"Standard is saved": Massive MTG card ban stuns the community while completely upending the metagame

How would you like a widespread ban on MTG cards with your eggs and bacon this morning? Publisher Wizards of the Coast thinks you would, so has swung its ban-hammer hard at the game – and fans can't seem to believe it.

As a long-running hobby game (and one of the best card games for the past 30 years), Magic: The Gathering is no stranger to bans or balance changes. However, its June 30 slate has completely upended the meta of a major match type – Standard – by killing off a plethora of cards including the likes of Cori-Steel Cutter and Abuelo's Awakening. These have begun to dominate the meta recently, and Wizards itself noted on its MTG card ban list that "the Izzet Prowess deck is having a negative effect on the Standard metagame […] The combination of sheer strength and resilience has let Cori-Steel Cutter run rampant" because there's no way to combat it right now. Meanwhile, Abuelo's Awakening has allowed Omniscience decks to become "too powerful and consistent." Thus, they've got the axe.

Here's a full look at the Standard MTG card bans announced by Wizards of the Coast:

• Cori-Steel Cutter
• Abuelo's Awakening
• Monstrous Rage
• Heartfire Hero
• Up the Beanstalk
• Hopeless Nightmare
• This Town Ain't Big Enough

In the world of Alchemy, Cori-Steel Cutter is suspended pending a rebalance. Additionally, Pioneer Best-of-One matches for the digital MTG Arena has banned Tibalt's Trickery.

The community has absolutely exploded in response to these changes. I mean, just look at this Reddit thread with its 200+ comments in 20 or so minutes, as of writing. Most fans seem to be in disbelief, while others (like Garrut) are celebrating and claiming that "STANDARD IS SAVED." Compleat-Ish observes that this is an "absolutely scorched earth" approach, and others question when a ban of this scale last happened.

In other words, it feels as though this is going to be a hot topic for quite some time.

Mourning the loss of these cards? Check out the best board games to take your mind off it.