MTG Banned and Restricted List and Announcements

Last updated on March 23, 2026

Dark Heart of the Wood | Illustration by Mark Tedin

The “Banned and Restricted” announcements for MTG tend to polarize the community. Bans are an important part of the formation and maintenance of constructed formats, and a huge part of the Magic ecosystem. They rightfully get a lot of chatter around them.

But what are they? Why do they happen? When do they happen? Let's dig in.

The Latest Banned & Restricted Announcements

A very minor B&R announcement was released in late March, 2026:

March 23, 2026

Historic

• Food Chain is banned.

If you're just here for the scoop on the latest significant announcement, here it is:

February 9, 2026

Alchemy

• Charged Conjuration is rebalanced.
• Dazzling Flameweaver is rebalanced.
• Ethrimik, Imagined Friend is rebalanced.
• Kona, Rescue Beastie is rebalanced.
• Marshland Hordemaster is rebalanced.
• Network Marauder is rebalanced.
• Polterheist is rebalanced.
• Prototype X-8 is rebalanced.
• Sanguine Soothsayer is rebalanced.
• Sliver Weftwinder is rebalanced.
• Tempest Trapper is rebalanced.
• Val, Marooned Surveyor is rebalanced.
• Valiant Emberkin is rebalanced.
  

Commander

• Biorhythm is unbanned.
• Lutri, the Spellchaser is still banned as a companion, but unbanned for the 99.

Historic

• Ajani, Nacatl Pariah / Ajani, Nacatl Avenger is banned.
• Crop Rotation is banned.
• Eldrazi Temple is banned.
• Scholar of the Lost Trove is banned.
• Agent of Treachery is unbanned.
• Endurance is unbanned.
• Force of Vigor is unbanned.
• Force of Negation is unbanned.
• Harbinger of the Seas is unbanned.
• Magus of the Moon is unbanned.
• Wilderness Reclamation is unbanned.

Timeless

• Necropotence is restricted.

Why Are Cards Banned?

Work a Double | Illustration by Carl Frank

Some cards are bad for the ecosystem of a format, some cards are egregious in their power levels, and some cards are just disliked by WotC.

Wizards continues to tweak their philosophy on bans in 2026. The company aims to capture data from major tournaments and give you a good sense of which cards are available for the most impactful time possible. With Pro Tours for each Standard set and several other events to give Wizards input, the health of the format is the basic reason a card is banned.

On a blanket level, Wizards bans cards for one of the reasons below:

• Because they’re just egregiously powerful. Oko, Thief of Crowns, for example.
• The card is too powerful for a specific format. Things like Wrenn and Six are banned in Legacy but not in Modern or the War of the Spark planeswalkers that are restricted in Vintage.
• The card leads to a negative play experience or “unfun” gameplay.
• The card is too efficient.

It could also be the every-present fifth reason:

• In the interest of competitive diversity.

The thing is, play design is hard. As seen with Oko, Thief of Crowns, one wrong stat can make a card absurdly powerful and there’s no way to patch or errata said mistake unlike in video games.

Wizards sometimes innovates and makes new ideas that may be too strong for the game. Banned and restricted lists are filled with these card designs.

The cards need to go so they don’t end up overrunning the format. And sometimes newer strategies break older cards, so the older cards get banned while the newer cards still get sold. Many of the ban decisions take rotations into account, so if a card WotC watches closely loses some key synergy cards to rotation, no action may be deemed necessary.

But, seriously, we all make mistakes. And the banned and restricted articles are a great insight into why these cards are broken, and what they’ve done to their formats. Honestly, the day a new B&R article drops is like Black Friday for some of us. Especially when the metagame turns into what it’s become recently. I don’t even need to name the format. You know.

I don’t particularly agree with all of the decisions. Wizards is experienced and sometimes they can be very right, other times they miss the mark. Faithless Looting was an issue for years and was banned in 2019, then unbanned in December 2024. If we didn’t believe in the game, we wouldn’t be here.

Who Does the Banning?

Omnath, Locus of Creation | Illustration by Chris Rahn

Wizards of the Coast bans cards on in their news for all of the official formats including Commander. Any format that Wizards does not oversee usually has its own committee or council to ban cards.

Ban Announcement Dates

Strangely enough, “Mondays” is the answer to “When is the next ban announcement?” As in regarding Regional Championships, Regional Championship Qualifiers, and the Pro Tour. Wizards reserves the right to announce bans whenever they feel the need for it, and they've done a decent job of indicating when their next ban is, and know you can follow the Draftsim blog for the latest.

