Since mid-2023, Wizards of the Coast has used a mostly fixed ban schedule. In each ban announcement, a new date is announced that players can look forward to. Considering MTG formats aren’t always the most balanced, many players end up looking forward to this preannounced date. As such, it’s always worthwhile to know exactly when the next MTG bans are going to be.
If you’re one of the many MTG players currently wishing for bans, you’re in luck. We’ve got the rundown of when the next MTG bans are and what to expect when they happen.
When Are the Next MTG Bans?
The next MTG bans are scheduled to take place on February 9th, 2026. As always, this upcoming ban was announced during the most recent Banned and Restricted announcement post. Notably, however, Wizards of the Coast did things a little differently this time around. Rather than just announcing one future ban date, Wizards revealed seven.
All occurring throughout 2026, MTG players now know, roughly, when every ban should happen next year. This is designed to give players more security, so they’re not surprised by bans happening out of the blue. This will be incredibly important in 2026, since some of the ban dates overlap with major MTG tournaments.
Here are all of the confirmed dates for MTG bans in 2026.
- February 9th, 2026
- March 23rd, 2026
- May 18th, 2026
- June 3rd, 2026
- August 10th, 2026
- October 12th, 2026
- December TBD
Notably, some MTG formats have their own ban schedules that do not follow the preannounced cadence. Commander, for instance, tends to do its own thing, even now that Wizards of the Coast runs the format. Similarly, Duel Commander, which is a player-run format, does not have a fixed ban schedule.
MTG Next Bans
While the next MTG Bans are still a ways away, MTG players already have their eyes on a few potentially banworthy cards. Right now, Badgermole Cub looks like a big potential problem, as it’s already seeing multiformat success. Currently, since this card is so new, it’s unclear if it’ll become an actual problem or if the metagame will adapt.
Similarly, there have been concerns that Mono-Red Aggro is once again too strong and may need banning. Thanks to a turn three OTK combo using Firebending Student and Bulk Up, this deck has tremendous explosive power. Whether or not this combo will require bans, however, is currently up for debate.
Over in Modern, there are also concerns that the Amulet Titan deck has become too complex for its own good. While this deck is not dominating the meta, its complexity can cause games to run over time, which is a problem for tournament play. Previously, MTG decks have been banned for causing tournament complications, so there’s a non-zero chance the same may happen here.
Notably, before the next MTG bans can happen, the Lorwyn Eclipsed set will be spoiled and released. Currently, the power level of this set is unclear, but it could potentially shake up multiple metagames. If this happens, the current ban predictions may not ultimately be needed.
2025 MTG Bans
Alongside looking forward to the next MTG bans, you may be wondering what has already happened this year. For better or worse, this year has been a fairly busy one, with 22 cards being banned across three announcements. With expectations around the November bans high, this list may well grow.
Here are all the bans that have happened during 2025 so far in chronological order.
March 31st Banned and Restricted Announcement
- Modern: Underworld Breach is banned
- Legacy: Sowing Mycospawn and Troll of Khazad-dum are banned.
- Pauper: Basking Broodscale, Kuldotha Rebirth, and Deadly Dispute are banned. Prophetic Prism and High Tide are unbanned.
April 22nd Banned and Restricted Announcement
- Commander: Gifts Ungiven, Sway of the Stars, Braids, Cabal Minion, Coalition Victory, and Panoptic Mirror are unbanned.
June 30th Banned and Restricted Announcement
- Standard: Cori-Steel Cutter, Abuelo’s Awakening, Monstrous Rage, Heartfire Hero, Up the Beanstalk, Hopeless Nightmare, and This Town Ain’t Big Enough are banned.
- Pioneer Best-of-One on MTG Arena: Tibalt’s Trickery is banned.
- Historic: Counterspell is unbanned.
November 10th Banned and Restricted Announcement
- Standard: Vivi Ornitier, Screaming Nemesis, and Profit’s Eidetic Memory are banned
- Pioneer: Heartfire Hero is banned.
- Legacy: Entomb and Nadu, Winged Wisdom are banned.
- Pauper: High Tide is banned.
- Historic: Force of Negation, Frantic Search, Mystical Tutor, Entomb, and Dark Depths are pre-banned.
- Brawl: Strip Mine, Mana Drain, Chrome Mox, and Ancient Tomb are banned.
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