Standard just got a shake-up. On June 30, 2025, Wizards of the Coast released its yearly Banned & Restricted update—the one that lands right before Standard’s early rotation. Seven cards were pulled from the format, and a few digital-only tweaks hit MTG Arena. If your deck depends on Cori-Steel Cutter or Abuelo’s Awakening, it’s time to rebuild. Below is a quick overview before we dive into the card-by-card details.
Standard Changes
Seven cards were banned in Standard. Below are each card and the team’s reasoning:
- Cori-Steel Cutter
Too strong for the format. It dominated Izzet Prowess decks—making up over 40% of the metagame at Pro Tour FINAL FANTASY—and proved hard to interact with, even in more powerful formats. - Abuelo’s Awakening
Key to the Azorius Omniscience combo. It allowed four-mana noncreature reanimation that proved too powerful and consistent, warping Standard around it and reducing viable deck options. - Monstrous Rage
A favorite combat trick whose efficiency and trample bonus overstayed its welcome. It enabled combo-style aggro decks that applied pressure far too early and diminished blocking as a defensive strategy. - Heartfire Hero
Provided explosive early-game power and resilience via an enters-dies trigger. Paired with cards like Manifold Mouse, it created too much burst-damage potential. - Up the Beanstalk
A best-in-class source of card advantage. It consistently left players up a full card and was hard to answer profitably. After years of dominance in slower decks, it reduced metagame diversity. - Hopeless Nightmare
The linchpin of self-bounce synergy decks. It generated constant discard pressure and served as both removal and damage. It became one of the least fun elements of those decks and too punishing for opponents. - This Town Ain’t Big Enough
Often paired with Stormchaser’s Talent, it allowed frustrating loops and lockout scenarios. Its ability to interact with any permanent while advancing your own plan made MTG games less fun.
Non-Rotating & Digital Formats
- Pioneer (Paper): No changes
- Modern: No changes
- Legacy: No changes
- Vintage: No changes
- Pauper: No changes
- Timeless: No changes
- Brawl: No changes
Alchemy (MTG Arena):
- Cori-Steel Cutter is suspended pending rebalance
Pioneer Best-of-One (MTG Arena):
- Tibalt’s Trickery is banned
Historic (MTG Arena):
- Counterspell is unbanned
