Wizards of the Coast continues to work hard on making Magic: The Gathering the ultimate collectable and trading card game there is. Although there is a lot of competition from the likes of Disney Lorcana, which won the Dicebreaker’s Tabletop Awards 2023, Magic: The Gathering is still king.
Meet the Latest MTG Card Bans and Their Formats
Yet, this requires a near-constant tinkering with the formats and available cards. The ban list has just been refreshed to feature six new cards that will now be added to MTG’s different formats, and enact changes across Pioneer, Modern, Explorer and Pauper. The change is effective immediately, with Vintage, Legacy and Standard at least not getting any changes right away. The six cards to go are:
- Karn, the Creator (Pioneer, Explorer)
- Geological Appraiser (Pioneer, Explorer)
- Smuggler’s Copter (Pioneer)
- Fury (Modern)
- Up the Beanstalk (Modern)
- Monastery Swiftspear (Pauper)
The changes introduced with these bans do not happen in a vacuum, as Wizards of the Coast is expecting a number of new releases, and the already available Wilds of Eldraine and The Lost Caverns of Ixalan have already impacted the existing formats.
The good news for those of you who enjoy Standard is that there are no changes, as these usually happen once a year unless something game-breaking is discovered on time. The most bans this time come in the Pioneer mode, as it’s one of the most entertaining where an inflow of powerful cards is maintained.
However, Wizards has not turned a blind eye or dubbed the mode “whatever happens in Pioneer, stays in Pioneer.” No, rather the designers have been working actively to ensure that Pioneer remains fun and exciting, even if there are more things to juggle at once. Karn has been a thorn in the sights of many players, as the card has proven too versatile and just hard to play against.
Then, there is the issue with Geological Appraiser who can win you the game in three turns, which is not a great way to enjoy the format. Surprisingly the Modern format has not been impacted too negatively – if at all – by the most feared cards, Orcish Bowmasters and The One Ring.
Making Sense of the Formats as They Are
Restricting both Up the Beanstalk and Fury is generally seen as a good balancing move, as it would widen the format and not make the meta focused too heavily on these cards. Up the Beanstalk also doesn’t make much sense to have if Fury is in, which is interesting as Wizards are balancing not only the cards that are too powerful but also those that don’t make too much sense to have around.
Explorer has also seen its fair list of bans, but they are mirror bans to Pioneer. The only difference here is that Smuggler’s Copter is not available on MTG Arena.
If you want to dive into the whole logic behind the latest card bans, you should check out the video. To keep yourself appraised of what is currently rotated out, you can visit Wizards’ official Banned and Restricted List.
Then, if you are looking to start playing MTG Arena, we strongly recommend checking out these great MTG Arena codes before you start playing.