Formats of Magic & Banned / Restricted Cards

Here you have lists with banned magic cards in each format and the allowed sets. If a MTG card is restricted it means you can only play 1 of it in your deck. A banned Magic: the Gathering card may not be played at all in the format.

Please also refer to the DCI's list of B&R cards for all formats. In any and all situations, the DCI's list of B&R cards supersedes ours.

The Formats:

We also have a page explaining non-conventional formats: Special Other Fun Magic: the Gathering Formats.

Standard (Type 2)


Permitted / Legal Sets:

  • Shards of Alara
  • Conflux
  • Alara Reborn
  • Magic 2010
  • Zendikar

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Extended (T1.x)


Permitted Sets:

  • Mirrodin
  • Darksteel
  • Fifth Dawn
  • Champions of Kamigawa
  • Betrayers of Kamigawa
  • Saviors of Kamigawa
  • 9th Edition
  • Ravnica: City of Guilds
  • Guildpact
  • Dissension
  • Coldsnap
  • Time Spiral
  • Planar Chaos
  • Future Sight
  • Lorwyn
  • 10th Edition
  • Morningtide
  • Shadowmoor
  • Eventide
  • Shards of Alara
  • Conflux
  • Alara Reborn
  • Magic 2010
  • Zendikar

List of Banned Cards:

  • Aether Vial
  • Disciple of the Vault
  • Skullclamp
  • Sensei's Divining Top

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Vintage (T1)


Permitted Sets:

  • All basic sets
  • All extensions of the basic set
  • All promotional cards released by Wizards of the Coast
  • All limited-edition or large expansion sets
  • Portal, Portal Second Age, Portal Three Kingdoms, Starter 1999 and Starter 2000

List of Restricted Cards:

  • Ancestral Recall
  • Balance
  • Black Lotus
  • Brainstorm
  • Burning Wish
  • Channel
  • Demonic Consultation
  • Demonic Tutor
  • Fact or Fiction
  • Fastbond
  • Flash
  • Frantic Search
  • Gifts Ungiven
  • Gush
  • Imperial Seal
  • Library of Alexandria
  • Lion's Eye Diamond
  • Lotus Petal
  • Mana Crypt
  • Mana Vault
  • Memory Jar
  • Merchant Scroll
  • Mind's Desire
  • Mox Emerald
  • Mox Jet
  • Mox Pearl
  • Mox Ruby
  • Mox Sapphire
  • Mystical Tutor
  • Necropotence
  • Ponder
  • Regrowth
  • Sol Ring
  • Strip Mine
  • Stroke of Genius
  • Thirst for Knowledge
  • Time Vault
  • Time Walk
  • Timetwister
  • Tinker
  • Tolarian Academy
  • Trinisphere
  • Vampiric Tutor
  • Wheel of Fortune
  • Windfall
  • Yawgmoth's Bargain
  • Yawgmoth's Will

List of Banned Cards:

  • Amulet of Quoz
  • Bronze Tablet
  • Chaos Orb
  • Contract from Below
  • Darkpact
  • Demonic Attorney
  • Falling Star
  • Jeweled Bird
  • Rebirth
  • Shahrazad
  • Tempest Efreet
  • Timmerian Fiends

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Legacy (T1.5)


Permitted Sets:

  • All basic sets
  • All extensions of the basic set
  • All promotional cards released by Wizards of the Coast
  • All limited-edition or large expansion sets
  • Portal, Portal Second Age, Portal Three Kingdoms, Starter 1999 and Starter 2000

List of Banned Cards:

  • Amulet of Quoz
  • Ancestral Recall
  • Balance
  • Bazaar of Baghdad
  • Black Lotus
  • Black Vise
  • Bronze Tablet
  • Chaos Orb
  • Contract from Below
  • Channel
  • Darkpact
  • Demonic Attorney
  • Demonic Consultation
  • Demonic Tutor
  • Dream Halls (unbanned October 1, 2009)
  • Earthcraft
  • Entomb (unbanned October 1, 2009)
  • Fastbond
  • Falling Star
  • Flash
  • Frantic Search
  • Goblin Recruiter
  • Grim Monolith
  • Gush
  • Hermit Druid
  • Imperial Seal
  • Illusionary Mask
  • Jeweled Bird
  • Library of Alexandria
  • Land Tax
  • Oath of Druids
  • Mana Crypt
  • Mana Vault
  • Memory Jar
  • Mana Drain
  • Metalworker (unbanned October 1, 2009)
  • Mishra's Workshop
  • Mind's Desire
  • Mind Twist
  • Mox Emerald
  • Mox Jet
  • Mox Pearl
  • Mox Ruby
  • Mox Sapphire
  • Necropotence
  • Oath of Druids
  • Rebirth
  • Shahrazad
  • Skullclamp
  • Sol Ring
  • Strip Mine
  • Tempest Efreet
  • Timmerian Fiends
  • Time Spiral
  • Time Vault
  • Time Walk
  • Timetwister
  • Tinker
  • Tolarian Academy
  • Vampiric Tutor
  • Wheel of Fortune
  • Windfall
  • Yawgmoth's Bargain
  • Yawgmoth's Will
  • Worldgorger Dragon

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Block Constructed

The sets of each block:

Zendikar Block (Zendikar)
Alara Block (Shards of Alara, Conflux, (Alara Reborn, once released)
Lorwyn-Shadowmoor Block (Lorwyn, Morningtide, Shadowmoor, Eventide)
Time Spiral Block (Time Spiral, Planar Chaos, Future Sight)
Ravnica Block (Ravnica: City of Guilds, Guildpact, Dissension)
Kamigawa Block (Champions, Betrayers and Saviors of Kamigawa)
Mirrodin Block (Mirrodin, Darksteel, Fifth Dawn)
Onslaught Block (Onslaught, Legions, Scourge)
Odyssey Block (Odyssey, Torment, Judgement)
Invasion Block (Invasion, Planeshift, Apocalypse)
Masques Block (Mercadian Masques, Nemesis, Propecy)
Urza Block (Urza's Saga, Urza's Legacy, and Urza's Destiny)
Rath Cycle Block (Tempest, Stronghold, and Exodus)
Mirage Block (Mirage, Visions, and Weatherlight)
Ice Age Block (Ice Age, Alliances, and Coldsnap)

Banned cards in Block:

The following cards are banned in Mirrodin Block tournaments:
  • AEther Vial
  • Ancient Den
  • Arcbound Ravager
  • Darksteel Citadel
  • Disciple of the Vault
  • Great Furnace
  • Seat of the Synod
  • Tree of Tales
  • Vault of Whispers
  • Skullclamp

In Onslaught Block, Odyssey Block and Invasion block there are no banned cards.

The following cards are banned in Masques Block tournaments:
- Lin Sivvi Defiant Hero
- Rishadan Port

The following cards are banned in Urza Block tournaments:
- Gaea's Cradle
- Memory Jar
- Serra's Sanctum
- Time Spiral
- Tolarian Academy
- Voltaic Key
- Windfall

The following card is banned in Rath Cycle Block tournaments:
- Cursed Scroll

The following card is banned in Mirage Block tournaments:
- Squandered Resources

The following cards are banned in Ice Age Block tournaments:
- Amulet of Quoz
- Thawing Glaciers
- Zuran Orb

Magic: the Gathering Cards

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