<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heroic Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Heroic Intervention</a> | Art by <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/namesjames" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Ryman</a>
<a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/why-are-these-cards-banned-in-commander" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Last time</a> we talked about what the best reasons were for the current <a href="https://edhrec.com/banned" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Commander ban list</a> that the <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/introducing-the-commander-format-panel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Commander Format Panel</a> (CFP) has publicly talked about. In short, we discussed why some cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fastbond" href="#" target="_blank">Fastbond</a> were said to be too strong for Commander while others like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Balance" href="#" target="_blank">Balance</a> were considered too unfun and not CFP approved.
I'd promised that we'd continue by discussing what the biggest weaknesses for the CFP's current ban list are and what cuts could be made. However, I don't plan on talking about each individual card like last time.
We're first going to start with why a small handful of cards can't be included in the latter portion of today's discussion before diving into the juicier talking points.
Additionally, for this discussion, let's not concern ourselves with what may happen regarding finances and very swift re-bans if changes were made. We're instead trying to find specifically the best reason these cards could be unbanned and just that.
<h2>These Banned Cards Aren't Going Anywhere</h2>
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancestral Recall" href="#" target="_blank">Ancestral Recall</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Black Lotus" href="#" target="_blank">Black Lotus</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mox Emerald" href="#" target="_blank">Mox Emerald</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mox Jet" href="#" target="_blank">Mox Jet</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mox Pearl" href="#" target="_blank">Mox Pearl</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mox Ruby" href="#" target="_blank">Mox Ruby</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mox Sapphire" href="#" target="_blank">Mox Sapphire</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time Walk" href="#" target="_blank">Time Walk</a>.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Black Lotus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mox Pearl"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Time Walk"></div></div>
I'm convinced there isn't a world in which eight pieces of the power nine are unbanned. As cool as it may be to play with these cards, they are the pinnacle for individual cards being too powerful for Commander. If the eight of the power nine aren't to be banned, then what should be banned for being too strong in Commander?
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chaos Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Chaos Orb</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Falling Star" href="#" target="_blank">Falling Star</a>.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chaos Orb"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Falling Star"></div></div>
These two "dexterity checks" are banned because tossing or flipping cards isn't a playstyle the CFP wants to foster. Aside from the struggles in enforcing the loose legalities surrounding how distances should be measured or how board states should be treated before the ability is put onto the stack, the CFP would like Commander to be as accessible to as many players as possible.
Cards that ask players to perform a physical feat are intrinsically exclusionary towards anyone that would struggle steadily and accurately flipping cards for advantage in a multiplayer setting. Sure, Commander is socially inclined and other players could theoretically aid others with properly resolving a Falling Star, but that's an expectation that frankly shouldn't be depended on.
Magic cards ought to be cards we can reasonably engage with physically and mentally. Categorically, I don't see why the CFP would ever unban these cards.
<h2>The Rest of the Ban List</h2>
We'll be focusing on every other banned card <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/why-are-these-cards-banned-in-commander" target="_blank" rel="noopener">we talked about last time</a>.
We could stay here and discuss each and every individual card's best reason to be unbanned, citing shifts in meta and power creep and more, but the glaring weakness the rest of the ban list shares is simple: <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets#commander-brackets-what-are-commander-brackets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brackets</a> promote self governing playstyles. As such, the ban list should reflect what cannot be self governed in addition to uniquely powerful cards such as the "power eight of nine."
Now, I know this is the exact problem the Brackets were originally designed to resolve. Too many "my deck's a seven" incidents informed WoTC that some form of authority was required when balancing a pod's power levels.
But... don't we fundamentally still have this problem? If I wanted to build a Bracket 3 deck, I'd expect the deck to run not run any two-card infinite combos, mass land denial (MLD), chaining extra turns, no more than three Game Changers, and to end the game no sooner than turn six.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Coram, the Undertaker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Protean Hulk"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER"></div></div>
"Alright," I say to myself, "what defines a twoc-ard infinite? Does that just mean nothing that wins the game on the spot with only two cards? Does that include infinite loops that don't end the game?"
As our recent <a href="https://edhrec.com/combos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Combo Vote</a> has shown, many players answer these questions differently and thus govern their Bracket 3 experiences as such. The same can be extrapolated for MLD and extra turns.