Next Ban Announcement

Wizards of the Coast did not specify the date of the next ban announcement but gave themselves more windows to make adjustments, so expect it sooner than you think, especially if there's an emergency. If I had to guess, late April or early May is the time for the next announcement.

Official Banlists

Rules Lawyer | Illustration by Dmitry Burmak

So, I think that’s it from me. Now, it’s time for me to spew a bunch of cards that are banned in formats for your pleasure.

Standard

The Standard format uses the most recently released Magic sets.

• Abuelo's Awakening
• Cori-Steel Cutter
• Heartfire Hero
• Hopeless Nightmare
• Leyline of Resonance is banned in Best-of-One Constructed on MTG Arena.
• Monstrous Rage
• Proft's Eidetic Memory
• Screaming Nemesis
• This Town Ain't Big Enough
• Up the Beanstalk
• Vivi Ornitier

Modern

The Modern format lets you dive deeper into Magic's history of banned cards, allowing cards from Eighth Edition to today.

• Amped Raptor
• Ancient Den
• Arcum's Astrolabe
• Birthing Pod
• Blazing Shoal
• Bridge From Below
• Chrome Mox
• Cloudpost
• Dark Depths
• Deathrite Shaman
• Dig Through Time
• Dread Return
• Eye of Ugin
• Field of the Dead
• Fury
• Gitaxian Probe
• Glimpse of Nature
• Golgari Grave-Troll
• Great Furnace
• Grief
• Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis
• Hypergenesis
• Jegantha, the Wellspring
• Krark-Clan Ironworks
• Lurrus of the Dream-Den
• Mental Misstep
• Mycosynth Lattice
• Mystic Sanctuary
• Nadu, Winged Wisdom
• Oko, Thief of Crowns
• Once Upon a Time
• Ponder
• Punishing Fire
• Rite of Flame
• Seat of the Synod
• Second Sunrise
• Seething Song
• Sensei's Divining Top
• Simian Spirit Guide
• Skullclamp
• Summer Bloom
• The One Ring
• Tibalt's Trickery
• Treasure Cruise
• Tree of Tales
• Umezawa's Jitte
• Underworld Breach
• Up the Beanstalk
• Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
• Vault of Whispers
• Violent Outburst
• Yorion, Sky Nomad

Vintage

While Modern lets you play cards from as far back as 2003, Vintage lets you play cards from any set in the 30+ year history of Magic!

Banned

• Cards with the Card Type “Conspiracy.”
• Cards that reference “playing for ante.”
• Cards whose art, text, name, or combination thereof are racially or culturally offensive.
• Cards that bring a sticker or an attraction into the game.
• Chaos Orb
• Falling Star
• Shahrazad

Restricted

The following cards are restricted in Vintage, which means you can only put one of them in your main deck and sideboard combined:

• Ancestral Recall
• Balance
• Black Lotus
• Brainstorm
• Chalice of the Void
• Channel
• Demonic Consultation
• Demonic Tutor
• Dig Through Time
• Flash
• Gitaxian Probe
• Golgari Grave-Troll
• Gush
• Imperial Seal
• Karn, the Great Creator
• Library of Alexandria
• Lion's Eye Diamond
• Lodestone Golem
• Lotus Petal
• Mana Crypt
• Mana Vault
• Memory Jar
• Mental Misstep
• Merchant Scroll
• Mind's Desire
• Monastery Mentor
• Mox Emerald
• Mox Jet
• Mox Pearl
• Mox Ruby
• Mox Sapphire
• Mystic Forge
• Mystical Tutor
• Narset, Parter of Veils
• Necropotence
• Sol Ring
• Strip Mine
• Thorn of Amethyst
• Time Vault
• Time Walk
• Timetwister
• Tinker
• Tolarian Academy
• Treasure Cruise
• Trinisphere
• Urza's Saga
• Vampiric Tutor
• Vexing Bauble
• Wheel of Fortune
• Windfall
• Yawgmoth's Will

Legacy

Allows cards from all legal sets but bans certain cards for power-level reasons.

