The Gathering Bans A number of OP Playing cards

Magic: The Gathering‘s Banned and Restricted publish for November 10 confirms that a number of OP playing cards at the moment are banned throughout 5 totally different codecs. Beforehand scheduled for late November, the Banned and Restricted publish printed in the present day was moved up in an effort to hold issues extra balanced in Magic: The Gathering. With some format-warping playing cards, the metagame was removed from a wholesome one in latest tournaments, and it was clear that some playing cards needed to go.

Wizards of the Coast said that it would not need to do emergency bans all year long as a result of it means altering the codecs an excessive amount of forward of necessary tournaments, which led to the state of Commonplace, particularly, being disastrous for months on finish. The principle offender right here was MTG‘s Vivi Ornitier, which got here out with Remaining Fantasy in June, and shortly after the ban window in the identical month, it began starring within the Izzet Cauldron deck. Now, Vivi is banned alongside a number of different highly effective playing cards, and never solely in Commonplace.

Say Goodbye to Vivi Ornitier in Magic: The Gathering

The record of banned playing cards spans Commonplace, Pioneer, Legacy, Pauper, and Brawl for a complete of 11 playing cards, whereas no unbans have been introduced. There are additionally 5 pre-bans in Historic. The record contains:

Commonplace
- Vivi Ornitier is banned.
- Screaming Nemesis is banned.
- Proft’s Eideitc Reminiscence is banned.
Pioneer
- Heartfire Hero is banned.
Trendy
Legacy
- Entomb is banned.
- Nadu, Winged Knowledge is banned.
Classic
Pauper
- Excessive Tide is banned (once more).
Alchemy
Historic
- Power of Negation is pre-banned.
- Frantic Search is pre-banned.
- Mystical Tutor is pre-banned.
- Entomb is pre-banned.
- Darkish Depths is pre-banned.
Timeless
Brawl
- Strip Mine is banned.
- Mana Drain is banned.
- Chrome Mox is banned.
- Historic Tomb is banned.

Wizards of the Coast additionally confirms that the subsequent date for Magic: The Gathering bans, restricted, and unbans is about on February 9, 2026.

The Vivi Ornitier ban in MTG might be not stunning to followers, as WotC had already said in its earlier publish about shifting the November Banned and Restricted announcement that Vivi was being closely thought of for a ban. This occurred in the present day, and the reasoning is that it’s extra more likely to trigger steadiness points within the format if different playing cards are banned, as a substitute, like Agatha’s Soul Cauldron.

Mono-Red losing Screaming Nemesis in MTG can harm the deck, however seeing the way it’s already the most effective within the format and it is getting much more good playing cards within the Avatar set, this ban was unavoidable. Proft’s Eidetic Reminiscence additionally brought about steadiness points, like in Jeskai Oculus, earlier than Izzet Cauldron was a factor.

Apparently, MTG‘s Hearthfire Hero was banned in Standard in June, and it is now being banned in Pioneer for very related causes. Likewise, Nadu, Winged Knowledge has been banned in a number of codecs as a consequence of how robust and time-consuming it’s, enabling too many combos. For these causes, it is banned in Legacy alongside a Dimir Reanimator staple — Entomb. The meta for all these codecs will inevitably should evolve now, and Avatar on November 21 could also be what kickstarts it.