Magic: The Gathering May Have to Bite The Bullet It’s Long Dodged in November 2025

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Over the past year, Magic: The Gathering (MTG) has experienced several significant alterations. Initially, it introduced a core set for Standard play indefinitely named Foundations. Later, it modified the legality of Universes Beyond sets for Standard. This change allowed UB sets to become Standard-legal, which impacted the release schedule positively; we’ve already seen four sets this year, with two more on the horizon, and Wizards of the Coast (WotC) hints at continuing this approach in 2026.

The MTG‘s “Final Fantasy” set generated sales of $200 million worth of products in a single day, demonstrating that these UB sets are not going anywhere soon. However, it’s important to note that not all their cards should receive the same consideration.

It appears that certain cards from the Final Fantasy set in MTG have shown to be very potent during gameplay, with a possibility that cards from Spider-Man and Avatar: The Last Airbender might also become powerful in similar ways. Every set tends to feature some standout cards, but it’s worth noting that releases by UB may have a higher probability of including strong cards that significantly alter the game dynamics in one or multiple formats. Given this trend, Vivi Ornitier could potentially require a ban by Wizards of the Coast come November due to its strength.

Magic: The Gathering Has a Wizard-Shaped Universes Beyond Problem

In the game of Magic: The Gathering, Vivi Ornitier from FF is generally considered overpowered with minimal evidence suggesting otherwise. This card has an affordable cost to play with a Converted Mana Cost (CMC) of 3 (1 each of generic, blue, and red mana symbols). Its abilities are impressive, with the first one enabling players to produce Izzet color mana equal to Vivi’s power without spending any additional mana or tapping Vivi. The second ability grants Vivi a +1/+1 counter and deals 1 damage to each opponent whenever its owner casts a non-creature spell.

The Gathering (MTG). This is because the restriction on Vivi’s ability only specifies “noncreature” instead of specific card types like instant or sorcery spells. This opens up room for exploitation, allowing players to use one-mana cantrips and mana rocks, artifacts, enchantments, among other cards in unintended ways.

Moreover, Vivi’s ability allows it to share its mana with all creatures when it’s exiled from the graveyard and returned to the battlefield using the Izzet Cauldron. This makes removal spells essentially useless against Vivi in an Izzet Cauldron deck, as they could potentially strengthen rather than weaken the deck.

Magic: The Gathering’s Standard Meta Calls For a Vivi Ornitier Ban

Over the past week, a significant number of Magic: The Gathering tournaments featured an overwhelming use of decks centered around the character Vivi Ornitier, making up over half of the current metagame share. Given the card’s powerful nature and its impact since its debut, as well as Wizards of the Coast’s policy on limiting deck dominance in MTG, it’s reasonable to predict that Vivi might be banned. In fact, similar considerations were behind the banning of cards like Cori-Steel Cutter.

It might be considered questionable if Wizards of the Coast decided to prohibit a card from their most successful game release, as some might argue. However, allowing Vivi to remain unbanned could create an inconvenient precedent for overpowered cards originating from UB (blue-black) sets in the future.

Although the next potential ban for MTG Standard could occur in November 2025, Wizards of the Coast generally prefers not to implement multiple bans in a year. If they stick to this policy, Vivi might be banned as an “emergency ban” in November 2025 due to its strong influence on the Standard format. However, if additional bans occur before then, Vivi’s ban could potentially be moved to the first ban window in 2026.

Instead of prohibiting the use of Vivi itself, WotC could address the problem by banning accessory cards like Agatha’s Soul Cauldron. While this might provide a temporary fix, Vivi is indeed too powerful and would still be played in Izzet Prowess decks without Agatha’s Soul Cauldron. It could also potentially find its way into other decks from the upcoming Spider-Man set in September or the November Avatar set for MTG. If no action is taken, the issue might persist indefinitely. Since releasing an errata seems unlikely and could negatively impact other formats where Vivi is legal, a more sensible solution would be to ban this card in Standard format.

Why Banning Vivi Might Be Necessary in Magic: The Gathering

As a devoted Magic: The Gathering enthusiast, I’ve come to appreciate Vivi like no other card. Its influence is so profound that even the designers at Wizards of the Coast acknowledge they may have given it too much power, considering its impact on recent tournaments. Initially, Vivi was designed to be tapped for mana generation, but let me tell you, that would have made it far less intriguing – and arguably more balanced.

Now, if the new Avatar cards or Spider-Man cards in Magic: The Gathering end up shaping the meta as powerfully as Vivi has, we’ll likely find ourselves discussing balance once again in the near future. It’s an exciting time to be a part of this captivating game!

The predicament lies in the fact that banning Vivi could lead to financial losses for Wizards of the Coast due to potential decreases in sales for the Final Fantasy set and future UB sets. However, not taking any action or banning accessory cards might compromise the game’s integrity. Banning Agatha’s Soul Cauldron appears reasonable given its age, but this strategy is effective only if WotC avoids introducing new cards that create an overpowered combination with Vivi, a scenario that seems improbable.

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2025-08-19 01:06