Massive B&R Update Shakes Up Modern and Pioneer, Plus Y'shtola Claims the #3 Commander Spot!

May 19, 2026 · 26 sources

Set News

Wizards just dropped a massive Banned and Restricted update! Cori-Steel Cutter gets the axe in Pioneer, Modern gets shaken up with two bans and two long-awaited unbans, and Legacy's Oops All Spells finally takes a hit.
If you're looking to jam some new cardboard, the Secret Lair Commander Deck: Goblin Storm officially hit the streets yesterday morning, ready to storm off in a blaze of glory.
For the lore hounds, MaRo clarified the true origin of the company name: Peter Adkison actually named it after a guild of wizards from his personal D&D campaign, not just "Wizards for fantasy and the Coast for Seattle."
Good news for fans of the art deco mobster aesthetic: Mark Rosewater confirmed he expects us to return to New Capenna one day.

Y'shtola, Night's Blessed continues her relentless march up the popularity charts, officially overtaking Atraxa to claim the #3 spot on the overall EDHREC commander leaderboard.
Bruce Banner may be the front side, but the Incredible Hulk is the main event in a new double-sided Commander deck tech that looks ready to smash face.
If you're looking to windmill slam massive creatures in cEDH, EDHREC breaks down exactly how to build Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy for competitive tables.
Cyclonic Rift might be a confirmed "Game Changer" in the new Bracket system, but if you're building on a budget, there are plenty of solid replacements to keep your decks afloat.
Edgar Markov remains a classic boogeyman of the format; check out the top 39 cards you need to fuel your vampire army.

The Modern format is flipping on its head after the latest B&R announcement; the MTGGoldfish crew breaks down the two bans and the "boomer cards" finally getting unbanned.
With MTG Arena officially upgrading Explorer into full Pioneer, there's no better time to dive into one of Magic's most diverse non-rotating formats.
Take a trip down memory lane with a head-to-head battle for the "Best Standard Deck Ever," pitting the iconic 1997 Pros Bloom combo deck against the brutal 2018 Rakdos Chainwhirler.

Drafting Un-sets requires some unique playtesting. MaRo revealed this week that for mechanics that care about things like hats or glasses, they literally tagged cards in the database for what would appear in their art!
If you need a primer on the digital-only format, Draftsim has updated their comprehensive guide to everything Alchemy on MTG Arena.

Hold onto your binders: TCGPlayer prices for the limited Secrets of Strixhaven Codex Bundles have suddenly plummeted out of nowhere, recently hitting a market low of around $140.
With those Codex Bundles dropping in price, it's the perfect time to re-evaluate whether these high-end Collector-style products are actually worth the investment.

MaRo cleared up some rules confusion regarding black-border playability: in sanctioned tournaments, it's about being functionally identical across printings, which is why you can't play a Magic 30 Anscetral Recall in Vintage.
For the deep lore fans: during the Khans of Tarkir story development, there was actually intense internal debate over whether Ugin was truly dead before they finalized Bolas's betrayal.
The "suppressed" mechanic uses a sideways orientation rather than face-down because the card's color and other qualities still matter while it's in play.
Slivers, shadow, and echo all originated from Mike Elliott's "Astral Ways" design, but MaRo admits he wouldn't make symmetrical Slivers (like those from Tempest) if he had to do it all over again.