In 2025’s mid-year adjustment to Magic: The Gathering Standard, Wizards of the Coast is prohibiting seven cards, which could significantly alter the format’s dynamics. Leading the list is a card that’s been highly influential, while six others were banned due to concerns about them assuming a similar position of power.
The primary card under restriction is Cori-Steel Cutter, a powerful tool that has come to dominate the Standard gameplay scene so much so that Wizards considers it worthy of ban even beyond its usual annual limit for Standard. This card forms the core structure of the Izzet Prowess deck, which has been dominating the metagame since Tarkir: Dragonstorm was released in April. Notably, this deck accounts for an impressive 40% of all Standard play at the recent Pro Tour MTG-Final Fantasy tournament.
Instead of immediately banning Cori-Steel Cutter, Wizards aims to prevent a similar powerful card from emerging as a top choice. This is why they’ve decided to ban six additional cards along with Cori-Steel Cutter.
As an avid Magic: The Gathering enthusiast, I was taken aback by the news that Abuelo’s Awakening has been prohibited at tournaments, aiming to curb the dominance of the widely-used Azorius Omniscience deck. At the Pro Tour event, this deck held a 20% grip on the metagame. Furthermore, Monstrous Rage and Heartfire Hero, two popular aggressive decks’ staples, have also been banned from play. The creators of the game, Wizards of the Coast, clarified that they initially contemplated banning just one of these cards, but ultimately decided to ban both in order to restore balance within the competitive scene.
Moving forward, “Up The Beanstalk,” previously outlawed since 2023 in Modern, will now join the Standard ban list. Wizards of the Coast explains that the card is difficult to counterplay, thereby limiting several strategies while it’s active. Additionally, “Hopeless Nightmare” will be eliminated due to its role in self-bounce decks, with the aim of reducing the least enjoyable aspects of these types of decks. Lastly, another card on the ban list is “This Town Ain’t Big Enough,” which was a significant component of the Izzet Prowess deck.
annually, a wave of bans composes the “early rotation” for Standard, a period previously void of banned cards for more than two years. This significant change is a part of Wizards’ objective to ensure the format remains engaging to play, removing overpowered cards that have become repetitive and predictable in gameplay.
Wizards has moved towards a three-year cycle for Standard play, acknowledging they are still adjusting to this change given the expanded card collection. In the coming period, there will be two additional rotation periods with card bans before the next Standard rotation scheduled for early 2027.
In addition to the Standard format, only Magic: The Gathering Arena’s exclusive digital formats have alterations to their prohibited lists. For instance, Cori-Steel Cutter will temporarily be withheld from Alchemy until it undergoes a balance adjustment. On the other hand, Tibault’s Trickery is now forbidden in Pioneer Best-of-One play, and Counterspell has been lifted from the Historic format’s ban list.
Check out the full list of bans and changes below.
Banned and Restricted Announcement – June 30, 2025
Standard
Cori-Steel Cutter is banned.
Abuelo’s Awakening is banned.
Monstrous Rage is banned.
Heartfire Hero is banned.
Up the Beanstalk is banned.
Hopeless Nightmare is banned.
This Town Ain’t Big Enough is banned.
Pioneer
No changes
Modern
No changes
Legacy
No changes
Vintage
No changes
Pauper
No changes
Alchemy
Cori-Steel Cutter is suspended (pending rebalance).
Pioneer Best-of-One on MTG Arena
Tibalt’s Trickery is banned.
Historic
Counterspell is unbanned.
Timeless
No changes
Brawl
No changes
Effective Date: June 30, 2025
Next Announcement Date: November 24, 2025
Lately, a Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy card called the Golden Traveling Chocobo was auctioned off for a staggering amount, surpassing the typical annual income of an average American, which stands at around $40,000.
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2025-07-01 12:09