Banned and restricted cards

To help maintain the diversity and health of the Magic tournament environment, the DCI has developed a system of banned and restricted card lists. These lists are made up of cards that are either not allowed at all, or allowed only in a very limited manner.

Description

These lists apply only to Constructed formats and not Limited formats. The banned and restricted lists are format-specific, so a card that is banned in Modern may still be legal to play in Standard.

Bans, or lack thereof, as well as cards being unbanned, are announced on the Monday after each expansion's prerelease events. Starting from Aether Revolt, they were also announced on the Monday 5 weeks after the respective expansion's Pro Tour was finished.

See also: Timeline of DCI bans and restrictions.

Banned

Banned cards are cards that are not allowed in a particular tournament. Wizards of the Coast and the DCI control the bannings for their officially sanctioned formats Legacy, Vintage, Standard, Modern, as well as all formats played on Magic Online.

For formats involving rotation (i.e. Standard and now retired Extended), banned cards will be unbanned automatically if the respective card is being rotated out.

Restricted

Restricted cards may only be includes once in a deck or sideboard in the Vintage format. Vintage is a format that is supposed to allow players to use as many cards as possible that have seen print, so powerful cards are restricted instead of banned.

In the past, cards were restricted in more than just the Vintage format; Standard format also once saw restricted cards. Currently, the DCI prefers to ban troublesome cards in all formats other than Vintage in order to simplify each format. This preference for banning also removes the luck element of overpowered cards, such that games are not reduced to the winner being determined by who drew a restricted card first.

Currently restricted

Currently restricted cards as of October 1, 2010:

• Ancestral Recall has been restricted since January 1994 for providing very powerful card drawing.
• Balance has been restricted since April 1995 for providing very cheap and powerful mass destruction.
• Black Lotus has been restricted since January 1994 for providing powerful and cheap mana acceleration.
• Brainstorm has been restricted since June 2008.
• Burning Wish has been restricted since January 2004 for being a cheap and powerful tutor.
• Channel was previously banned and has been restricted since October 2000 for providing powerful and cheap mana acceleration.
• Demonic Consultation has been restricted since October 2000 for being a cheap and powerful tutor.
• Demonic Tutor has been restricted since March 1994 for being a cheap and powerful tutor.
• Fastbond has been restricted since October 1996 for providing powerful and cheap mana acceleration.
• Flash has been restricted since June 2008.
• Gifts Ungiven has been restricted since June 2007 for being a powerful tutor.
• Imperial Seal has been restricted since October 2005 for being a cheap and powerful tutor.
• Library of Alexandria has been restricted since May 1994 for providing powerful card drawing.
• Lion's Eye Diamond has been restricted since January 2004 for providing cheap and powerful mana acceleration.
• Lotus Petal has been restricted since October 1999 for providing cheap and powerful mana acceleration.
• Mana Crypt has been restricted since October 1999 for providing cheap and powerful mana acceleration.
• Mana Vault has been restricted since October 1999 for providing cheap and powerful mana acceleration.
• Memory Jar has been restricted since March 1, 1999 for providing very powerful card drawing. It is the only card to have been the subject of an emergency ban.
• Merchant Scroll has been restricted since June 2008.
• Mind's Desire has been restricted since July 2003 for being the centerpiece of a powerful and difficult-to-stop combo.
• Mox Emerald has been restricted since January 1994 for providing cheap and powerful mana acceleration.
• Mox Jet has been restricted since January 1994 for providing cheap and powerful mana acceleration.
• Mox Pearl has been restricted since January 1994 for providing cheap and powerful mana acceleration.
• Mox Ruby has been restricted since January 1994 for providing cheap and powerful mana acceleration.
• Mox Sapphire has been restricted since January 1994 for providing cheap and powerful mana acceleration.
• Mystical Tutor has been restricted since October 1999 for being a cheap and powerful tutor.
• Necropotence has been restricted since October 2000 for providing very powerful card drawing.
• Ponder has been restricted since June 2008.
• Regrowth has been restricted since March 1994 for providing cheap and powerful graveyard recursion.
• Sol Ring has been restricted since January 1994 for providing cheap and powerful mana acceleration.
• Strip Mine has been restricted since January 1998 for providing free uncounterable non-specific land destruction.
• Thirst for Knowledge has been restricted since July 2009.
• Time Vault has been restricted since September 2008. It was previously restricted in January 1994 and then banned in March 1994, but was unrestricted and unbanned in April 1996 because it received errata to fix it. It was restricted again in September 2008 because new errata reverted it back to its old powerful form.
• Time Walk has been restricted since January 1994 for providing a very powerful effect.
• Timetwister has been restricted since January 1994 for providing very powerful card drawing.
• Tinker has been restricted since October 1999 for being a very powerful tutor and providing mana acceleration at the same time.
• Tolarian Academy has been restricted since January 1999 for providing cheap and powerful mana acceleration.
• Trinisphere has been restricted since March 2005 for creating a necessary but decidedly unfun play environment.
• Vampiric Tutor has been restricted since October 1999 for being a cheap and powerful tutor.
• Wheel of Fortune has been restricted since March 1994 for providing very powerful card drawing.
• Windfall has been restricted since January 1999 for providing powerful card drawing.
• Yawgmoth's Bargain has been restricted since October 1999 for providing very powerful card drawing.
• Yawgmoth's Will has been restricted since October 1999 for providing very powerful graveyard recursion. Some players consider this card to be the most powerful card ever printed.

Previously rectricted

• Ali from Cairo was restricted in January 1994 for having a powerful effect on the game. It was unrestricted in April 1996 because more powerful cards were printed and there are many solutions to the card.
• Berserk was restricted in January 1994 for having a powerful and sometimes game-ending effect. It was unrestricted in April 2003 because the power of creatures, with which it works, has been low in the format for many years.
• Candelabra of Tawnos had been restricted from May 1994 to October 1997.
• Copy Artifact had been restricted from March 1994 to October 1997.
• Dingus Egg was restricted in January 1994 for its combo with Armageddon. It was unrestricted in May 1994 because it was no longer considered powerful.
• Divine Intervention was banned from August 1994 to October 1999.
• Feldon's Cane had been restricted from May 1994 to October 1997.
• Gauntlet of Might was restricted from January 1994 to May 1994 for providing powerful nonsymmetrical mana acceleration.
• Hurkyl's Recall was restricted in October 1999 for enabling a powerful combo. It was unrestricted in April 2003 because the combo cards it worked best with were also restricted in October 1999.
• Icy Manipulator had been restricted from January 1994 to March 1994.
• Ivory Tower had been restricted from May 1994 to October 1999.
• Maze of Ith had been restricted from October 1994 to April 1999.
• Mirror Universe had been restricted from August 1994 to October 1999.
• Mishra's Workshop had been restricted from June 1994 to October 1997 for providing powerful mana acceleration.
• Orcish Oriflamme was restricted from January 1994 to February 1994, because the misprinted Alpha version provided a powerful effect in aggressive decks.
• Recall was restricted in September 1994 for providing graveyard recursion of powerful cards. It was unrestricted in April 2003 because more powerful cards are now available.
• Rukh Egg had been restricted from January 1994 to February 1994 for its combo with Wrath of God.
• Sword of the Ages had been restricted from August 1994 to April 1996.
• Underworld Dreams had been restricted from August 1994 to October 1999.
• Zuran Orb had been restricted from November 1995 to October 1997 for providing cheap life gain in Necropotence decks.

External links

• Banned and Restricted Lists
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