Whatever it is can't just be fear of lawsuits. They've done the following things:

- Publicly stated that they regret the reserved list, it's a mistake, and its existence hurts the game.

- Implemented a policy that employees are not allowed to publicly discuss the reserved list.

- Released tournament-legal cards from the reserved list in a manner 100% compliant with the terms of the reserved list.

- In response to complaints, strengthen the reserved list policy so such releases are no longer allowed.