Banned Cards List

Updated on 3 August 2026 17 banned cards Rules 2.7 and 2.8 Check a deck

Banning certain cards aims to preserve the balance and integrity of the format. When a card generates excessive advantage, reduces interaction, or limits strategic diversity, it can harm the quality of games. Bans help maintain a healthy, competitive environment true to the format's spirit.

Latest announcement 3 August 2026 by Na-O-H
Banned
Treasure Cruise
Made legal
Loyal Drake (experimental) Loyal Guardian (experimental) Loyal Subordinate (experimental) Loyal Unicorn (experimental)

* Experimental change.

View the history →

Banned as Commander

The following cards are banned as commanders in Pauper Duel Commander, as their permanent access from the command zone creates an excessive advantage and harms the balance and diversity of the format.

Banned in Deck

The following cards are banned in the deck in Pauper Duel Commander, as their impact is deemed too powerful or too restrictive for the format, harming balance, interaction, and strategic diversity.

Change history

The committee publishes a format announcement every two months, on the first Monday of even months.

  1. Update 3 August 2026 by Na-O-H
    Banned
    Treasure Cruise
    Made legal
    Loyal Drake (experimental) Loyal Guardian (experimental) Loyal Subordinate (experimental) Loyal Unicorn (experimental)

    * Experimental change.

    Details

    Treasure Cruise needs no introduction. Banned in nearly every format, an auto-include in nearly every blue deck, it shows a real power-level gap with every other card in the format and often swings the game, especially in the control mirror. For all these reasons, Treasure Cruise is now banned.

    Lieutenant mechanic: it was first considered problematic because of how it turns on. We are nonetheless giving all of these cards a chance to exist (except Loyal Apprentice), for several reasons: mono-colored decks — mono-white in particular — will be easier to field; and these decks were never really tested, since they were banned so quickly, so we lacked the data for a clear opinion — their ban was collateral damage from banning Loyal Apprentice, whose power level is very different. If these changes prove harmful to the format we will not hesitate to reverse them; but for all these reasons, Loyal Drake, Loyal Guardian, Loyal Subordinate and Loyal Unicorn are now legal.

  2. Initial ban list 12 December 2025 by LofiBlue
    Banned
    Aarakocra Sneak Avenging Hunter Goliath Paladin Stirring Bard Underdark Explorer Vicious Battlerager Trailblazer's Torch Fall from Favor Imprisoned in the Moon Oubliette Bastion Protector Loyal Apprentice Loyal Drake Loyal Guardian Loyal Subordinate Loyal Unicorn Bloodboil Sorcerer Feywild Caretaker Passageway Seer Rilsa Rael, Kingpin