"Where's the line between chaining extra turns and playing just enough on others' turns? I'd never engage with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strip Mine" href="#" target="_blank">Strip Mine</a> as much as my deck could, but does simply having the potential of MLD exclude my deck from lower Brackets?"
Our answers to these questions aren't currently dependent on a standard set by the CFP, rather the pods we surround ourselves with. Because of this, the Bracket solution has simply moved the goalpost; players start with the CFP's guidance, but inevitably fall back on self governance for creating their preferred game experience.
<h2>A Ban List for Brackets</h2>
Don't like playing against <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Upheaval" href="#" target="_blank">Upheaval</a>? Tired of your opponent's reoccurring <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Titan</a> or their <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a> deck? Well, the easiest solution is to stop playing against these kinds of opponents.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Balance"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Erayo, Soratami Ascendant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shahrazad"></div></div>
This defense is the logic behind strong commanders not being Game Changers due to opponents' abilities to self govern the kind of opposition they're comfortable playing against.
There's no need to make a card like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Lord High Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Lord High Artificer</a> a Game Changer if players who don't want to play against that kind of deck preemptively seek games away from those kinds of decks.
The same can be said for just about any card. If you're not comfortable or don't vibe playing against a deck that play any given card, interaction, combo, or strategy, the best defense is to not play against that card, interaction, combo, or strategy.
By utilizing self governing in this manner for a casual format, there isn't a need for WoTC to jam its hand into every Commander game via the ban list and tell everyone how to play since everyone is already doing that for themselves.
The first counterargument that comes to mind sounds something like this: "The only time I can engage with Commander is against decks that run unfun/undesirable cards, strategies, etc. The ban list is my only hope to play Commander with this group."
Situations like this exist, I won't deny that. Our games absolutely are limited by the players closest to us, and there exists the chance that our opponents don't foster the Commander environment we'd be most comfortable playing in.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rhystic Study"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tergrid, God of Fright"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger"></div></div>
However, I'll argue that the vast majority of Commander players don't experience this problem. Perhaps those afflicted with poor pod-mates were the most vocal and thus the most represented, but there doesn't seem to be evidence of a large portion of Commander players struggling to fit into a pod as such.
Because of this, it doesn't make sense for this seemingly small percentage of Commander players to be the focus group the CFP cites for banning a card.
In fact, the CFP shouldn't be appealing to the most vocal players' opinions anyways. To ban a card, the CFP ought to demonstrate it's damaging the format and requires intervention that self governance hasn't already solved.
Is a card too boring/unfun? Categorically, the majority of players won't be playing it because it's unfun to play. Commander's too large and too socially inclined to allow unfun cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Upheaval" href="#" target="_blank">Upheaval</a> to dominate the format. Hence why cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stasis" href="#" target="_blank">Stasis</a> aren't prevalent in the <a href="https://edhrec.com/cards/stasis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">majority of Commander games</a>.
Why should unfun cards be banned anyways? Isn't this what the Game Changer status partially seeks to fix? As a soft ban list for lower Brackets, most "unfun" cards ought to be Game Changers before they're banned, anyways.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grand Arbiter Augustin IV"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smothering Tithe"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The One Ring"></div></div>
If something is too unfun to play, it won't be played. If something unfun becomes too powerful and thus is played, then the CFP can make it a Game Changer and then ban it if needed citing the card's demonstrably overpowering effect on games and/or flooding Commander's overall meta.
Is <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Recurring Nightmare" href="#" target="_blank">Recurring Nightmare</a> too strong of a reanimator piece? Is <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emrakul, the Aeons Torn" href="#" target="_blank">Emrakul, the Aeons Torn</a> too powerful for Brackets 3-5? Will <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tinker" href="#" target="_blank">Tinker</a> dominate the Commander meta?
The CFP must prove these claims instead of adopting both the previous committee's ban list and their antiquated explanations. It isn't enough to appeal to the loudest of players and claim equal representation for Commander players' opinions.
A ban list for the Bracket system ought to uphold the strengths of Brackets by granting Commander players the opportunity to decide for themselves what kind of game they'd like to create before the CFP determines what a healthy Commander game looks like.
But what do you think? How do you feel about greatly reducing the current ban list? What are your thoughts on self policing? Do you think the CFP should outline specifically what it takes to make a ban?
I hope this article was informative with exploring where the CFP hopes to direct the format. Find me on BlueSky at <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/ajwicker4.bsky.social?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@ajwicker4.bsky.social</a>, I'd love to hear from you and what your thoughts are.
Tune in next time to continue this deep dive in the Bracket system and more Commander Philosophy!

