June 30th B&R: Standard FINALLY Gets Much Needed Shake-Up

Last updated on July 7, 2025

Monstrous Rage – illus. Borja Pindado

It's time for another Banned & Restricted announcement. In a move that pretty much everyone saw coming, Standard caught a few bans that will invariably bring balance to the format. Can confidently say…no one was expecting the list to be this gargantuan.

Standard

• Monstrous Rage is BANNED
• Cori-Steel Cutter is BANNED
• Heartfire Hero is BANNED
• Abuelo's Awakening is BANNED
• This Town Ain't Big Enough is BANNED
• Hopeless Nightmare is BANNED
• Up the Beanstalk is BANNED

Historic

• Counterspell is UNBANNED

Alchemy

• Cori-Steel Cutter is SUSPENDED

Pioneer BO1

• Tibalt's Trickery is BANNED

RAGE IS FINALLY GONE!

source: magic.gg

Monstrous Rage has been terrorizing Standard since it was printed in Wilds of Eldraine two years ago. It takes aggro decks over the top, especially in tandem with other red staples of the format, such as Screaming Nemesis and the Bloomburrow Mice (Heartfire Hero and friends).

Many have said it before, but the reason most players wanted Monstrous Rage out of the format was that it made blocking pretty much pointless. It enables ultra-fast combat archetypes like Izzet Prowess and Mono-Red Aggro to pull ahead in the early game far too rapidly.

Cori-Steel Cutter also exploded onto the scene during Tarkir: Dragonstorm. It's a 2-drop artifact that just does way too much. It's seeing playrates comparable to Oko, Thief of Crowns, and that one caught the swift banhammer.

Standard is one of Magic's OG formats. It often serves as an entry point for new players, and as a mainstay for local game stores everywhere. Consistent fear of a turn 2 or 3 loss just doesn't feel remotely hospitable. It's a competitive game, sure, but Rage and Cutter took that to an unfortunate extreme.

Two years ago, WotC asserted that they wanted to “revive Standard,” and this seems like a step in the right direction.

Azorius Omniscience Takes a Massive Blow

Omniscience in Standard was a mistake, full stop. With a staggering mana value of 10, its cost almost always outweighs its benefit, especially in a format like Standard. Unless you've got a way to cheat it out.

Enter Abuelo's Awakening, a sweet recursion spell from LCI that doesn't appear to be too scary…

However, if you're able to get Omniscience into your graveyard on turns 1-3? A “cast any spell you want for free” effect hits like a freight train on turn 4, and the rest of the game spirals. Banning Omni will hopefully put a stop to countless Solitaire-style turns in Standard.

Hopeless Nightmare and This Town Gone

Pixie took a huge hit too! I'd say no one was expecting this one, but I can't say I'm upset! This one was just an absolute menace in bounce decks. This Town Ain't Big Enough being gone seals the deal, can Pixie survive in the new meta?

Beans is No More!

Up the Beanstalk – Illustration by Lucas Graciano

Domain Overlords is most likely not a viable archetype following the banning of Up the Beanstalk. This one was definitely on the watch list forever.

In Conclusion

After years of red dominance, Standard finally has the space to flourish and grow. This is a shake-up of MASS proportions for Standard, and players all over are thrilled. Lots of lower cost cards were banned, meaning the breakneck pace of the format will soon hopefully slow. Stay tuned for the next B&R on November 24, 2025.