With one of the richest and hardest to follow release schedules in the game's history, Magic: The Gathering is still recovering from some of its controversial changes or additions. While they were mostly received positively when announced, Magic: The Gathering's bans in June 2025 ended up reshaping Standard as a format, with former meta decks being replaced and others reinvented. June also marked the release of the Final Fantasy set for MTG, which was immediately popular among fans and ended up selling more than WotC could ever imagine. However, Final Fantasy also determined the current meta decks in the game, and Wizards of the Coast intends to do something about it on November 10.
In the Banned and Restricted post for June 30, Wizards of the Coast stated that the goal was not to have emergency bans in the sense of sudden windows where bans would occur, even though the meta dominance of cards like Cori-Steel Cutter was evident from the get-go. As such, WotC settled on the next ban window for Magic: The Gathering to happen in November 2025, specifically on November 24. Yesterday, the company released a statement regarding Standard, Vivi Ornitier, and the future of bans in Standard and other formats, moving the date of the next post up to November 10 instead.
Magic: The Gathering May Have to Bite The Bullet It's Long Dodged in November 2025
Magic: The Gathering finds itself in a catch-22 situation with one decision it may need to make in November 2025, as no outcome is ideal.
Magic: The Gathering's Ban Announcement For November 10 Explained
The current meta is mostly dominated by Magic: The Gathering's Vivi Ornitier in Standard, though the card is so strong that it's sitting at the top of the game for other formats as well. Regardless, it is currently found in two different meta decks: Izzet Cauldron and Izzet Prowess, with the former being the most used deck in the entire format. Recent tournaments had a prevalence of Izzet Cauldron decks overall, which further highlights how problematic Vivi can be. Luckily, Wizards of the Coast is seemingly listening, and it stated that a Vivi ban on November 10 is likely to happen and is probably needed.
One might ask why not ban Vivi now, and WotC's answer is in the same post, stating that it doesn't want to disrupt the preparation and deckbuilding process of those who have invested time and money in the game so far, especially with the RCQ season still underway. Additionally, WotC is unsure about possible bans for MTG's Vivi and Agatha's Soul Cauldron because the meta may evolve still, meaning it's wiser to wait until November before taking action. However, it is wiser to move the ban post date to November 10 to take action sooner.
Izzet Cauldron revolves around Agatha's Soul Cauldron giving Vivi's abilities to all creatures on the board, creating a devastating loop.
New meta decks in MTG's Standard are emerging, with Mono Red and Mono Green being two great candidates for some of the best in Standard right now, meaning that the game may "balance itself" by making Vivi Ornitier and Agatha's Soul Cauldron obsolete with more powerful brews. Whether this truly happens remains to be seen, and Wizards is aware that Vivi is an outlier regardless of its meta share, which is a good reason to think all the possible bans through ahead of the new November 10 date.
Why MTG's November 10 Ban Announcement is Going to Be The Real Deal
With Wizards openly stating that the goal is to take action on November 10, not only for Standard, but for all formats that need attention, this is going to be a major day for Magic: The Gathering, regardless of the outcome. Many meta decks may change, and new ones may emerge, especially with MTG's Avatar: The Last Airbender set coming on November 21. As such, November 10 is going to be a game-changer for most formats, which is particularly true for everything other than Standard, even if it's currently the most discussed. This is because the June ban post focused mainly on Standard, and thus, other formats are in dire need of some maintenance sooner rather than later.
Magic: The Gathering
- Original Release Date
- August 5, 1993
- Publisher
- Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
- Richard Garfield
- Player Count
- 2+
- Age Recommendation
- 13+