Along with increasing the frequency of their Magic: The Gathering (MTG) releases over the years, Wizards of the Coast have also begun to provide consistent updates to their Banned and Restricted card lists for each format. In a 2023 update by Wizards designer Dan Musser, he confirmed that banned and restricted announcements will now be made within two to five weeks after the release of a set.
Whether you’re playing Commander at your Local Games Store (LGS) or preparing a decklist for a Modern Challenge tournament, it’s essential that you’re up to date on what cards are legal in your format of choice.
The Difference between Banned and Restricted cards
Banned Cards
Banned cards in Magic: The Gathering are exactly what they sound like. These cards can’t be used in your deck or sideboard, otherwise your deck would be considered illegal to play. You’ll be expected to play with a legal deck even in casual settings unless you’ve discussed it with your playgroup or players at your LGS.
Restricted Cards
Restricted lists are currently only used in the Vintage and Timeless formats. If a card is on the restricted list, only a single copy can be included within a deck and sideboard. This keeps the most powerful cards from being used over and over again, making it much more important for players to time their casts wisely.
Why does Wizards of the Coast ban or restrict cards?
In many competitive games, balance changes are necessary in order to sustain a healthy gameplay environment; Magic: The Gathering is no exception. But with over 30,000+ cards and counting, reprinting cards with minor changes isn’t feasible. And let’s face it, no player wants to take a Sharpie to their foils and adjust the power or toughness of their creatures.
MTG’s solution is simple: Ban or restrict the cards that are disrupting the play environment or simply take the fun out of games. This policy has worked well for decades and isn’t likely to change anytime soon. Due to MTG’s rapid growth, some cards have managed to become unbanned due to the release of more forms of counterplay, effectively making previously overpowered cards reasonable for play.
MTG Banned and Restricted lists for all formats
Most recent MTG Banned and Restricted lists update: May 13, 2024
Next MTG Banned and Restricted lists update: June 24, 2024
This list includes cards indefinitely banned for racially or culturally offensive features, “Conspiracy” cards, and “Playing for ante” cards.
- Adriana’s Valor
- Advantageous Proclamation
- Amulet of Quoz
- Assemble the Rank and Vile
- Backup Plan
- Brago’s Favor
- Bronze Tablet
- Cleanse
- Contract from Below
- Crusade
- Darkpact
- Demonic Attorney
- Double Stroke
- Echoing Boon
- Emissary’s Ploy
- Hired Heist
- Hold the Perimeter
- Hymn of the Wilds
- Immediate Action
- Imprison
- Incendiary Dissent
- Invoke Prejudice
- Iterative Analysis
- Jeweled Bird
- Jihad
- Muzzio’s Preparations
- Natural Unity
- Power Play
- Pradesh Gypsies
- Rebirth
- Secret Summoning
- Secrets of Paradise
- Sentinel Dispatch
- Sovereign’s Realm
- Stone-Throwing Devils
- Summoner’s Bond
- Tempest Efreet
- Timmerian Fiends
- Unexpected Potential
- Weight Advantage
- Worldknit
- The Meathook Massacre
- Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
- Invoke Despair
- Reckoner Bankbuster
- 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
- 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
All Sticker Cards (A list of these cards can be found in the next section)
All Attraction Cards (A list of these cards can be found in the next section)
- 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
Banned List
All Sticker Cards (A list of these cards can be found in the next section)
All Attraction Cards (A list of these cards can be found in the next section)
- Chaos Orb
- Falling Star
- Shahrazad
Restricted List
- 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
- 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
All Sticker Cards (A list of these cards can be found in the next section)
All Attraction Cards (A list of these cards can be found in the next section)
- 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
Banned List
No cards are banned at the moment.
Restricted List
- Channel
- Demonic Tutor
- Tibalt’s Trickery
All Sticker and Attraction cards in MTG
- 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
- 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
Banned and Restricted Lists for digital formats exclusive to MTG Arena
- Agent of Treachery
- Chalice of the Void
- Channel
- Demonic Tutor
- Drannith Magistrate
- Field of the Dead
- Gideon’s Intervention
- Lutri, the Spellchaser
- Meddling Mage
- Natural Order
- Nexus of Fate
- Oko, Thief of Crowns
- Phyrexian Revoker
- Pithing Needle
- Runed Halo
- Sorcerous Spyglass
- Tainted Pact
- Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
- 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
- Agent of Treachery
- Blood Moon
- Bloodstained Mire
- Brainstorm
- Channel
- Commandeer
- Counterspell
- Dark Ritual
- Demonic Tutor
- Field of the Dead
- Force of Vigor
- Flooded Strand
- Intruder Alarm
- Land Tax
- Lightning Bolt
- Mana Drain
- Memory Lapse
- Natural Order
- Necropotence
- Nexus of Fate
- Oko, Thief of Crowns
- Once Upon a Time
- Polluted Delta
- 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
- Windswept Heath
- Wooded Foothills
No cards are banned at the moment.
