Magic bans October 2026: what changed in Brawl

Yuriko, Spider-Man 2099 and Light-Paws were banned as commanders in Arena's Competitive Brawl. Paper Commander and Standard are unchanged.

Oct 14, 2026 · by ArcanoLeviata317 · 7 min read

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Magic bans October 2026: what changed in Brawl

Which Magic cards were banned in October 2026? In the October 12, 2026 Banned and Restricted announcement, Wizards of the Coast changed a single format: MTG Arena's Competitive Brawl. Three commanders were banned (Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow, Spider-Man 2099 and Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice), nine cards became banned only as a commander, and Nashi, Illusion Gadgeteer was rebalanced. Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Pauper and the other formats stayed as they were.

What did Wizards announce on October 12, 2026?

The article "Banned and Restricted Announcement – October 12, 2026", published on the official Magic site, lists ten formats with no changes at all: Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Pauper, Alchemy, Historic, Timeless and Brawl. The only section with changes is Competitive Brawl, and they took effect on the 12th itself.

The summary, in three groups:

Banned as a commander (new): Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow; Spider-Man 2099; Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice.
Now banned only as a commander: Ajani, Nacatl Pariah; Nadu, Winged Wisdom; Oko, Thief of Crowns; Old Stickfingers; Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer; Rusko, Clockmaker; Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student; Wrenn and Six; Tajic, Legion's Valor.
Rebalanced: Nashi, Illusion Gadgeteer, a digital-only card, loses flash.

The next Banned and Restricted announcement is scheduled for November 30, 2026.

Which commanders were banned in Competitive Brawl?

Yuriko, Spider-Man 2099 and Light-Paws can no longer sit in the command zone in Competitive Brawl. According to Wizards, some commanders reached win rates "high enough to make them problematic". The company did not publish the numbers.

Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow card from Commander Masters

Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow (CMM 364). Illustration: Yongjae Choi · Image: Scryfall · © Wizards of the Coast

Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow: blue-black ninja commander. Each ninja that deals combat damage reveals the top card of your library, and each opponent loses life equal to its mana value.
Spider-Man 2099: blue-red, from the 2025 Marvel set. It has double strike and vigilance and, at your end step, deals damage equal to its power if you played something from outside your hand.
Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice: white, from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty. Each Aura you cast fetches a cheaper Aura from your library.

Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice card from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty

Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice (NEO 25). Illustration: Randy Vargas · Image: Scryfall · © Wizards of the Coast

On MTG Arena, players who own these cards get up to one wildcard for each of the three banned commanders in their collection, according to the October 12 Arena notes.

What does "banned only as a commander" mean?

It is a new tool on Arena. The card can't be your deck's commander, but it remains legal among the other 99 cards. Wizards explained that, now that it has the technology for this, it is applying this kind of ban to cards that had been banned for being too strong as a commander.

In practice, nine cards that were out of Competitive Brawl can go back into decks, as long as they aren't the commander: Ajani, Nadu, Oko, Old Stickfingers, Ragavan, Rusko, Tamiyo, Wrenn and Six and Tajic.

Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer card from Modern Horizons 2

Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer (MH2 138). Illustration: Simon Dominic · Image: Scryfall · © Wizards of the Coast

Why was Nashi, Illusion Gadgeteer changed?

Nashi only exists in digital, which is why Wizards can rewrite it. The announcement says the card "has been a problem for some time" and removes its flash. According to the Arena notes, this undoes an earlier adjustment that had given the card flash.

Does the ban apply to paper Commander?

No. Competitive Brawl is an MTG Arena format, and the announcement doesn't cover Commander played with physical cards. On October 14, 2026, Scryfall listed Yuriko, Spider-Man 2099, Light-Paws, Ragavan, Tamiyo, Oko and Wrenn and Six as legal in Commander. Draftsim also noted that no paper format was hit.

Arena's regular Brawl didn't change either. Wizards points out that, when it created Competitive Brawl, it removed more aggressive or polarizing cards from regular Brawl so that it can serve its more casual role.

