The latest Magic: The Gathering banlist
No way of reviving these banned cards.
Updated to reflect the updated MTG banlist that came into effect on 8 April 2024
The MTG banlist is crucial to deciding what cards you can bring to the table when playing Magic: The Gathering. The ever-evolving list from Wizards of the Coast bans and restricts previously released cards, so that cards that end up becoming too powerful and give players an unfair advantage can't be used in tournaments.
Wizards of the Coast has recently changed its approach to updating the banlist and is creating a more flexible approach to updating it, stating that "Future banned and restricted announcements will occur two to five weeks after each set's release." This does depend on which formatting you are playing though, so it's still worth getting familiar with the banlist update cycles and the latest releases.
Because Magic: The Gathering is a three-decade old game that spans many different sets and rules, there isn't one overarching banlist. You'll have to look through the banned and restricted list for the format you're playing, whether that's Commander, Standard, Historic or any other format. Luckily for you, we've rounded up all the different banlists below.
It's important to note that besides the banlists for specific formats, there are a number of cards that are universally banned across the board. Cards which reference "playing for ante" or belong to the 'conspiracy' card type are universally banned, as are previously released cards that Wizards of the Coast has reviewed and now deems racially or culturally offensive.
MTG Commander banlist
Commander is a format in Magic: The Gathering where players choose a legendary creature as their commander and build the rest of their deck around its abilities and colours. Here are the banned cards for this format:
- Ancestral Recall
- Balance
- Biorhythm
- Black Lotus
- Braids, Cabal Minion
- Chaos Orb
- Coalition Victory
- Channel
- Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
- Erayo, Soratami Ascendant
- Falling Star
- Fastbond
- Flash
- Gifts Ungiven
- Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
- Griselbrand
- Hullbreacher
- Iona, Shield of Emeria
- Karakas
- Leovold, Emissary of Trest
- Library of Alexandria
- Limited Resources
- Lutri, the Spellchaser
- Mox Emerald
- Mox Jet
- Mox Pearl
- Mox Ruby
- Mox Sapphire
- Panoptic Mirror
- Paradox Engine
- Primeval Titan
- Prophet of Kruphix
- Recurring Nightmare
- Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
- Shahrazad
- Sundering Titan
- Sway of the Stars
- Sylvan Primordial
- Time Vault
- Time Walk
- Tinker
- Tolarian Academy
- Trade Secrets
- Upheaval
- Yawgmoth's Bargain
MTG Standard banlist
Here are all the banned cards for MTG Standard:
- The Meathook Massacre
- Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
- Invoke Despair
- Reckoner Bankbuster
MTG Modern banlist
Modern covers Magic: The Gathering cards from the eighth edition to today:
- 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
- Faithless Looting
- Field of the Dead
- Fury
- Gitaxian Probe
- Glimpse of Nature
- Golgari Grave-Troll
- Great Furnace
- Green Sun's Zenith
- Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis
- Hypergenesis
- Krark-Clan Ironworks
- Lurrus of the Dream-Den
- Mental Misstep
- Mox Opal
- Mycosynth Lattice
- Mystic Sanctuary
- 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
- Splinter Twin
- Summer Bloom
- Tibalt's Trickery
- Treasure Cruise
- Tree of Tales
- Umezawa's Jitte
- Up the Beanstalk
- Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
- Vault of Whispers
- Violent Outburst
- Yorion, Sky Nomad
MTG Vintage banlist
The vintage format lets you use any card from Magic: The Gathering's history - apart from banned cards. There are only a few banned cards for MTG Vintage:
- Chaos Orb
- Falling Star
- Shahrazad
Besides banned cards, there are also a number of restricted cards in MTG Vintage. You can only have one of these in your main deck and sideboard:
- 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
- Vampiric Tutor
- Wheel of Fortune
- Windfall
- Yawgmoth's Will
MTG Legacy banlist
Here are all the MTG cards that are banned from Legacy tournaments:
- 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
- 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
- Necropotence
- Oath of Druids
- Oko, Thief of Crowns
- Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
- Sensei's Divining Top
- Shahrazad
- Skullclamp
- Sol Ring
- Strip Mine
- Survival of the Fittest
- Time Vault
- Time Walk
- Timetwister
- Tinker
- Tolarian Academy
- Treasure Cruise
- Underworld Breach
- Vampiric Tutor
- Wheel of Fortune
- White Plume Adventurer
- Windfall
- Wrenn and Six
- Yawgmoth's Bargain
- Yawgmoth's Will
- Zirda, the Dawnwaker
MTG Block Constructed banlist
These Magic: The Gathering cards are banned in Block Constructed tournaments:
- Intangible Virtue (Innistrad-Avacyn Restored block)
- Lingering Souls (Innistrad-Avacyn Restored block)
- AEther Vial (Mirrodin block)
- Ancient Den (Mirrodin block)
- Arcbound Ravager (Mirrodin block)
- Darksteel Citadel (Mirrodin block)
- Disciple of the Vault (Mirrodin block)
- Great Furnace (Mirrodin block)
- Seat of the Synod (Mirrodin block)
- Tree of Tales (Mirrodin block)
- Vault of Whispers (Mirrodin block)
- Skullclamp (Mirrodin block)
- Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero (Masques block)
- Rishadan Port (Masques block)
- Gaea's Cradle (Urza block)
- Memory Jar (Urza block)
- Serra's Sanctum (Urza block)
- Time Spiral (Urza block)
- Tolarian Academy (Urza block)
- Voltaic Key (Urza block)
- Windfall (Urza block)
- Cursed Scroll (Tempest block)
- Squandered Resources (Mirage block)
- Amulet of Quoz (Ice Age Block)
- Thawing Glaciers (Ice Age block)
- Zuran Orb (Ice Age block)
MTG Brawl banlist
Brawl is a format in Magic: The Gathering which combines the Standard and Commander formats. Players use a deck that contains 60 cards, including one commander card.