Can the Commander Ban List Be Dramatically Downsized?

Why Are These Cards Banned in Commander?

<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Biorhythm" href="#" target="_blank">Biorhythm</a> | Art by <a href="https://ronspearsart.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ron Spears</a>
Hello everyone, I'm <a href="http://linktr.ee/commandzoe">Command Zoe</a>, now covering Breaking News for EDHREC. No seriously, this isn’t satire. I'm back today to talk about <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/commander-ban-list-update-feb-9-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the recent unbanning</a> in Commander of one of my favorite Onslaught era cards: <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Biorhythm" href="#" target="_blank">Biorhythm</a>. 
I played this card in Standard as a four-of all the way back in Onslaught-Mirrodin standard, and I'm glad it's back - even if it is as a <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/game-changers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Game Changer</a>. Buckle up because that means I get to info dump on you all about how it was used before it was banned, why it was unbanned, what my thoughts are on it as a card, and what commanders are champing at the bit to get their hands on it. Without further ado.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Biorhythm"></div></div>
Game: changed.
<h2>How Was <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Biorhythm" href="#" target="_blank">Biorhythm</a> Used Before It Was Banned, and Why Was It Unbanned?</h2>
Biorhythm is a powerful but expensive effect. It has a fairly straightforward card design, but due to its ability to completely kill an entire table at once it's been on the <a href="https://edhrec.com/banned" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned list</a> for years. However, Magic has come a long way since then. An eight-mana automatic finisher isn't what it used to be, even if it is in green, the rampiest color.
There are two main ways Biorhythm was played when it was first legal. The first is to ramp up quickly, then cast an instant speed board wipe like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evacuation" href="#" target="_blank">Evacuation</a> during the end step of the turn before yours, then win in your first main phase with a cheap creature into Biorhythm, leaving everyone else at zero life and you at one.
The other way it was used was to go a lot wider than your opponents with a lot of small creatures, then cast Biorhythm and attack each opponent with more creatures than they can block. 
Explaining it like this makes it a lot easier to see why it was unbanned. Can you think of any other examples of cards that work like that? There are dozens, but the most powerful one actually outclasses Biorhythm in every way.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Craterhoof Behemoth"></div></div>
Hoof just does this job better.
<h2>My Thoughts on <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Biorhythm" href="#" target="_blank">Biorhythm</a> as a Card</h2>
This was a smart unbanning by the <a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/Commander_Format_Panel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Commander Format Panel</a> (CFP). A card that is functionally worse than cards that currently exist being on the banned list was a bad look for legitimacy. 
This was a long time coming because Biorhythm has been power crept for years, and it could have come off the banned list half a decade ago. There was a time when this was a needed ban. That time has passed, and it's nice to see a card I loved to play in Standard as a child come back to Magic.
<a href="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/br-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-176091 aligncenter" src="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/br-300x246.jpg" alt="4 biorhythms" width="300" height="246" srcset="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/br-300x246.jpg 300w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/br-1024x840.jpg 1024w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/br-768x630.jpg 768w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/br-1536x1260.jpg 1536w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/br-2048x1680.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a> 
Pictured: Author's Nostalgia
I'll go a step further and assert that I don’t think this card should even be a Game Changer. I have said this before with regards to <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger" href="#" target="_blank">Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger</a>, but eight-mana cards are too expensive to change the game. If they're being cheated out then the card that cheats is the problem. I see no functional difference between Biorhythm and Craterhoof, which is not a Game Changer, and I’d argue is significantly stronger. 
I predict this will be off the Game Changer list the next time the CFP looks at it.
<h2>Which Commanders Want <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Biorhythm" href="#" target="_blank">Biorhythm</a>?</h2>
There are several commanders that want this card. In competitive Commander, partners like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh" href="#" target="_blank">Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh</a> in combination with any green partner, most likely <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thrasios, Triton Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Thrasios, Triton Hero</a>, is going to be a popular choice. This pairing gives you green for ramp, blue for protection and evacuation, and a commander you can cast from the command zone for free. 
