Pauper: Wizards makes Zeta Set commons legal, bans two cards

Wizards reversed course: 10 of the 12 new commons are Pauper legal since September 7, while Narcomoeba and Price of Progress arrived banned.

16 de set. de 2026 · por ArcanoLeviata317 · 8 min de leitura

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Pauper: Wizards makes Zeta Set commons legal, bans two cards

On September 4, 2026, Wizards of the Coast changed its mind about Pauper, the format where only cards printed at common are legal. Twelve cards got their first common printing in Secret Lair x MSCHF: The Zeta Set. Ten of them became legal in the format on September 7, and the other two came in already banned. Eleven days earlier, the person in charge of the format at Wizards had said on social media that these reprints would not affect Pauper.

The change moved both decks and prices, and it is not over yet: four of the new commons are being watched, and the next review is scheduled for October 12.

What The Zeta Set is

The Zeta Set is a Secret Lair collection made in partnership with MSCHF, a Brooklyn art collective. The cards imitate Magic's 1992 test prototypes: photocopy-looking art, a plain frame and creature types written the way they were back then ("Summon Artifact Bird"). According to the official announcement from September 1:

121 cards in total, sold in 7-card boosters at US$19.92 each, a nod to the year 1992;
each booster has 3 commons (out of 52), 2 uncommons (out of 39), 1 rare or mythic (75% rare, 25% mythic) and 1 wildcard of any rarity (60% common, 30% uncommon, 7.5% rare, 2.5% mythic);
cards come in the standard photocopy look, in negative (10%) or with CMYK color banding (5%);
sales started on September 2, only on the Secret Lair website, while supplies last.

Scryfall lists the collection under the code SLZ with 363 printings: the 121 cards in three visual versions each.

Baleful Strix in its Zeta Set version, with playtest-style photocopy art

Baleful Strix, The Zeta Set (SLZ). Illustration: MSCHF · Image: Scryfall · © Wizards of the Coast

Wizards' back-and-forth, day by day

August 24: Gavin Verhey, who leads the Pauper Format Panel, said on social media that Secret Lair reprints should not affect Pauper (according to Wargamer).
September 2: The Zeta Set goes on sale.
September 4: a new official statement, signed by Verhey on behalf of the panel. The 12 cards that got their first common printing in Zeta become legal in Pauper, and two of them are banned right away.
September 7: the change takes effect for tabletop tournaments.
September 23: the change reaches Magic Online. Until then, paper and digital follow different rules.
October 12: next banned list review. After that, not until December.

According to the statement, Wizards changed its position because rarity has always been the rule that defines Pauper. The community also preferred that problems be handled through the banned list rather than through an exception for one product. The company promises to show future Secret Lairs with cards downshifted to common ahead of time, and says it has no plans for another randomized booster product with downshifted commons.

The 12 cards, one by one

None of them had a paper common printing before Zeta.

Banned from day one

Narcomoeba
Price of Progress

Legal, but on watch ("on a very short leash", in the announcement's words)

Baleful Strix
Vandalblast
Dispatch
Cut Down

Legal

Return to Dust
Serra Angel
An Offer You Can't Refuse
Sengir Vampire
Gigantosaurus
Soul-Guide Lantern

The most talked-about is Baleful Strix: a 1/1 creature with flying and deathtouch that draws a card when it enters. It debuted as an uncommon in Planechase 2012 and, since then, had only been printed at uncommon or rare (18 paper printings before Zeta, according to Scryfall). Cut Down, an instant that destroys a creature with total power and toughness 5 or less, had only uncommon and rare printings until now.

Baleful Strix in its original Planechase 2012 printing

Baleful Strix, Planechase 2012 (PC2). Illustration: Nils Hamm · Image: Scryfall · © Wizards of the Coast

The effect on prices

The market reacted quickly. In its weekly roundup published on September 14, MTGGoldfish reported:

Baleful Strix: up about 350%, to a range of US$10 to US$120 depending on the printing;
Cut Down: up almost 600%, to about US$4.