• Cards with the Card Type “Conspiracy.”
• Cards that reference “playing for ante.”
• Cards whose art, text, name, or combination thereof are racially or culturally offensive.
• Cards that bring a sticker or an attraction into the game.
• Ancestral Recall
• Arcum's Astrolabe
• Balance
• Bazaar of Baghdad
• Black Lotus
• Channel
• Chaos Orb
• Deathrite Shaman
• Demonic Consultation
• Demonic Tutor
• Dig Through Time
• Dreadhorde Arcanist
• Earthcraft
• Entomb
• Falling Star
• Fastbond
• Flash
• Frantic Search
• Gitaxian Probe
• Goblin Recruiter
• Grief
• Gush
• Hermit Druid
• Imperial Seal
• Library of Alexandria
• Lurrus of the Dream-Den
• Mana Crypt
• Mana Drain
• Mana Vault
• Memory Jar
• Mental Misstep
• Mind Twist
• Mishra's Workshop
• Mox Emerald
• Mox Jet
• Mox Pearl
• Mox Ruby
• Mox Sapphire
• Mystical Tutor
• Nadu, Winged Wisdom
• Necropotence
• Oath of Druids
• Oko, Thief of Crowns
• Psychic Frog
• Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
• Sensei's Divining Top
• Shahrazad
• Skullclamp
• Sol Ring
• Sowing Mycospawn
• Strip Mine
• Survival of the Fittest
• Time Vault
• Time Walk
• Timetwister
• Tinker
• Tolarian Academy
• Treasure Cruise
• Troll of Khazad-dûm
• Underworld Breach
• Vampiric Tutor
• Vexing Bauble
• Wheel of Fortune
• Windfall
• Wrenn and Six
• Yawgmoth's Bargain
• Yawgmoth's Will
• Zirda, the Dawnwaker

Commander / EDH Banned List

The following cards are banned in EDH, including several banned commanders:

• Cards with the Card Type “Conspiracy.”
• Cards that reference “playing for ante.”
• Cards whose art, text, name, or combination thereof are racially or culturally offensive.
• Ancestral Recall
• Balance
• Black Lotus
• Chaos Orb
• Channel
• Dockside Extortionist
• Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
• Erayo, Soratami Ascendant
• Falling Star
• Fastbond
• Flash
• Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
• Griselbrand
• Hullbreacher
• Iona, Shield of Emeria
• Jeweled Lotus
• Karakas
• Leovold, Emissary of Trest
• Library of Alexandria
• Limited Resources
• Lutri, the Spellchaser banned as a companion.
• Mana Crypt
• Mox Emerald
• Mox Jet
• Mox Pearl
• Mox Ruby
• Mox Sapphire
• Nadu, Winged Wisdom
• Paradox Engine
• Primeval Titan
• Prophet of Kruphix
• Recurring Nightmare
• Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
• Shahrazad
• Sundering Titan
• Sylvan Primordial
• Time Vault
• Time Walk
• Tinker
• Tolarian Academy
• Trade Secrets
• Upheaval
• Yawgmoth's Bargain

Block

These cards are banned in block-constructed tournaments, separated by block:

Innistrad-Avacyn Restored Block

• Intangible Virtue
• Lingering Souls

Mirrodin Block

• AEther Vial
• Ancient Den
• Arcbound Ravager
• Darksteel Citadel
• Disciple of the Vault
• Great Furnace
• Seat of the Synod
• Skullclamp
• Tree of Tales
• Vault of Whispers

Masques Block

• Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero
• Rishadan Port

Urza Block

• Gaea's Cradle
• Memory Jar
• Serra's Sanctum
• Time Spiral
• Tolarian Academy
• Voltaic Key
• Windfall

Tempest Block

• Cursed Scroll

Mirage Block

• Squandered Resources

Ice Age Block

• Amulet of Quoz
• Thawing Glaciers
• Zuran Orb

Pauper

All cards in the Pauper format must have been printed at a common rarity in a Magic set or product. Common promo cards are only legal if the card meets that qualification. If a common version of a particular card was ever released in Magic, any version of that card is legal in this format.

