Magic: The Gathering November 10 Banned & Restricted Update sees 16 Cards removed across formats

Wizards of the Coast has announced a major Banned & Restricted update for Magic: The Gathering on November 10, affecting 16 cards across multiple formats. Players have reported issues in Standard, Pioneer, and Pauper, prompting the update.

In Standard, Vivi Ornitier, Screaming Nemesis, and Proft’s Eidetic Memory have been banned. The Izzet Cauldron deck, combining Proft’s Eidetic Memory, Agatha’s Soul Cauldron, and Vivi, dominated Standard due to extensive +1/+1 counters and triggers. Wizards stated that the synergy, particularly Vivi’s zero mana ability, made the deck too powerful for the format.

Proft’s Eidetic Memory was also cited for maintaining card draw advantages alongside Winternight Stories and Quantum Riddler. Screaming Nemesis, a staple in Mono-Red decks, was removed for its consistent damage and life gain prevention.

Pioneer sees the banning of Heartfire Hero. Wizards noted that Mono-Red Aggro decks dominated the format, and removing Heartfire Hero is expected to provide balance while maintaining deck resilience.

Legacy bans include Entomb and Nadu, Winged Wisdom. Entomb was a key Reanimator component, enabling early plays of large creatures such as Atraxa, Grand Unifier and Murktide Regent. Fans of Legacy highlighted the impact on Dimir Reanimator strategies.

Nadu, Winged Wisdom, a Modern Horizons 3 card, was banned for enabling strong power generation with other creatures and proving resilient to disruption.

Pauper sees High Tide banned, due to combos with Splice into Arcane cards such as Psychic Puppetry, generating excessive mana efficiency.

On Magic: The Gathering Arena, five cards including Force of Negation, Frantic Search, Mystical Tutor, Entomb, and Dark Depths are pre-banned to prevent combo and power issues. Brawl bans affecting mana-centric cards include Strip Mine, Mana Drain, Chrome Mox, and Ancient Tomb. Wizards indicated closer monitoring of Arena’s casual Brawl format due to the influx of new spells.

The next Banned & Restricted announcement is scheduled for February 9, 2026, although Wizards can intervene sooner if necessary.