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

There are many possible ways of playing Magic: The Gathering nowadays, and the Commander format has been time and again defined as the face of the game. This is because it's a very approachable format that scales from casual games all the way to competitive, called cEDH, where decks become more nuanced and powerful with an accompanying increase in pricetag. Magic: The Gathering is not without controversy as a game, and a good chunk of it comes from the fact that Wizards of the Coast or special committees have to make the hard decision of banning or unbanning cards in each format to keep them healthy. Commander is among them, and it may now have to ban two of its most powerful cards.

dungeons and dragons lorwyn first light shadowmoor crossing magic the gathering

It's hard to even make a comprehensive list of all the most powerful cards in Commander, but Magic: The Gathering's recently introduced bracket system aims at doing just that. MTG Commander decks can fit into five different brackets that reflect the power level of a given deck, while also making the process of creating power-appropriate matches easier. The brackets are:

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 now reviewing brackets for improvement, including making changes to the Game Changers list. All this can be found in an October 2025 update post on the game's website. While these are important points to the health of the format, Wizards' recent Commander Summit looked at possible future changes, and two key points were whether cards like Rhystic Study and Thassa's Oracle should be banned in MTG.

Magic: The Gathering x Avatar May Print One of the Best Commanders Ever

Magic: The Gathering's upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set is slated to include a powerful Legendary creature that may break Commander.

Posts 2

By Andrea Trama

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

It makes sense that Wizards would review the usage of cards in and out of the Game Changers list, and both MTG's Rhystic Study and Thassa's Oracle are outstanding performers. This is because Rhystic Study forces opponents to constantly decide whether they should pay 1 generic mana when they cast a spell to make the enchantment's owner not draw a card, whereas Thassa's Oracle can win the game on the spot, especially when accompanied by Demonic Consultation or Tainted Pact.

It's worth noting that both Rhystic Study and Thassa's Oracle are often the subject of potential ban debates in Commander.

MTG Commander Ban Plans Explained

Rhystic Study is an incredibly powerful stax piece that can disrupt the game at all levels of play, and that's because it affects all three other players at the table for every spell they cast, quickly drying their mana out or getting infinite card draws for the owner. With multiple copies of Rhystic Study on the table, games become increasingly complex, and an early copy can win the game very fast, even in cEDH. The best Commander decks in MTG all use Rhystic Study if it fits the commander's color identity, so it makes sense for Wizards to consider banning it.

At this time, WotC is prone to not banning Rhystic Study because it's too iconic, even if it causes issues in many games. This may change based on feedback from players, though, and the fact that this decision has been considered makes the card at risk in the future.

Thassa's Oracle is not at the same level of popularity as Rhystic Study, but it's equally OP in any deck with Black. Considering its instant-win potential and the fact that several high-power games in Commander end up with Thassa's Oracle scooping the victory, it's one of the most controversial and frustrating cards to play against if it achieves this. MTG's counterspell cards are mandatory against the so-called "Thoracle" combos, but since Thassa's Oracle is in Blue and it's already a cheap card, the owner will likely have some counterspells too.

Given that this card is also being considered for a potential ban, instead of remaining on the Game Changers list, it shows just how strong and disruptive it can be. Player feedback will again determine whether action is taken, but it's more likely to be banned shortly or in the future compared to Rhystic Study.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image