Released MTG Banned and Unbanned List: March 31st 2025
The long-awaited bans and unbans for Magic the Gathering has finally arrived!
Following much discussion and speculation, here is the recently released list of banned and unbanned cards for most of Magic the Gathering formats:
Commander:
| TBA at later date |
Standard:
| No changes |
Pioneer:
| No changes |
Modern:
| Banned: |
Unbanned: |
| Underworld Breach |
Legacy:
| Banned: |
Unbanned: |
|
Sowing Mycospawn |
Vintage:
| No changes |
Pauper:
| Banned: |
Unbanned: |
|
Basking Broodscale |
Prophetic Prism |
Alchemy:
| No changes |
Explorer:
| No changes |
Historic:
| No changes |
Timeless:
| No changes |
Brawl:
| No changes |
Effective Date: March 31, 2025
Next Announcement Date: June 30, 2025
Now lets go over some of the banned cards and strategies of how they effected MTG gameplay:
Commander - TBA
The ban list and restrictions for Commander was not announced with the rest of the formats. This to be announced at a later date.
Standard - No Changes
The Standard format is doing well and no changes with this announcement and banning cards only if something truly problematic to the health of the format emerges. Tarkir: Dragonstorm and Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY™ will have a chance to make an impact on Standard before it rotates with Edge of Eternities.
Pioneer - No Changes
The Pioneer metagame is balanced and diverse, with a wide variety of viable play styles and no problematic win or play rates. New cards from the last year have been adopted into a variety of archetypes without upsetting the balance of the format. We are satisfied with the current state of Pioneer and have no changes planned.
Modern - Underworld Breach is banned.
The December update to the Modern banned list revitalized the format, with Mox Opal, Green Sun's Zenith, and Faithless Looting appearing in several decks.
Green Sun's Zenith's inclusion in Yawgmoth and Amulet Titan combo decks was expected and welcomed. Similarly, Faithless Looting's invigoration of graveyard-centric decks like Hollow One was a positive outcome. However, the combination of Mox Opal and Underworld Breach to create a powerful and resilient combo deck was an undesirable result.
Legacy - Sowing Mycospawn and Troll of Khazad-dûm is banned.
Dimir Reanimator has been the strongest deck in Legacy for almost two years due to Troll of Khazad-dûm. This card enables Reanimator to play a fair or unfair game by including cards like Reanimate and Animate Dead without needing to play many large creatures or discard cards. Reanimator is a core part of Legacy's identity, but it's more fun and less frustrating as a synergy deck. Therefore, Troll of Khazad-dûm is banned.
Vintage - No Changes
The restriction of Urza's Saga last August aimed to reduce Lurrus's prevalence by weakening decks using cheap artifacts. While Lurrus Saga decks are gone and Lurrus deck diversity has increased, so has Lurrus's metagame share. Lurrus was banned in 2020-2021 and unbanned later as an experiment. The discussion about whether to ban Lurrus again remains open. The metagame would need to be much staler and have a higher metagame share for Lurrus to be banned. While the companion mechanic isn't a logistical issue, its interaction with Vintage and the restricted list makes banning in Vintage possible.
The overall Vintage metagame looks healthy, and Lurrus's presence doesn't seem to stifle deck diversity and innovation.
Pauper - Basking Broodscale, Kuldotha Rebirth, Deadly Dispute is banned.
- Prophetic Prism, High Tide is unbanned.
Pauper has announced several card changes, including bans and unbans. Basking Broodscale, Deadly Dispute, and Kuldotha Rebirth are being banned to remove the Broodscale Combo deck and reduce the power of the Ichor Wellspring-sacrifice engine and Mono-Red decks. High Tide and Prophetic Prism are being unbanned.
Alchemy - No changes
Rebalances ensure a balanced metagame, as shown by recent changes to life-gain and heist decks. New Alchemy: Aetherdrift cards have also impacted the format. We will continue to use rebalances to maintain a dynamic metagame, with another update planned during Alchemy: Tarkir's release. We're excited about the current state of Alchemy and believe it's the perfect time for an Arena Championship Qualifier weekend coming in May.
Explorer - No changes
The difference between Explorer and Pioneer has become negligible since the release of Pioneer Masters. Cards not on MTG Arena are being monitored in the Pioneer competitive metagame.
Historic - No changes
The Historic format on MTG Arena remains diverse with no single deck dominating. A new Boros Enchantments deck has emerged, competing with established archetypes. The Energy Aggro deck is being monitored and rebalanced to maintain a healthy metagame.
Timeless - No changes
Chrome Mox was the biggest addition to Timeless, offering quick mana-ramp at the expense of a card from your hand. The card was widely played when it was released alongside Aetherdrift, but its popularity has declined since then because its effect isn't beneficial to all decks.
Chrome Mox and Brightglass Gearhulk have contributed to the rise of a Birthing Ritual deck, which has become a top performer. Early data shows that this archetype is competitive against Show and Tell, Charbelcher, and Energy Aggro. It will be interesting to observe whether it can sustain this performance as counterplays are established in MTG Arena's strongest format.
Brawl - No changes
MTG Arena's Brawl format is increasingly popular. Players enjoy the unique 100-card Singleton format and new commanders with each Alchemy release. Currently, 85% of Brawl matches are balanced, and we will continue to monitor and adjust matchmaking.
Current Ban List:
Here's a list of what cards are currently banned, restricted and suspended:
The Following list applies to ALL FORMATS:
25 cards with the Card Type “Conspiracy.”
9 cards that reference "playing for "Playing for Ante."
Cards whose art, text, name, or combination thereof that are racially or culturally offensive are banned in all formats. This list is a work in progress.
All cards that bring a Sticker or Attraction into the game are banned.
Conspiracy Ban List:Adriana's Valor |
|
Playing for Ante Ban List:Amulet of Quoz |
Jeweled Bird |
Arts, Names or Combination Ban List:Invoke Prejudice |
|
Stickers Ban List:Aerialephant |
|
Attraction Ban List:Coming Attraction |
|
Commander Ban List:
|
Ancestral Recall |
Hullbreacher |
Paradox Engine |
Standard Banned List:
| Leyline of Resonance (only in MTG Arena Best-of-One) |
Modern Banned List:
|
Amped Raptor |
Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis |
Summer Bloom |
Vintage Banned and Restricted List:
Banned:
|
Chaos Orb |
Falling Star |
Shahrazad |
Restricted:
|
Ancestral Recall |
Lodestone Golem |
Necropotence |
Legacy Banned List:
|
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 Expressive Iteration Falling Star Fastbond Flash Frantic Search Gitaxian Probe Goblin Recruiter Grief Gush Hermit Druid |
Imperial Seal |
Skullclamp |
Pauper Banned List:
|
Aarakocra Sneak |
Galvanic Relay |
Pioneer Banned List:
|
Amalia Benavides Aguirre |
Oko, Thief of Crowns |
Historic Banned and Suspended List:
Banned:
|
Agent of Treachery |
Flooded Strand |
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer |
Timeless Banned and Restricted List:
Restricted:
|
Channel |
Demonic Tutor |
Tibalt’s Trickery |
Brawl Banned List:
|
Agent of Treachery |
Natural Order |
Explorer Banned List:
|
Amalia Benavides Aguirre |
Leyline of Abundance |
Tibalt's Trickery |
Alchemy Banned List:
|
Leyline of Resonance |
Monstrous Rage |
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