Summary
A number of petitions have gone viral online after the Commander Rules Committee banned four popular cards from theMagic: The GatheringCommander format.Magic: The Gathering’s Commander format has become one of the more popular ways to play the card game over the typical Standard format. For those who don’t know, Commander requires a 100-card deck of individual cards and a legendary creature as the deck’s “Commander.” The deck can only follow the colors that are shared with the commander as an additional rule.
Commander has a lot of staple cards that help players cast powerful spells on their board. Decks usually contain cards like “Cultivate” and “Circuitous Route,” or another way to gather additional lands on a player’s turn. There are also artifact cards that are considered staples in everyCommander deck, like “Sol Ring” and “Arcane Signet.” These cards allow the player to tap them for extra mana, which is the primary resource used to cast spells inMagic: The Gathering.
On Jun 22, 2025, the Commander Rules Committee updated its ban list to include “Dockside Extortionist," “Jeweled Lotus," “Mana Crypt,” and “Nadu, the Winged Wisdom.” All of these cards are very powerful, but it’s debatable that they have the same significance as other cards like the previously mentioned “Sol Ring.” In response to the bans,Magic: The Gatheringfans began to express their concerns viaChange.org petitions, with one reaching over 2,500 signatures as of the time of writing. Fans of theMagic: The GatheringCommander formathighlight in their petition that the varying power levels of decks create an enjoyable and distinctive gameplay experience for players.
In response to the bans,Magic: The Gatheringfans began to express their concerns via Change.org petitions, with one reaching over 2,500 signatures as of the time of writing.
Change.org Petition Reaches Over 2,500 Signatures to Reverse Bans
“Dockside Extortionist,” one of the cards banned, creates an X number of treasure tokens that can be sacrificed to add a mana of any color. The X is determined by the number of artifacts and enchantments that the player’s opponents control. “Jeweled Lotus” and “Mana Crypt” are both artifacts like “Sol Ring” and “Arcane Signet” that give the player mana when tapped. The fourth card banned, “Nadu, the Winged Wisdom," is a prettypowerful legendary creaturethat can be played as a commander. It enables all creatures controlled by the player, when targeted by a spell or ability, to reveal the top card of their library and play it if it’s a land card; otherwise, it’s added to their hand. There’s a limit to this happening, however, at twice per turn. Out of all the cards banned, Nadu can be considered the most powerful.
The One Ring Not Banned From Use in MTG, Despite its Power
One card that stands out as even more oppressively powerful than those that have been banned is “The One Ring.” A variant of which, in a fictionalLord of the Ringslanguage, was sold to Post Malone for $2.6 million, making it themost valuableMagic: The Gatheringcard ever printed. When the player casts the card, they gain protection from every card color until the end of their turn. The drawback is that each turn a burden counter is added to the card, which then damages the player for how many counters are on it. However, they are also able to draw a card for each burden counter it holds. “The One Ring” card remains legal for Commander play, and even when considering the drawback, comparing it to what the four cards that were banned do, it doesn’t even come close.
It’s possible that the reason “The One Ring” has not been banned from play is due to its extreme rarity.
Thereasoning behind banning cards inMagic: The Gatheringis usually because of some overpowered combo, but it’s up for debate if the cards that have been banned here have enough of an impact on the fun of the game that they warrant being removed. Meanwhile,Magic: The Gatheringfans can sign the Change.org petitions and voice their concerns to the Commander Rules Committee to try and reverse the decision.
Magic The Gathering
Magic the Gathering is a tabletop and digital collectable card game created by Richard Garfield and released in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Players take on the role of a Planeswalker and use various cards to battle other players by casting spells, summoning creatures, or utilizing artifacts. It features two main rule categories, constructed or limited, and can be played by two or more players at a time.
