Three commanders leave the Competitive Brawl queue
Wizards of the Coast has updated Magic: The Gathering’s banned and restricted lists, with the only format changes arriving in Competitive Brawl on MTG Arena. Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow, Spider-Man 2099 and Light-Paws, Emperor’s Voice are now banned as commanders. The changes took effect on 12 October, the day of the announcement.
Wizards says these commanders emerged with win rates high enough to become problematic. It has not supplied figures in the announcement, so the decision is best understood as a targeted adjustment to Arena’s ranked singleton format rather than a broader statement about the cards in other formats.
Nine cards can return to the 99
The update also changes how nine other cards may be used in Competitive Brawl. Ajani, Nacatl Pariah; Nadu, Winged Wisdom; Oko, Thief of Crowns; Old Stickfingers; Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer; Rusko, Clockmaker; Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student; Wrenn and Six; and Tajic, Legion’s Valor are now banned only as commanders. They may be included in the other 99 cards of a deck, subject to its normal deck-building rules.
Wizards says it is applying this distinction now that Arena can support cards banned as commanders but still legal in the main deck. The change gives players more room to use these cards without allowing them to lead a Competitive Brawl deck.
Nashi loses flash; other formats stay put
Nashi, Illusion Gadgeteer is rebalanced, losing its flash keyword. Wizards describes Nashi as a digital-only card and says it has been a problem for some time; the change is intended to bring it back in line. The announcement does not list other changes to Nashi.
For players of tabletop Magic, the headline is that this update makes no changes to Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage or Pauper. Wizards also lists no changes for Alchemy, Historic, Timeless or regular Brawl. The restrictions and rebalance described here apply to Competitive Brawl.
Next update is scheduled for 30 November
Wizards has set 30 November 2026 as the date of its next planned banned and restricted announcement. The company will also discuss this update during WeeklyMTG on 13 October at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. Competitive Brawl players should check the live Arena legality display when updating decks, particularly if a newly commander-only restricted card remains in their 99.
Sources & further reading
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Official announcement, effective date and format details · 12 October 2026Wizards: Banned and Restricted Announcement – October 12, 2026↗This independent editorial was written by Ellvan Cards from the linked sources. Product details and legalities can change; check the publisher's live page before buying or registering a deck.
