MTG Standard bans remove 3 cards in Banned and Restricted announcement

Wizards of the Coast dropped a Banned and Restricted announcement on May 29, banning three powerful cards from the Standard format while delaying other Magic: The Gathering format bans to Aug. 

Banned and Restricted announcements are slated to occur on a yearly basis starting on Aug. 7, with exceptions taking place for overpowered cards within a specific MTG format. Three bans for the Standard format dropped early on May 29, removing Fable of the Mirror Breaker, Reckoner Bankbuster, and Invoke Despair. Unlike the fake leaked ban list that appeared last week, these three bans were expected by most in the MTG community.

The purpose of the Standard bans ahead of the yearly MTG Banned and Restricted announcement was to remove cards that have dominated the format for an extended period of time while creating design space for the upcoming Wilds of Eldraine fall release. 

All three cards are from the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO) set and would have normally rotated out of the Standard format this fall. WotC changed Standard rotation this year, extending a set’s life within the format from two to three years. 

Both Fable of the Mirror Breaker//Reflection of Kiki-Jiki and Invoke Despair were the two MTG Standard cards everyone agreed should get banned. Reckoner Bankbuster was also on the hot seat list, along with The Wandering Emperor. Some in the community feel Atraxa, Grand Unifier was on the banned hot seat too, but it wasn’t slated to rotate and will stick around unless it becomes a major problem within the meta. 

A second MTG Banned and Restricted announcement is scheduled to take place on Aug. 7, prior to the official start of Wilds of Eldraine spoilers. This announcement should include bans in other Magic formats and may even include Standard format bans as well, depending on how the meta evolves after the removal of Fable of the Mirror Breaker, Reckoner Bankbuster, and Invoke Despair from the format. 

Standard bans from the Banned and Restricted announcement will go into effect for tabletop and Magic Online on May 29, and through MTG Arena on May 30.