Summary
Commander is one of the fewMagic: the Gatheringformats that boasts the ability to play any card from across all the sets from the game’s more than 30-year history. With literally thousands of cards to pick from, there are all sorts of powerhouses and bombs to choose from when crafting your next perfect deck.
That said, there is a collection of cards thatyou can’t play despite Commander’s massive catalog of cards. These cards have been banned for various reasons, mostly because they’re exceptionally powerful or easy to abuse, while others are because they break the flavor of the game now.
How Are Banned Cards Picked?
It Is A Little Different From Traditional Magic Formats
Banned Commander cards are decided upon by and maintained by the Commander Rules Committee. This group of prolific Commander players monitors Commander games and individual cards to determine if they’re unhealthy for the greater Commander format. That said, they are independent from Wizards of the Coast, which has the potential to cause some tension between the two.
Mark Rosewater discussed this on his blog, stating that Wizards of the Coast does not control the ban list, and they are not restricted by it either. So when creating cards, Wizards designers might not consider whether a card might be banned in Commander, since there are other formats where that card could be played.
What Magic: The Gathering Cards Are Banned In Commander?
There’s Quite A Few
Totaling up all the banned cards in Magic, you’re looking at 86 cards banned from all decks for various reasons. The biggest reason these cards are banned is that they allow situations for games to either become incredibly drawn out or aggressively unfun.
A number of cards are banned for using rules that do not apply to modern Magic, like Ante or Conspiracy mechanics, while others are banned across all formats for being culturally insensitive.
Rise of the Eldrazi
Sway of the Stars
Yawgmoth’s Bargain
Urza’s Destiny
There are three pillars that are used to determine whether or not a card might deserve a banning. Does that card make the less of a social game, does the card discourage creative deck design by being so efficient that it pushes out other cards, and does the card fit into the long-term stability of the format?
If it doesn’t meet the criteria, that card is up for consideration to be banned. Bannings only happen every few months, and the last time cards were considered for banning was on July 2024, which had no cards banned or unbanned at that time. There’s always a chance to revisit cards that are on the edge in the near future though, as the Committee spends a good amount of time deliberating on the merits of each card.
Banned Conspiracy Cards
Conspiracy cards are special card types that are only found in Conspiracy sets. They can be used in other formats but exist in the command zone, making them nearly impossible to use in a game of Commander.
These cards are never included in your main deck and generally can only be drafted. They also don’t have a casting cost. All these stipulations mean that all Conspiracy cards are banned from games as a whole, except for limited games of Conspiracy and Conspiracy: Take the Crown.
Assemble the Rank and Vile
Hymn of the Wilds
Conspiracy: Take the Crown
Banned Ante Cards
Ante is an old and optional game mode for Magic that allowed players to compete in matches to permanently gain control of your opponent’s cards if you beat them in a match. The intent was to introduce an element of gambling into the game, but no one likes to permanently lose their cards for losing a game
Homelands
Cards Banned For Being Offensive
In 2020, nine cards were banned across all formats and functionally removed from Magic as they had racist or culturally offensive art, text, or some other factor that go against the spirit of the game.
Every Card Banned For Being Racially Or Culturally Offensive
