Wizards of the Coast has released the final Banned and Restricted announcement of 2025, implementing significant changes across multiple formats. The update targets several dominant archetypes in Standard, Pioneer, and Legacy, while leaving Modern, Vintage, and Timeless untouched.
Effective immediately, the following changes apply:
Standard
Banned: Vivi Ornitier, Screaming Nemesis, Proft’s Eidetic Memory
Standard’s recent environment has been heavily defined by Izzet Cauldron, a combo-control deck built around Proft’s Eidetic Memory and Agatha’s Soul Cauldron, with Vivi Ornitier acting as the key enabler. The archetype’s sustained dominance — including multiple Top 8 sweeps at recent Magic Spotlight Series events — prompted decisive action.
Wizards’ Play Design team stated that Vivi Ornitier created “a strategy with no clear angle of counterplay,” while Proft’s Eidetic Memory served as a high-efficiency card-advantage engine with minimal interaction points. Both cards have been banned to open the format for new archetypes.
In addition, Screaming Nemesis joins the list to rein in Mono-Red Aggro, which risked becoming the next format warper post-Izzet. The card’s ability to negate life gain and invalidate large blockers made it an unbalanced threat in aggressive mirrors.
Wizards acknowledged that this year’s ban cadence created extended instability in Standard and confirmed a shift to more frequent update windows in 2026, beginning with the next announcement on February 9, 2026.
Pioneer
Banned: Heartfire Hero
While Pioneer remains diverse at the top level, Wizards reported that Mono-Red Aggro held a disproportionately high win rate—especially in Best-of-One play on MTG Arena. Heartfire Hero’s ability to exert overwhelming early pressure left little room for slower decks to stabilize.
This single-card ban aims to maintain Mono-Red’s viability while reducing the format’s volatility and first-turn dependency.
Modern
No changes
Following Pro Tour Edge of Eternities and the first wave of Regional Championships, Wizards deemed Modern to be in a healthy and self-correcting state. Decks such as Tameshi Belcher, Esper Goryo’s Vengeance, and Amulet Titan continue to perform well, with strong hate options maintaining balance.
Wizards did note logistical concerns surrounding Amulet Titan’s new Shifting Woodland + Aftermath Analyst loop but opted to monitor the situation rather than act preemptively.
Legacy
Banned: Entomb, Nadu, Winged Wisdom
After years of attempts to preserve Dimir Reanimator as a viable but fair strategy, Entomb has finally been removed. The card’s ability to bypass deck-building constraints and enable turn-one Reanimate plays proved too consistent for long-term format health.
Nadu, Winged Wisdom was also banned for power-level and gameplay concerns. While combo-oriented Nadu shells like Cephalid Breakfast will remain viable, the Bant Nadu Midrange variant’s ability to outscale fair decks, resist hate, and create long, deterministic game states led to its removal.
Wizards characterized this as an “aggressive but necessary” ban for the sake of Legacy’s playability and tournament logistics.
Vintage
No changes
Wizards described Vintage as “healthy and diverse,” with eight distinct archetypes represented in the North American Eternal Weekend Top 8. Lurrus of the Dream-Den remains heavily played but not problematic, while Tezzeret, Cruel Captain from Edge of Eternities has been a welcome addition to Shops variants.
Pauper
Banned: High Tide
The Pauper Format Panel has ended its experimental unban of High Tide. Despite early optimism, the deck’s repetitive combo turns and time-consuming play patterns were deemed detrimental to gameplay. The Psychic Puppetry splice combo lists consistently posted strong results while creating negative play experiences, leading to the re-ban.
Arena Formats
Conclusion
More information to follow, if you’re looking for details about the new set, check Avatar Draft Guide here.