TCGplayer market prices, passed on by Scryfall and checked on September 16, show a different range for Baleful Strix:

Baleful Strix, non-foil: from US$3.10 (Eternal Masters) to US$14.16 (Bloomburrow Commander). The Planechase 2012 printing is at US$6.68, and the most expensive foil at US$18.85.
Cut Down (Dominaria United): US$2.64 and US$4.18 for the two non-foil versions.
Price of Progress, already banned in Pauper: US$4.11 to US$14.53.
The Zeta cards themselves have no price yet on Scryfall.

The two sources don't measure the same thing. The MTGGoldfish range includes pricier versions, while Scryfall updates once a day with each printing's market price. That is why the numbers don't match.

Cut Down in its Dominaria United printing

Cut Down, Dominaria United (DMU). Illustration: Dominik Mayer · Image: Scryfall · © Wizards of the Coast

What changes for buyers, sellers and collectors

If you play Pauper, the 10 newly legal cards have been legal in paper since September 7 and are legal on Magic Online from September 23. Narcomoeba and Price of Progress stay out of your deck.

To be legal, a card only needs to have been printed at common: the copy you use can come from any set. A Baleful Strix from Planechase or from a Commander deck works in a tournament. You don't need the Zeta version.

If you're buying to play, remember that four cards are on watch and the next review is on October 12. Buying a playset of Baleful Strix or Cut Down now is a bet that they won't be banned. Wizards hasn't said it will ban them, only that it is keeping an eye on them.

If you have these cards sitting around, especially Baleful Strix and Cut Down, demand has gone up. Compare the price of each printing before listing, because the gap between them is large. See who buys and sells Baleful Strix and who trades Cut Down.

If you collect, Zeta was sold only on the Secret Lair website, for a limited time and in randomized boosters. Going by the announced ratios, the negative and CMYK-banded versions are the hardest to find. There is no reference price for them yet.

Our take

The September 4 decision reinforces Pauper's simplest rule: a common is a common, wherever it comes from. That keeps the format predictable for card buyers. The cost was short-term uncertainty: anyone who bought in the first days paid for cards that could be banned in October.

Until the October 12 review comes out, the most prudent reading is to treat the four cards on watch as legal for now, not as an investment. This is opinion, not a forecast. Follow the official announcement before deciding.

More on the format at #pauper and on bans at #banimentos.

Quick summary

The Zeta Set (Secret Lair x MSCHF): 121 cards in a 1992 playtest style, 7-card boosters at US$19.92, on sale since September 2.
August 24: Gavin Verhey, from Wizards, said the collection would not affect Pauper. September 4: Wizards reversed course.
10 cards made legal (paper on 9/7, Magic Online on 9/23). Narcomoeba and Price of Progress banned.
On watch: Baleful Strix, Vandalblast, Dispatch and Cut Down. Next review on October 12.
Prices: MTGGoldfish saw Baleful Strix rise ~350% and Cut Down almost 600%. On Scryfall, non-foil Baleful Strix ranges from US$3.10 to US$14.16 (9/16).
To play, any printing of the card works, not just the Zeta one.

Frequently asked questions

Which Zeta Set cards are Pauper legal?

The ten commons made legal in the September 4, 2026 announcement: Baleful Strix, Vandalblast, Dispatch, Cut Down, Return to Dust, Serra Angel, An Offer You Can't Refuse, Sengir Vampire, Gigantosaurus and Soul-Guide Lantern. Narcomoeba and Price of Progress arrived banned.

Do I need the Zeta Set printing to play the card?

No. Pauper accepts any copy of a card that has been printed at common somewhere — a Baleful Strix from Planechase 2012 or from a Commander deck is tournament legal.

When does the change take effect?

At tables, since September 7, 2026. On Magic Online, from September 23; until then paper and digital follow different rules.

Which cards could still be banned?

Four are on watch: Baleful Strix, Vandalblast, Dispatch and Cut Down. The next banned list update is October 12, 2026, and the one after that only in December.

How much did Baleful Strix go up?

MTGGoldfish recorded a roughly 350% rise in its September 14, 2026 update. By Scryfall's market price on September 16, the non-foil ranged from US$3.10 (Eternal Masters) to US$14.16 (Bloomburrow Commander).