Here's a list of every card banned from Brawl decks:
- Chalice of the Void
- Drannith Magistrate
- Lutri, the Spellchaser
- Oko, Thief of Crowns
- Omnath, Locus of Creation
- Runed Halo
- Sorcerous Spyglass
- Winota, Joiner of Forces
- Pithing Needle
If you're planning on playing a game of MTG Brawl, it's important to point out that the banlist for the Standard format doesn't apply to it.
MTG Pauper banlist
Pauper is another MTG format, where players build a 60 card deck using common rarity cards. Here are all the banned Pauper cards:
- Aarakocra Sneak
- Arcum's Astrolabe
- Atog
- Bonder's Ornament
- Chatterstorm
- Cloud of Faeries
- Cloudpost
- Cranial Plating
- Daze
- Disciple of the Vault
- Empty the Warrens
- Fall from Favor
- Frantic Search
- Galvanic Relay
- Gitaxian Probe
- Grapeshot
- Gush
- High Tide
- Hymn to Tourach
- Invigorate
- Monastery Swiftspear
- Mystic Sanctuary
- Peregrine Drake
- Prophetic Prism
- Sinkhole
- Sojourner's Companion
- Stirring Bard
- Temporal Fissure
- Treasure Cruise
- Underdark Explorer
- Vicious Battlerager
MTG Pioneer banlist
Pioneer is a format that features cards from Return to Ravnica onwards. Decks are meant to be more powerful than Standard, but less powerful than Modern and Legacy.
If you're thinking of trying out this format, there are quite a few banned cards:
- Balustrade Spy
- Bloodstained Mire
- Expressive Iteration
- Felidar Guardian
- Field of the Dead
- Flooded Strand
- Geological Appraiser
- Inverter of Truth
- 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
MTG Historic banlist
Historic is a digital format for MTG Arena, and is the app's largest constructed format, consisting of both old and new cards.
Here are all the banned cards from Historic:
- Agent of Treachery
- Blood Moon
- Brainstorm
- Channel
- Commandeer
- Counterspell
- Dark Ritual
- Demonic Tutor
- Force of Vigor
- Field of the Dead
- Intruder Alarm
- Land Tax
- Lightning Bolt
- Mana Drain
- Memory Lapse
- Natural Order
- Necropotence
- Nexus of Fate
- Oko, Thief of Crowns
- Once Upon a Time
- Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
- Reanimate
- Show and Tell
- Sneak Attack
- Spreading Seas
- Swords to Plowshares
- Thassa's Oracle
- Tibalt's Trickery
- Time Warp
- Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
- Veil of Summer
- Wilderness Reclamation
The Historic card pool is also used for a version of Brawl. If you're thinking of playing Historic Brawl, make sure you don't have these cards in your deck:
- Runed Halo
- Gideon's Intervention
- Meddling Mage
- Pithing Needle
MTG Explorer banlist
Explorer is another digital format for MTG Arena, which this time around features legal cards from the Pioneer format.
There are a number of cards you can't use in Explorer:
- Expressive Iteration
- Field of the Dead
- Geological Appraiser
- 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
- Teferi, Time Raveler
- Tibalt's Trickery
- Underworld Breach
- Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
- Veil of Summer
- Wilderness Reclamation
- Winota, Joiner of Forces
MTG Alchemy banlist
Alchemy is another digital format for MTG Arena, which is based on the Standard card pool. So far, there aren't any banned cards for Alchemy.
That's it for our MTG banlist. For more Magic content, head to our pages on the rarest and most expensive MTG cards, the Magic: The Gathering release schedule for 2023 and the best decks for MTG Arena.