Standard Format Changes Effective June 30, 2025
Wizards of the Coast has announced significant changes to the Standard format. 7 cards have been banned. These changes take effect in all sanctioned play on June 30, 2025.
Quick Summary
Banned in Standard:
Most Affected Decks:
- Izzet Cutter
- Mono-Red
- Omniscience
- Bounce Decks
- Piles of cards using Up the Beanstalk
On June 30, 2025, Wizards of the Coast released their latest Banned and Restricted announcement, targeting several problematic cards in the Standard format. This update represents a significant intervention in Standard's competitive landscape, addressing concerns about format diversity, game length, and overall play experience that have been building in the community over recent months.
The banned cards have been dominating competitive play, with Izzet Prowess representing over 35% of the meta and games regularly ending before turn 4. These bannings aim to restore format health and create space for a more diverse competitive metagame.
Banned Cards Analysis
Why Cori-Steel Cutter was Banned
Meta Dominance
This card appeared in 40% of top-performing decks and enabled strategies that were warping the format around it.
Play Pattern Issues
This card is clearly too strong for the format, it leaves too strong of a board presence behind.
Tournament Impact
Recent tournament results showed Cori-Steel Cutter in 4 - 8 of the top 8 decks at major events, demonstrating its oppressive impact on format diversity.
Why Abuelo's Awakening was Banned
Meta Dominance
The second most played deck in standard was Omniscience combo deck representing 20% of the meta. This card enabled a turn three combo which was too fast.
Play Pattern Issues
Newer cards from Tarkir have cemented this combo to be evern stronger, making it almost impossible to interact with thus the banning.
Tournament Impact
Without the awakening this combo deck in it's current form will no longer exist plus rotation impacts a lot of it's key cards.
Why Monstrous Rage was Banned
Meta Dominance
Featured in 89% of red aggressive decks, enabling consistent turn 3-4 lethal damage through trample and massive power boosts that couldn't be reasonably blocked.
Play Pattern Issues
Reduced combat to a binary state where players either had instant-speed removal or lost immediately, eliminating meaningful combat decisions and blocking strategies.
Tournament Impact
Red is not dead but chump blocking is back on the menu.
Why Heartfire Hero was Banned
Meta Dominance
Present in 82% of aggressive strategies, providing inevitable damage that scaled beyond reasonable interaction while maintaining early game pressure.
Play Pattern Issues
Created 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' scenarios where removing it caused immediate damage and ignoring it led to exponential pain.
Tournament Impact
Red decks are not dead without this one but it hurts the mouse package.
Why Up the Beanstalk was Banned
Meta Dominance
Two mana and it pays for itself in card advantage. With lots of cards casting cost being reduced this was an absolute engine for card draw.
Play Pattern Issues
Turned every high-mana-value spell into a significant advantage engine, making it impossible for opponents to keep up with card quality and quantity.
Tournament Impact
Domain, graveyard cheat decks and terror decks are all impacted many will not work without beans
Why Hopeless Nightmare was Banned
Meta Dominance
Damage, card advantage and low casting cost all it took was bounce to make it totally broken. With Cori banning if they didn't get rid of this card we would be back to pixie meta.
Play Pattern Issues
Created non-interactive gameplay where opponents couldn't meaningfully respond to the hand disruption forcing them to play reactively and reducing strategic options.
Tournament Impact
Orzoh bounce may still work without this but This town and this being removed takes out the dimir bounce deck.
Why This Town Ain't Big Enough was Banned
Meta Dominance
Just broken. Way too powerful and really bad with stormchasers talent recursion.
Play Pattern Issues
Drop a talent... use this town... use talent to get it back... bounce talent... prowess and death...
Tournament Impact
Hurt the blue based bounce decks and open up the field. Major impact on dimir bounce and terror decks.
This analysis is based on the official Banned and Restricted announcement from Wizards of the Coast published June 30, 2025. Tournament legality changes take effect June 30, 2025. For the most current banned and restricted list, visit the official Magic: The Gathering website.