On December 16, 2024, Wizards of the Coast released a significant update to Magic: The Gathering’s banned and restricted lists, impacting multiple formats to enhance gameplay balance and diversity. In this article, we’ve summarized the MTG Ban List Update.
Modern Format:
- Banned:
- The One Ring
- Amped Raptor
- Jegantha, the Wellspring
- Unbanned:
- Mox Opal
- Green Sun’s Zenith
- Faithless Looting
- Splinter Twin
These changes aim to address the dominance of certain strategies and reintroduce previously banned cards to diversify deck-building options.
This is not the first time Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has unbanned cards from a ban list in Magic: The Gathering. Over the years, WotC has occasionally unbanned cards in various formats when they determine that the card is no longer problematic due to shifts in the metagame, power level adjustments, or changes in card pool dynamics. Here are some notable examples of past unbans:
Modern Format:
- Sword of the Meek was unbanned in 2016 after the format evolved, and the combo with Thopter Foundry was no longer oppressive.
- Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Bloodbraid Elf were unbanned in 2018 after being considered safe for Modern’s metagame.
Pioneer Format:
- Banned:
- Jegantha, the Wellspring
This ban targets the prevalence of Jegantha in Pioneer, seeking to encourage a wider variety of deck archetypes.
Legacy Format:
- Banned:
- Psychic Frog
- Vexing Bauble
These MTG ban list updates are intended to curb strategies that have been disruptive to the Legacy metagame, promoting a healthier competitive environment.
No changes were made to the Standard, Vintage, Alchemy, Historic, Timeless, or Brawl formats in this announcement.
MTG Ban List Update
Banning and unbanning cards is often seen as a way to reintroduce diversity into a format or shake up a stagnant metagame. However, it is typically done cautiously, with extensive testing and community feedback considered.
You can view the entire list of banned cards on the official WotC website here. The next update to the MTG ban list is expected to arrive on March 31, 2025.