Magic: The Gathering May Ban Two of Its Most OP Cards in Commander

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Today, there are lots of different ways to play Magic: The Gathering, but the Commander format is often seen as the most popular. It’s easy to learn and can be enjoyed casually, or at a highly competitive level (known as cEDH) where players build complex and expensive decks. Magic: The Gathering sometimes faces challenges, largely because the game’s creators, Wizards of the Coast, have to decide which cards to ban or allow in each format to keep things balanced. Recently, there’s discussion about potentially banning two very powerful cards in Commander.

As a Commander player, it’s always been tough figuring out which decks are the most powerful, and even harder to compare them. But Wizards of the Coast just introduced a new system that tries to tackle this! They’ve broken Commander decks into five different ‘brackets’ based on how strong they are. This should make it way easier to find games where everyone’s decks are on a similar power level. Here’s how they’ve categorized things:

  • Commander Bracket 1 – Exhibition, which is for casual decks
  • Commander Bracket 2 – Core, which is for preconstructed decks
  • Commander Bracket 3 – Upgraded, which is for decks stronger than precons
  • Commander Bracket 4 – Optimized, which is high-power Commander with no restrictions
  • Commander Bracket 5 – cEDH, which is even more nuanced than Optimized, with better cards and combos

Wizards of the Coast is working on improvements to tournament brackets and the list of cards considered especially powerful. Details will be shared in an update on the game’s website in October 2025. Recently, during the Commander Summit, Wizards also discussed potential future changes to the game, specifically whether to ban cards like Rhystic Study and Thassa’s Oracle in Magic: The Gathering.

Magic: The Gathering Players May Have to Say Goodbye to Rhystic Study and Thassa’s Oracle

It’s logical that Wizards of the Coast would monitor how cards are being used, both those on and off their list of impactful cards. Two cards that consistently perform well are Rhystic Study and Thassa’s Oracle. Rhystic Study makes opponents choose between paying a small mana cost or letting its owner draw extra cards, creating a significant disadvantage. Meanwhile, Thassa’s Oracle can win the game immediately, particularly when combined with cards like Demonic Consultation or Tainted Pact.

Rhystic Study and Thassa’s Oracle frequently come up when Commander players discuss potential card bans.

MTG Commander Ban Plans Explained

Rhystic Study is a very strong card that can significantly disrupt a game of Magic: The Gathering. It taxes all other players for each spell they cast, quickly limiting their resources or creating powerful advantages for its owner. When multiple Rhystic Studies are in play, the game becomes very complicated, and getting one out early can lead to a quick win, even in competitive Commander (cEDH) formats. Because it’s so effective, many top-tier Commander decks include Rhystic Study whenever possible, leading some to believe that Wizards of the Coast should consider banning it.

Currently, Wizards of the Coast seems hesitant to ban Rhystic Study because it’s a well-known and popular card, even though it can sometimes create problems in games. However, they are listening to player feedback, and the fact that a ban has been discussed means the card could be restricted in the future.

While not as widely known as Rhystic Study, Thassa’s Oracle is incredibly powerful in any black-containing Commander deck. It has the potential to win the game instantly, and many high-level games are actually won with it. This makes it a very frustrating card to play against. Counterspells are essential for stopping the “Thoracle” combo, but because the card is blue and inexpensive, the player using it will likely have counterspells of their own to protect it.

I’m honestly amazed by how powerful this card is – so much so that it’s now being discussed for a ban! It’s clearly making a huge impact on the game, far beyond just being a strong choice. While the developers are listening to player feedback to decide what to do, I really think it’s much more likely to be banned soon, or at least eventually, than something like Rhystic Study. It’s just that much more game-changing.

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2025-10-22 21:05