For the Magic: The Gathering community a card ban has the potential to break an entire decks overnight, leaving players wondering “Why?”. Bans are not imposed lightly in the game, but are necessary to maintain a diverse and healthy metagame. Let’s take a look at some of the most famous bans to be imposed and the reasons behind the decisions.
The Purpose of Bans
Wizards of the Coast opt to ban cards to prevent a single strategy or card from having dominance over a format to a point where this can become an unhealthy imbalance. There are many reasons this can happen:
Power Level - The card is simply too efficient or too powerful for its cost.
Metagame Distortion - The card forces every deck in the game to either play it or play a deck that has been designed specifically to beat it. The result is that this stifles creativity and also deck variety.
Repetitive Gameplay that’s just not fun - The card creates a game state of non-interactive play or a repetitive loop that often means matches are unenjoyable for both players.
Accessibility - In formats such as Commander, cards are sometimes banned when they have an extremely high price tag that makes the format inaccessible to the wider player base.
Case Studies in Bans
Let’s take a look at just a few case studies based on card bans that have taken place in MTG over time.
Oko, Thief of Crowns
For just three mana, this Planeswalker was able to transform any artifact or creature into a simple 3/3 Elk. The card was banned because it was considered to be too oppressive. Because of its ability, it completely invalidated any creature-based strategies, turning it into a must-play card. The end result was a boring and one-dimensional game. Because it was a Planeswalker that came down early and also had a powerful ability, this meant that it was impossible for the majority of decks to deal with.
Lurrus of the Dream-Den
A creature blessed with the powerful "Companion" mechanic, Lurrus was banned because of its ability to be cast from outside the game and its strong interaction with the graveyard. The existence of Lurrus incentivised players to build decks that only contained cheap permanents to create soft graveyard loops, resulting in a predictable metagame. Additionally, in many decks it was a free inclusion; something which led to a ban in many formats.
Nadu, Winged Wisdom
A high-profile ban in 2024, Nadu showed that even recently designed cards can be a mistake. Nadu created a boring and time-consuming infinite loop combo when it came to competitive play. This resulted in a very quick ban. This is a clear indication that WoTC is fully committed to a healthy metagame, even to the extent of admitting when they have made a design flaw.
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
In a number of formats, Uro was a dominant force. It offered a powerful mix of card draw, a huge body and life gain, all of which came with an exceptionally low mana cost. Uro’s presence completely distorted metagames, which meant it was a must-play card in any deck where its colours could be supported. Because it was difficult to remove from the game permanently, this made it a frustrating and repetitive play experience for all players.
