drama, they don’t need to blacklist anyone who’s done NSFW work. They need:
- A clear internal rule like “no official MTG pages may link, even indirectly, to 18+ paywalled content.”
- A standard practice of linking to professional hubs (e.g., work-safe site or X/Bluesky for ambassadors) instead of generic link aggregators.
- Public clarity that panel members are adults with their own lives, and that harassment directed at them for non-illegal, consensual work is a bannable offense in official spaces.
That lets them keep people like Lua on the panel while still satisfying legitimate concerns about minors being funneled into adult ecosystems via official links.
Where Things Stand Now
As of late 2025:
- Lua Stardust is still an active member of the Commander Format Panel.
- She continues to produce Magic content (Scrybabies, guest appearances, Commander Summit work) and TTRPG/horror projects.
- The “incident” lives on mostly as a talking point in places like r/FreeMagic, more about people’s feelings on sex work and Wizards’ direction than any ongoing policy issue.
In hindsight, the Lua Stardust dust-up was never just about a bad hyperlink. It was about Magic’s growing pains as it tries to be:
- A profitable, adult-driven lifestyle brand,
- A “safe for kids” corporate product, and
- A community that’s increasingly full of queer, alt, and sex-positive creators.
Wizards patched the link. The community is still arguing about the rest.