The following cards are banned in this format:

• Aarakocra Sneak
• All That Glitters
• Arcum's Astrolabe
• Atog
• Basking Broodscale
• Bonder's Ornament
• Chatterstorm
• Cloud of Faeries
• Cloudpost
• Cranial Plating
• Cranial Ram
• Daze
• Deadly Dispute
• Disciple of the Vault
• Empty the Warrens
• Fall from Favor
• Frantic Search
• Galvanic Relay
• Gitaxian Probe
• Grapeshot
• Gush
• High Tide
• Hymn to Tourach
• Invigorate
• Kuldotha Rebirth
• Monastery Swiftspear
• Mystic Sanctuary
• Peregrine Drake
• Sinkhole
• Sojourner's Companion
• Stirring Bard
• Temporal Fissure
• Treasure Cruise
• Underdark Explorer
• Vicious Battlerager

Pioneer

Pioneer is a nonrotating format featuring cards from Return to Ravnica and newer. The following cards are banned:

• Amalia Benavides Aguirre
• Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord
• Balustrade Spy
• Bloodstained Mire
• Expressive Iteration
• Felidar Guardian
• Field of the Dead
• Flooded Strand
• Geological Appraiser
• Heartfire Hero
• Inverter of Truth
• Jegantha, the Wellspring
• Karn, the Great Creator
• Kethis, the Hidden Hand
• Leyline of Abundance
• Lurrus of the Dream-Den
• Nexus of Fate
• Oko, Thief of Crowns
• Once Upon a Time
• Polluted Delta
• Teferi, Time Raveler
• Undercity Informer
• Underworld Breach
• Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
• Veil of Summer
• Walking Ballista
• Wilderness Reclamation
• Windswept Heath
• Winota, Joiner of Forces
• Wooded Foothills

Historic

Suspended

• None currently

Banned

• Ajani, Nacatl Pariah / Ajani, Nacatl Avenger
• Ancient Tomb
• Arid Mesa
• Blood Moon
• Bloodstained Mire
• Brainstorm
• Channel
• Chrome Mox
• Commandeer
• Crop Rotation
• Dark Depths.
• Dark Ritual
• Demonic Tutor
• Devoted Druid
• Eldrazi Temple
• Entomb
• Field of the Dead
• Fireblast
• Flare of Cultivation
• Flare of Denial
• Flare of Duplication
• Flare of Fortitude
• Flare of Malice
• Flooded Strand
• Food Chain
• Frantic Search
• Fury
• Grief
• Intruder Alarm
• Land Tax
• Lightning Bolt
• Mana Drain
• Marsh Flats
• Memory Lapse
• Mishra's Bauble
• Misty Rainforest
• Mox Opal
• Mystical Tutor
• Natural Order
• Necropotence
• Nexus of Fate
• Oko, Thief of Crowns
• Once Upon a Time
• Painter's Servant
• Polluted Delta
• Preordain
• Pyrokinesis
• Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
• Reanimate
• Scalding Tarn
• Scholar of the Lost Trove
• Seething Song
• Show and Tell
• Sneak Attack
• Solitude
• Spreading Seas
• Strip Mine
• Subtlety
• Swords to Plowshares
• Temporal Manipulation
• Thassa's Oracle
• Tibalt's Trickery
• Time Warp
• Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
• Veil of Summer
• Verdant Catacombs
• Windswept Heath
• Winter Moon
• Wooded Foothills

Rebalanced

Rebalanced cards have been modified in order to correct any metagame problems without having to remove cards from play altogether. Rebalancing is possible because these cards only exist in digital form.

• Leyline of Resonance (you may pay to copy spells replaced a free copy)
• Cori-Steel Cutter (+1/+1 and trample removed)
• Davriel's Withering (“target creature” replaced with “target creature an opponent controls”)
• Davriel, Soul Broker (“target creature” replaced with “target creature an opponent controls”)
• Faceless Agent (2/1 stats replaced with 2/2 stats)
• Omnath, Locus of Creation (costs instead of )
• Sarkhan, Wanderer to Shiv (second ability now +1 instead of +0)
• Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord (-3 ability limited to vampires with a mana value 6 or less)
• Subversive Acolyte (costs instead of , 2/2 stats replaced with 2/3 stats, activated ability grants 1 less toughness)
• Teferi, Time Raveler
• Winota, Joiner of Forces

Timeless

These cards are restricted to one copy in your deck and sideboard in Timeless:

• Channel
• Demonic Tutor
• Tibalt's Trickery

Historic Brawl

The following cards are banned in Historic Brawl and cannot be included in your deck or used as your commander:

• Agent of Treachery
• Ancient Tomb
• Chalice of the Void
• Channel
• Chrome Mox
• Disruptor Flute
• Demonic Tutor
• Drannith Magistrate
• Field of the Dead
• Gideon's Intervention
• Lutri, the Spellchaser
• Mana Drain
• Meddling Mage
• Natural Order
• Nexus of Fate
• Oko, Thief of Crowns
• Phyrexian Revoker
• Pithing Needle
• Runed Halo
• Sorcerous Spyglass
• Strip Mine
• Tainted Pact
• Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

Alchemy

• Cori-Steel Cutter
• Leyline of Resonance
• Monstrous Rage

Timeline of Bans in MTG

Time Walk | Illustration by Amy Weber

All right. Let’s take a look at the ban list updates from now back to July 2, 2018 when we got our first regular updates.

