Magic: The Gathering Banned And Restricted Card Lists

Wizards of the Coast (WotC), maker of Magic: The Gathering, bans cards when they are too powerful for a format or not fun to play against. These bans help keep players enjoying the game.

WotC maintains Banned and Restricted (B&R) lists for all formats with officially sanctioned play. In addition, the Commander Rules Committee maintains a B&R list for the Commander format.

Players cannot use banned cards at all in the formats that ban them. Vintage also has restricted cards. Players can use only one copy of a restricted card anywhere in a deck (maindeck or sideboard).

This page lists the banned and restricted cards for major Magic formats you might find at in-person events such as SCG CON. For the complete B&R lists, including for online-only formats such as Explorer, Historic, and Alchemy, please visit the WotC website.

Latest update: August 26, 2024, banning Amalia Benavides Aguirre and Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord in Pioneer; Grief and Nadu, Winged Wisdom in Modern; and Grief in Legacy, as well as restricting Urza’s Saga and Vexing Bauble in Vintage. The next B&R announcement will take place on December 16, 2024.