Wizards of the Coast Bans Eight Magic: The Gathering Cards

Wizards of the Coast has announced a fresh round of bans affecting Magic: The Gathering, confirming that eight cards have been removed from competitive play across three different formats. The changes were revealed as part of the company's official Banned and Restricted Announcement issued on June 29, 2026, touching the Legacy, Pauper, and Brawl formats in different ways.
 

Wizards of the Coast Bans Eight Magic: The Gathering Cards
By Olivia Davis   |   Jun 30, 2026

Candelabra of Tawnos Banned in Legacy
In the Legacy format, the most notable change is the ban on Candelabra of Tawnos. The card has a complicated history within the format, having previously been banned during the era when Legacy was still referred to as Type 1.5, before being unbanned in 1999 following the banning of Tolarian Academy. Since then, Candelabra of Tawnos had become a long-standing fixture of the High Tide deck for many years. Its return to the banned list comes after the card began making newer versions of the Colorless Tron deck excessively powerful.

As a card on Magic's Reserved List, its market value has been climbing steadily, rising from roughly $1,000 at the start of 2025 to more than $3,500 by the middle of 2026, a jump largely fuelled by its growing presence in competitive Tron builds.


Seeker of Skybreak Banned in Pauper
Over in the Pauper format, Seeker of Skybreak has also been banned. The decision was driven by the emergence of a powerful new combo involving Seeker of Skybreak paired with Hawkeye's Bow, a pairing that allowed players to end games unusually quickly and disrupted the balance of the format.


Six Cards Banned in Brawl as Format Shifts Toward Casual Play
The most extensive set of changes came in the Brawl format, where six cards were banned in one move: Force of Will, Subtlety, Wash Away, Ugin's Labyrinth, Time Warp, and Temporal Manipulation. According to Wizards of the Coast, these bans reflect a deliberate effort by the design team to steer Brawl back toward a more casual style of play, a shift made easier by the recent introduction of Competitive Brawl as a separate, more high-powered option for players seeking that experience. Since Brawl is played predominantly online, these particular bans are expected to have little to no meaningful impact on the secondary market value of the affected cards.
 

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