March 23, 2026

Historic

• Food Chain is banned.

February 9, 2026

Alchemy

• Kona, Rescue Beastie is rebalanced.
• Val, Marooned Surveyor is rebalanced.
• Dazzling Flameweaver is rebalanced.
• Marshland Hordemaster is rebalanced.
• Charged Conjuration is rebalanced.
• Tempest Trapper is rebalanced.
• Sanguine Soothsayer is rebalanced.
• Polterheist is rebalanced.
• Valiant Emberkin is rebalanced.
• Ethrimik, Imagined Friend is rebalanced.
• Network Marauder is rebalanced.
• Prototype X-8 is rebalanced.
• Sliver Weftwinder is rebalanced.

Commander

• Biorhythm is unbanned.
• Lutri, the Spellchaser is still banned as a companion, but unbanned for the 99.

Historic

• Eldrazi Temple is banned.
• Ajani, Nacatl Pariah / Ajani, Nacatl Avenger is banned.
• Crop Rotation is banned.
• Scholar of the Lost Trove is banned.

• Magus of the Moon is unbanned.
• Harbinger of the Seas is unbanned.
• Force of Vigor is unbanned.
• Force of Negation is unbanned.
• Endurance is unbanned.
• Wilderness Reclamation is unbanned.
• Agent of Treachery is unbanned.

Timeless

• Necropotence is restricted.

January 20, 2026

Historic

• Devoted Druid is banned.
• Painter's Servant is banned.

November 10, 2025

Standard

• Proft's Eidetic Memory is banned.
• Screaming Nemesis is banned.
• Vivi Ornitier is banned.

Pioneer

• Heartfire Hero is banned.

Legacy

• Entomb is banned.
• Nadu, Winged Wisdom is banned.

Pauper

• High Tide is banned.

Historic

• Dark Depths is pre-banned.
• Entomb is pre-banned.
• Force of Negation is pre-banned.
• Frantic Search is pre-banned.
• Mystical Tutor is pre-banned.

Brawl

• Ancient Tomb is banned.
• Chrome Mox is banned.
• Mana Drain is banned.
• Strip Mine is banned.

August 19, 2025

Historic

• Mox Opal is banned.

August 1, 2025

Historic

• Ancient Tomb is banned.
• Magus of the Moon is banned.
• Strip Mine is banned.

June 30, 2025

Full analysis on bans and unbans from June 30.

Standard

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

Alchemy

• Cori-Steel Cutter is suspended.
• Monstrous Rage is suspended.

Pioneer

• Tibalt's Trickery is banned in best of one on MTG Arena.

Historic

• Counterspell is unbanned.

October 20, 2025

Historic

• Fireblast is pre-banned.
• Preordain is pre-banned.
• Pyrokinesis is pre-banned.
• Seething Song is pre-banned.

August 19, 2025

Historic

• Mox Opal is banned.

August 1, 2025

Historic

• Ancient Tomb is banned.
• Magus of the Moon is banned.
• Strip Mine is banned.

June 30, 2025

Full analysis on bans and unbans from June 30.

Standard

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

Alchemy

• Cori-Steel Cutter is suspended.
• Monstrous Rage is suspended.

Pioneer

• Tibalt's Trickery is banned in best of one on MTG Arena.

Historic

• Counterspell is unbanned.

April 22, 2025

Commander

• Braids, Cabal Minion is unbanned
• Coalition Victory is unbanned
• Gifts Ungiven is unbanned
• Panoptic Mirror is unbanned
• Sway of the Stars is unbanned

March 31, 2025

Pauper

• Basking Broodscale is banned
• Kuldotha Rebirth is banned
• Deadly Dispute is banned
• Prophetic Prism is unbanned
• High Tide is unbanned

Modern

• Underworld Breach is banned

Legacy

• Sowing Mycospawn is banned
• Troll of Khazad-dûm is banned

February 11, 2024

Historic

• Chrome Mox is pre-banned

December 16, 2024

Modern

• The One Ring is banned.
• Amped Raptor is banned.
• Jegantha, the Wellspring is banned.
• Mox Opal is unbanned.
• Green Sun's Zenith is unbanned.
• Faithless Looting is unbanned.
• Splinter Twin is unbanned.

