Last updated on February 5, 2026
Jeweled Lotus | Illustration by Alayna Danner
The WeeklyMTG stream from Feburary 3 announced that Monday’s Banned and Restricted announcement will include changes based on the recommendations and changes suggested by the Commander Format Panel, causing speculation about what cards might be banned, unbanned, and more. This has already impacted the financial world of Magic, with players snapping up Jeweled Lotus ahead of a speculated unban.
Potential Ban Targets
Rhystic Study | Illustration by Tatiana Kirgetova
Anytime rumors of bans begin swirling about Commander, the community’s gaze falls upon Rhystic Study, one of the most powerful draw engines in Commander. It exploits the multiplayer format by providing three times the value it was designed to, is a staple of cEDH, and just does more than any card draw spell, except maybe The One Ring. It has escaped bans thus far, so nothing is promised. I lean towards it staying unbanned; in October’s Commander Bracket Update, the CFP said their current thinking leans towards not banning Rhystic Study, “as it’s just so iconic for casual Commander.”
Another blue card mentioned that has sparked its share of ire is Thassa's Oracle, one of Magic’s strongest combo cards. It’s central to many diverse combos, from the now-ubiquitous Thoracle + Demonic Consultation that wins for only 3 mana to an outlet for combos that mill or draw your entire library. While currently on the Game Changers list, the CFP seemed more open to its ban in the Bracket Update. The reception of the card from competitive Commander players is mixed, though they lacked the data about how it impacts unbracketed or Bracket 3 decks to consider a ban. The intervening months might have provided the evidence necessary to ban Magic’s scariest merfolk.
Potential Unbans
Jeweled Lotus | Illustration by Olena Richards
As an alternative to bans, the CFP could unban cards, which would be put straight on the Game Changers list, as we saw last April with the following cards:
As mentioned above, players have been purchasing Jeweled Lotus ahead of the banned announcement. This isn’t entirely baseless; in the April 22, 2025 Commander B&R update, the CFP addressed the bannings of Dockside Extortionist, Mana Crypt, and Jeweled Lotus performed by the Commander Advisory Group before they dissolved and format ownership went to WotC. The CFP said they would be mostly likely to unban Jeweled Lotus of the three. It’s important to acknowledge that the CFP said this because they knew players would want a statement regarding these cards, not necessarily because they were excited to unban them.
It’s unclear what other cards the CFP might unban. Potential unban targets, in my opinion, include Biorhythm, Sylvan Primordial, and Recurring Nightmare
Other Changes
Master Warcraft | Illustration by Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai
A banning or unbanning is not the only possibility on Monday, as the vague language from WeeklyMTG promised only they would act on recommendations and changes suggested by the CFP.
We could see changes to the Game Changers list. October’s Bracket Update saw many cards come off the Game Changers list, in an effort to make it more concise. A similar change could be be on the horizon; perhaps Coalition Victory has proven reasonable for the format at any level.
Another, more fundamental possible change has to do with the hybrid mana rules in Commander. As written, hybrid cards, like Master Warcraft, count as a card with a red-white color identity and thus can only be played in Boros+ decks. A topic of hot debate among the EDH community for years has been whether or not the rule should be changed so a hybrid card can be played in a deck with at least one of its colors—so Master Warcraft could be played in an Izzet () or Orzhov () deck.
This debate got fresh attention this past year when, again in that October update, the CFP asked for player’s opinions on whether or not this change should be enacted, with players taking arms on either side of the debate.
In my opinion, Monday’s announcement will feature the hybrid mana change. Were it just a banned and restricted announcement, we likely would have gotten more concrete and less vague language. It also follows a trend we can see on the printed cards: Of the recent sets, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Avatar: the Last Airbender, and Lorwyn Eclipsed have all featured an above average number of hybrid mana cards, a trend set to continue as leaks from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show plenty more hybrid rares coming our way. Given this design trend, it seems reasonable to assume that “question” the CFP asked merely foreshadowed the announcement.
Follow Draftsim for awesome articles and set updates:
Add Comment