What else did the announcement reveal?

End of Alchemy: Alchemy: Reality Fracture, released on October 13 with 31 cards, is the format's final drop. Alchemy will be retired with the rotation in early 2027.
Standard rotation: it will be triggered by Nauctis: The Sunken Realm, releasing on February 5, 2027. Leaving the format are Wilds of Eldraine, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, Murders at Karlov Manor, Outlaws of Thunder Junction, The Big Score, Bloomburrow and Duskmourn: House of Horror. Wizards says it doesn't plan sweeping Standard changes before then, unless something threatens the format's health.
Pauper: The Zeta Set cards are already seeing play, but Wizards says it's too early to judge and scheduled a check-in for December. Also read our article on the Zeta Set in Pauper.
Pioneer: no changes, but it's being watched closely ahead of December's Arena Qualifier Weekend.

What changes for buyers, sellers and collectors

Physical cards: nothing changes in paper legality. Reference prices on Scryfall on October 14, 2026, English and non-foil, were:
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer (MH2): US$ 40.83 (TCGplayer) and € 33.41 (Cardmarket)
Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student (MH3): US$ 17.96 and € 21.31
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow (CMM): US$ 3.38 and € 2.93
Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice (NEO): US$ 1.42 and € 4.67
Spider-Man 2099 (SPM): US$ 0.46 and € 0.33
If you play paper Commander with Yuriko: your deck is still legal. Before selling the card because of the news, check Yuriko's page and who buys or sells it on Explore.
If you play on Arena: if you had a Competitive Brawl deck with one of the three commanders, use the returned wildcard to switch commanders. Ragavan, Oko and Wrenn and Six are back as options for the 99.
Watch the rotation: if you own Standard cards from the seven sets leaving with Nauctis, they leave the format in early 2027. See what changes in boosters starting with Nauctis and check who is looking for Ragavan.

Our take

Collector Union's opinion, based on the facts above.

For physical card collectors, this is one of the calmest announcements of the year: no paper format changed, and the prices above have no reason to react to a rule that only applies on Arena. The most market-relevant news is at the bottom of the announcement: the confirmation of which seven sets leave Standard with Nauctis in February 2027. That's the calendar that matters when deciding what to sell or hold.

The "banned only as a commander" tool looks like a good solution to us. It separates the real problem, a card that's too strong in the command zone and available every game, from the card's normal use inside the deck. It's worth watching whether Wizards brings the same idea to other 100-card formats in the future. For now, that hasn't been announced.

Quick summary

The October 12, 2026 announcement only changed MTG Arena's Competitive Brawl.
Banned as a commander: Yuriko, Spider-Man 2099 and Light-Paws.
Nine cards, including Ragavan, Oko and Wrenn and Six, become banned only as a commander and are legal again among the 99.
Nashi, Illusion Gadgeteer loses flash.
Paper Commander, Standard, Modern, Legacy and Pauper did not change.
Next announcement: November 30, 2026. Standard rotation comes with Nauctis (February 5, 2027).

Frequently asked questions

Which Magic cards were banned in October 2026?

In the October 12, 2026 announcement, Wizards banned Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow, Spider-Man 2099 and Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice as commanders in MTG Arena's Competitive Brawl. No other format had cards banned.

Was Yuriko banned in Commander?

No. The ban only applies to Competitive Brawl on MTG Arena. On October 14, 2026, Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow was still legal in paper Commander, according to Scryfall.

What does "banned as a commander" mean?

It's a ban where the card can't be the deck's commander but stays legal among the other 99 cards. Wizards started using it in Competitive Brawl on October 12, 2026.

When is the next Magic Banned and Restricted announcement?

Wizards of the Coast's next Banned and Restricted announcement is scheduled for November 30, 2026.

Which sets leave Standard in 2027?

With Nauctis: The Sunken Realm (February 5, 2027), Wilds of Eldraine, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, Murders at Karlov Manor, Outlaws of Thunder Junction, The Big Score, Bloomburrow and Duskmourn: House of Horror leave Standard.