Legacy

• Psychic Frog is banned.
• Vexing Bauble is banned.

Pioneer and Explorer

• Jegantha, the Wellspring is banned in Pioneer and Explorer.

November 12, 2024

Alchemy

• Monstrous Rage is banned in Alchemy.

Historic

• Temporal Manipulation is banned in Historic.

October 22, 2024

Standard on Arena

• Leyline of Resonance is banned in Best-of-One Constructed on Arena.

Alchemy

• Leyline of Resonance is suspended.

September 23, 2024

Commander

• Dockside Extortionist
• Jeweled Lotus
• Mana Crypt
• Nadu, Winged Wisdom

August 26th, 2024

Pioneer

• Amalia Benavides Aguirre
• Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord

Modern

• Nadu, Winged Wisdom
• Grief

Legacy

• Grief

Vintage

• Urza's Saga is restricted.
• Vexing Bauble is restricted.

Explorer

• Amalia Benavides Aguirre
• Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord

June 24, 2024

• No new bans in any formats!

June 6, 2024

Pauper

• Cranial Ram is banned

June 3, 2024

Historic

The following are banned in Arena's Historic.

• Bloodstained Mire
• Endurance
• Flare of Cultivation
• Flare of Denial
• Flare of Duplication
• Flare of Fortitude
• Flare of Malice
• Flooded Strand
• Fury
• Grief
• Harbinger of the Seas
• Polluted Delta
• Solitude
• Subtlety
• Windswept Heath
• Winter Moon
• Wooded Foothills

Brawl

• Disruptor Flute is banned

May 13, 2024

Legacy and Vintage:

All cards that bring a sticker or an attraction into the game are banned.

Sticker Cards:

• Aerialephant
• Ambassador Blorpityblorpboop
• Baaallerina
• _____ Balls of Fire
• Bioluminary
• _____ Bird Gets the Worm
• Carnival Carnivore
• Chicken Troupe
• Clandestine Chameleon
• Command Performance
• Done for the Day
• Fight the _____ Fight
• Finishing Move
• Glitterflitter
• _____ Goblin
• Last Voyage of the _____
• Lineprancers
• Make a _____ Splash
• Minotaur de Force
• _____ -o-saurus
• Park Bleater
• Pin Collection
• Prize Wall
• Proficient Pyrodancer
• Robo-Piñata
• _____  _____ Rocketship
• Roxi, Publicist to the Stars
• Scampire
• Stiltstrider
• Sword-Swallowing Seraph
• Ticketomaton
• _____  _____  _____ Trespasser
• Tusk and Whiskers
• Wicker Picker
• Wizards of the _____
• Wolf in _____ Clothing

Attraction Cards:

• Coming Attraction
• Complaints Clerk
• Deadbeat Attendant
• Dee Kay, Finder of the Lost
• Discourtesy Clerk
• Draconian Gate-Bot
• “Lifetime” Pass Holder
• Line Cutter
• Monitor Monitor
• Myra the Magnificent
• Petting Zookeeper
• Quick Fixer
• Rad Rascal
• Ride Guide
• Seasoned Buttoneer
• Soul Swindler
• Spinnerette, Arachnobat
• Squirrel Squatters
• Step Right Up
• The Most Dangerous Gamer

Pauper

• All That Glitters: banned.

April 8, 2024

Historic

• Commandeer: banned
• Force of Vigor: banned
• Mana Drain: banned
• Reanimate: banned

March, 11, 2024

Modern

• Violent Outburst: banned

Vintage

• Ponder: unbanned (unrestricted)

February, 6, 2024

Historic

• Show and Tell: banned

December 4, 2023

Pioneer

• Geological Appraiser: banned
• Karn, the Great Creator: banned
• Smuggler's Copter: unbanned

Modern

• Fury: banned
• Up the Beanstalk: banned

Explorer

• Geological Appraiser: banned
• Karn, the Great Creator: banned

Pauper

• Monastery Swiftspear: banned

September 5, 2023

Historic

• Blood Moon: banned
• Intruder Alarm: banned
• Land Tax: banned
• Necropotence: banned
• Sneak Attack: banned
• Spreading Seas: banned