That's everything needed to do the whole combo, one piece of which you always have on you.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thrasios, Triton Hero"></div></div>
At lower <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bracket</a> tables, Biorhythm will likely see no play. This might come as a shock since it just came off the banned list. Why would anyone spend one of their three Game Changers on a card that's outclassed by a non-Game Changer?
The rare decks that do decide to spend a Game Changer slot on it will be looking to do so as a combo gimmick, most likely. That means they want access to an instant-speed board wipe, which means white or blue, and access to zero-mana creatures, which red gives the most access to via Kobolds - <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/naya" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Naya</a> and <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/temur" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Temur</a> commanders.
<h2>Cards That Work Well With <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Biorhythm" href="#" target="_blank">Biorhythm</a></h2>
There are several types of cards that work well with Biorhythm, depending on which of the two ways the deck wants to use the card.
Instant-speed board wipes are a must-have for decks looking to combo. Examples from every color include:
<ul>
<li> <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cyclonic Rift" href="#" target="_blank">Cyclonic Rift</a></li>
<li><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evacuation" href="#" target="_blank">Evacuation</a></li>
<li><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcbond" href="#" target="_blank">Arcbond</a></li>
<li><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Delayed Blast Fireball" href="#" target="_blank">Delayed Blast Fireball</a></li>
<li><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire Covenant" href="#" target="_blank">Fire Covenant</a></li>
<li><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rout" href="#" target="_blank">Rout</a></li>
<li><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Final Showdown" href="#" target="_blank">Final Showdown</a></li>
<li><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oblivion Stone" href="#" target="_blank">Oblivion Stone</a></li>
<li><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tegwyll&#039;s Scouring" href="#" target="_blank">Tegwyll&#039;s Scouring</a></li>
</ul>
Zero-mana creatures are the other half of that combo, and the best options for it are: 
<ul>
<li><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ornithopter" href="#" target="_blank">Ornithopter</a></li>
<li><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dryad Arbor" href="#" target="_blank">Dryad Arbor</a></li>
<li><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Walker" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Walker</a></li>
<li><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Memnite" href="#" target="_blank">Memnite</a></li>
<li><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shield Sphere" href="#" target="_blank">Shield Sphere</a></li>
<li><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crimson Kobolds" href="#" target="_blank">All the Kobolds</a></li>
<li>And all the man-lands like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mutavault" href="#" target="_blank">Mutavault</a> </li>
</ul>
The <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=t%3Acreature+o%3Aplot&amp;unique=cards&amp;as=grid&amp;order=cmc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plot</a> and <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=t%3Acreature+o%3Asuspend&amp;unique=cards&amp;as=grid&amp;order=cmc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspend</a> mechanics are also great ways to pre-spend mana to get around the cost of casting a creature the same turn as Biorhythm. Earthbending and land animation are interesting types of cards to look at with any board wipes that say to destroy all non-land permanents.
Moving away from the combo, go-wide style decks that want to spit out as many creatures as possible then attack will be looking to utilize mana dorks. Elves decks in particular will love the ability to ramp into this and swing for lethal before anyone else knows what hit them. 
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wirewood Channeler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elvish Guidance"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elvish Archdruid"></div></div>
These jerks...
<h2>Cleanup Step</h2>
Thanks so much for taking the time to read my thoughts on the recent unbanning of Biorhythm, a card that's an absolute juggernaut in MTG Hangman. I hope you're excited to try not just it, but all the cards the most recent changes gave access to across all the wonderful formats MTG has! Shout out to the huge shakeup Historic on Arena is going through. 
Until next time, follow me across my <a href="http://linktr.ee/commandzoe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">socials</a> so you know what’s going on as soon as it happens.

commander banned list

Can the Commander Ban List Be Dramatically Downsized?

Why Are These Cards Banned in Commander?

Biorhythm Is Unbanned in Commander. What Now?