Magic: The Gathering (MTG) Upcoming Banlist Update: October 2024

In October 2024, Wizards of the Coast announced significant updates to the Magic: The Gathering (MTG) banned and restricted list. These changes affect several formats, including Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, and Vintage. The goal is to create a healthier metagame, diversify deck-building options, and address cards that have proven problematic or overpowered. Below is a breakdown of the specific cards affected, the reasons behind each decision, and what these changes mean for players.

October 2024 MTG Banlist Changes by Format

Format	Card(s) Affected	Action	Reason
Pioneer	Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord, Amalia Benavides Aguirre	Banned	Addressed metagame dominance and unfun gameplay scenarios.
Modern	Nadu, Winged Wisdom, Grief	Banned	To prevent a stagnant metagame and overly disruptive play patterns.
Legacy	Grief	Banned	Mitigate synergy with reanimation effects causing imbalance.
Vintage	Urza’s Saga, Vexing Bauble	Restricted	Limit powerful artifact interactions and overpowered deck configurations.

MTG Banlist — Pioneer Format Updates October 2024

Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord

• Banned: October 2024
• Reason: Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord was banned to disrupt the dominance of Rakdos Vampires decks. This card’s powerful synergy with low-cost, high-impact creatures created a predictable metagame, which stifled diversity. The ban opens up the MTG Pioneer banlist to more creative strategies and balances gameplay by encouraging a wider range of deck archetypes.

Amalia Benavides Aguirre

• Banned: October 2024
• Reason: Amalia Benavides Aguirre was central to an infinite life-gain combo that often resulted in game draws or overwhelming board states. This card’s removal from the MTG Pioneer banlist aims to eliminate uninteractive and frustrating gameplay, providing a more balanced environment for players.

Modern Format Updates MTG Banlist

Nadu, Winged Wisdom

• Banned: October 2024
• Reason: The MTG Modern banlist now includes Nadu, Winged Wisdom to combat its overwhelming presence in the metagame. Nadu dominated various decks, creating a stagnant competitive environment. Its ban is expected to rejuvenate the format, allowing for greater variety and innovative deck-building.

Grief

• Banned: October 2024
• Reason: Grief has also been added to the MTG Modern banlist due to its disruptive early-game potential. Its synergy with cards like “Ephemerate” created repetitive, negative play patterns, pushing out many fair decks from the metagame. Removing Grief from Modern should make the format more interactive and enjoyable for a broader audience.

Legacy Format Updates

Grief

• Banned: October 2024
• Reason: Grief was banned from the MTG Legacy banlist for similar reasons. Its combination with reanimation spells like “Reanimate” and “Animate Dead” created an unbalanced environment, limiting the diversity of viable deck strategies. The ban aims to restore balance and enhance the overall competitive experience in Legacy.

Vintage Format Updates

Urza’s Saga

• Restricted: October 2024
• Reason: The MTG Vintage banlist now restricts Urza’s Saga due to its strong synergy with artifact-based strategies. This card enabled fast, consistent wins by tutoring key artifacts and generating quick mana. Restricting Urza’s Saga is intended to slow down these powerful strategies, promoting a healthier and more diverse Vintage format.

Vexing Bauble

• Restricted: October 2024
• Reason: Vexing Bauble has been restricted on the MTG Vintage banlist to prevent overly powerful deck configurations. By limiting its use, the aim is to encourage a broader range of strategies and reduce the dominance of particular archetypes that relied heavily on the card.

Impact Analysis by Format

Pioneer Format: The removal of Sorin and Amalia will likely lead to a resurgence of midrange, control, and combo decks previously overshadowed by Rakdos Vampires and similar strategies. This change encourages a more dynamic MTG Pioneer banlist where multiple archetypes can thrive.

Modern Format: With the bans of Nadu and Grief, the MTG Modern banlist becomes more diverse, promoting creativity and reducing negative play experiences. This move aims to make Modern more accessible to new and returning players.

Legacy Format: The ban of Grief on the MTG Legacy banlist should encourage slower, more strategic gameplay, allowing diverse decks to compete more effectively.

Vintage Format: Restricting Urza’s Saga and Vexing Bauble in the MTG Vintage banlist is expected to slow down overly powerful artifact strategies, creating room for other decks to emerge and thrive.

Future MTG Banlist Updates and Monitoring

Wizards of the Coast will continue to monitor these changes closely, with the next banlist update scheduled for December 16, 2024. These adjustments are part of ongoing efforts to maintain balanced and diverse gameplay across all MTG formats.

How to Stay Updated on MTG Banlists

For the latest information on MTG banlists, format changes, and detailed explanations, check out:

• Magic: The Gathering’s Official Banned & Restricted List
• Community updates on platforms like MTGGoldfish and Wargamer