August 7, 2023

Modern

• Preordain: unbanned

Legacy

• Mind's Desire: unbanned

May 29, 2023

Standard

• Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
• Invoke Despair
• Reckoner Bankbuster

October 10, 2022

Standard

Modern

September 19, 2022

Pauper

• Aarakocra Sneak: banned
• Stirring Bard: banned
• Underdark Explorer: banned
• Vicious Battlerager: banned

August 10, 2022

Historic Brawl

• Chalice of the Void: banned

July 5, 2022

Alchemy

• Grinning Ignus: banned

Historic

• Winota, Joiner of Forces: unbanned and nerfed

June 8, 2022

Explorer

• Expressive Iteration: banned

Pioneer

• Expressive Iteration: banned
• Winota, Joiner of Forces: banned

May 12, 2022

Explorer

• Winota, Joiner of Forces: banned
• Tibalt's Trickery: banned

January 25, 2022

Standard

• Alrund's Epiphany: banned
• Divide by Zero: banned
• Faceless Haven: banned

Legacy

• Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer: banned

Historic

• Memory Lapse: banned (from suspended)
• Teferi Time Raveler: unbanned (rebalanced and nerfed)

January 21, 2022

Pauper

• Atog: banned
• Bonder's Ornament: banned
• Prophetic Prism: banned

December 9, 2021

Historic Brawl

• Agent of Treachery: banned
• Field of the Dead: banned
• Ugin, the Spirit Dragon: banned

October 14, 2021

Historic

• Memory Lapse: suspended
• Tibalt's Trickery: banned
• Brainstorm: banned (from suspended)
• Davriel's Withering: rebalanced (“target creature” replaced with “target creature an opponent controls”)
• Davriel, Soul Broker: rebalanced (“target creature” replaced with “target creature an opponent controls”)
• Faceless Agent: rebalanced (2/1 stats replaced with 2/2 stats)
• Sarkhan, Wanderer to Shiv: rebalanced (second ability now +1 instead of +0)
• Subversive Acolyte: rebalanced (costs instead of , 2/2 stats replaced with 2/3 stats, activated ability grants 1 less toughness)

September 24, 2021

Standard

• Omnath, Locus of Creation: banned

September 13, 2021

Commander

• Golos, Tireless Pilgrim: banned
• Worldfire: unbanned

September 8, 2021

Pauper

• Chatterstorm: banned
• Sojourner's Companion: banned

July 22, 2021

Historic

• Brainstorm: suspended

July 12, 2021

Commander

• Hullbreacher: banned

June 16, 2021

Historic Brawl

• Golos, Tireless Pilgrim: unbanned
• Winota, Joiner of Forces: unbanned

June 10, 2021

Historic

• Time Warp: banned

May 20, 2021

Historic

• Thassa's Oracle: banned

April 13, 2021

Historic

• Channel: banned
• Counterspell: banned
• Dark Ritual: banned
• Demonic Tutor: banned
• Lightning Bolt: banned
• Natural Order: banned
• Swords to Plowshares: banned

Historic Brawl

• Channel: banned
• Demonic Tutor: banned
• Natural Order: banned
• Tainted Pact: banned

February 15, 2021

Historic

• Omnath, Locus of Creation: banned (no longer suspended)
• Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath: banned

Pioneer

• Balustrade Spy: banned
• Teferi, Time Raveler: banned
• Undercity Informer: banned
• Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath: banned
• Wilderness Reclamation: banned

Modern

• Field of the Dead: banned
• Mystic Sanctuary: banned
• Simian Spirit Guide: banned
• Tibalt's Trickery: banned
• Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath: banned

Legacy

• Arcum's Astrolabe: banned
• Dreadhorder Arcanist: banned
• Oko, Thief of Crowns: banned

Vintage

• Lurrus of the Dream-Den: unbanned

Cascade Rules Change

• Cascade rules amended to fix Valki, God of Lies / Violent Outburst interaction

January 14, 2021

Pauper

• Fall from Favor: banned

October 12, 2020

Standard

• Omnath, Locus of Creation: banned
• Lucky Clover: banned
• Escape to the Wilds: banned

Historic

• Burning-Tree Emissary: unsuspended
• Omnath, Locus of Creation: suspended
• Teferi, Time Raveler: banned
• Wilderness Reclamation: banned

Brawl

• Omnath, Locus of Creation: banned

September 28, 2020

Standard

• Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath: banned

August 24, 2020

Historic

• Field of the Dead: banned

August 3, 2020

Standard

• Cauldron Familiar: banned
• Growth Spiral: banned
• Teferi, Time Raveler: banned
• Wilderness Reclamation: banned

Pioneer

• Inverter of Truth: banned
• Kethis, the Hidden Hand: banned
• Underworld Breach: banned
• Walking Ballista: banned

Historic

• Wilderness Reclamation: suspended
• Teferi, Time Raveler: suspended

Brawl

• Teferi, Time Raveler: banned

July 13, 2020

Historic

• Agent of Treachery: banned (from suspended)
• Winota, Joiner of Forces: banned (from suspended)
• Fires of Invention: banned (from suspended)
• Nexus of Fate: banned
• Burning-Tree Emissary: suspended

Pioneer

• Oath of Nissa: unbanned

Modern

• Arcum's Astrolabe: banned

Pauper

• Expedition Map: banned
• Mystic Sanctuary: banned

June 1, 2020

Standard

• Agent of Treachery: banned
• Fires of Invention: banned

Historic

• Agent of Treachery: suspended
• Fires of Invention: suspended

May 18, 2020

Brawl

• Drannith Magistrate: banned
• Winota, Joiner of Forces: banned

Legacy

• Lurrus of the Dream-Den: banned
• Zirda, the Dawnwaker: banned

Vintage

• Lurrus of the Dream-Den: banned

April 13, 2020

Brawl

• Lutri, the Spellchaser: banned

March 9, 2020

Brawl

• Golos, Tireless Pilgrim: banned

Historic

• Field of the Dead: unsuspended
• Oko, Thief of Crowns: banned (from suspended)
• Once Upon a Time: banned (from suspended)
• Veil of Summer: banned (from suspended)

Legacy

• Underworld Breach: banned

Modern

• Once Upon a Time: banned

December 2, 2019

Pioneer

• Field of the Dead: banned
• Once Upon a Time: banned
• Smuggler's Copter: banned

November 18, 2019

Standard

• Oko, Thief of Crowns: banned
• Once Upon a Time: banned
• Veil of Summer: banned

Brawl

• Oko, Thief of Crowns: banned

Legacy

• Wrenn and Six: banned

Vintage

• Narset, Parter of Veils: restricted

November 11, 2019

Pioneer

• Veil of Summer: banned

November 4, 2019

Pioneer

• Felidar Guardian: banned
• Leyline of Abundance: banned
• Oath of Nissa: banned

October 21, 2019

Pioneer

• Bloodstained Mire: banned
• Flooded Strand: banned
• Polluted Delta: banned
• Wooded Foothills: banned
• Windswept Heath: banned

Standard

• Field of the Dead: banned

Pauper

• Arcum's Astrolabe: banned

August 26, 2019

Standard

• Rampaging Ferocidon: unbanned

Modern

• Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis: banned
• Faithless Looting: banned
• Stoneforge Mystic: unbanned

Vintage

• Karn, the Great Creator: restricted
• Mystic Forge: restricted
• Mental Misstep: restricted
• Golgari Grave-Troll: restricted
• Fastbond: unrestricted

July 8, 2019

Modern

• Bridge from Below: banned

June 27, 2019

Pauper

• High Tide: banned
• Hymn to Tourach: banned
• Sinkhole: banned

May 20, 2019

Pauper

• Daze: banned
• Gitaxian Probe: banned
• Gush: banned

January 21, 2019

Modern

• Krark-Clan Ironworks: banned

July 2, 2018

Legacy

• Deathrite Shaman: banned
• Gitaxian Probe: banned

Banlist Trivia

The B&R list has lots of myth, trivia, and legend around it, though not many easter eggs. For example, there have been more cards banned in Standard since 2017 than before 2017. This is absolutely insane, and I’m not going to keep going on about power creep, but it’s definitely a telling statistic.

Also, the artist with the most cards banned in any format is Mark Tedin with 9 in Legacy, which is very interesting. He’s probably the most powerful Magic artist. It really makes you think about how many of the most iconic cards have been helmed by his art.

Adieu

Finale of Revelation | Illustration by Johann Bodin

Don't forget that at less than mythic-rarity, Wizards will unban a card, just don't expect them and they'll be a surprise.

Well, that’s it from me today. What is your opinion about the banlist, or do you have any cool trivia? Let me know in the comments and let's discuss on Draftsim's Discord.

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Thank you for reading my compendium on bans, restrictions, and cardboard. Savor some ice cream, and I hope to see you again. Have a good one!