Stop before you play the deck and check the exact format’s current Wizards Banned & Restricted list. If the card is banned, remove every copy from both the main deck and sideboard, replace it with cards legal in that format, and make the registered decklist match the physical cards. In a sanctioned tournament, a banned card on the submitted list is normally a Decklist Problem with a Game Loss. If the list is legal but the physical deck contains the wrong card, the issue is generally a Deck Problem with a Warning, although the Infraction Procedure Guide (IPG) specifies Game Loss upgrades for certain pre-game and deck-check situations.
First, identify the format
Magic: The Gathering legality is format-specific. A card can be banned in Modern and still be legal in Standard, while a card legal in one Constructed format may be prohibited in another. Start by identifying the event’s exact format: Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Pauper, Commander, or another format named by the organizer.
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Wizards’ Banned & Restricted guidance says the lists apply to Constructed formats, not Limited formats, and that each format has its own list. Do not rely on a deck-building site’s default format, an old screenshot, or a list remembered from a previous tournament. Open the current official list for the format printed on the event announcement and search for the card’s name.
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“If a card appears on the banned list for your chosen format, then you may not include that card in your deck or sideboard.”
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This check must include both the main deck and sideboard. A card is not made legal by placing it in the sideboard, and a card that was recently banned may remain in a saved list or physical deck long after the rule changed.
Banned and restricted are different rules
A banned card cannot appear in the deck or sideboard for that format. A restricted card is handled differently: the format permits only one copy across the combined main deck and sideboard. Vintage currently uses a restricted list, so count the two zones together rather than allowing one copy in each.
| Status | What the format permits | Where to count |
|---|---|---|
| Banned | Zero copies | Main deck and sideboard |
| Restricted | One copy total | Combined main deck and sideboard |
These are separate list entries. If you see the card under a format’s restricted list, do not remove every copy automatically; reduce the total to one if all other construction rules remain satisfied. If it appears under the banned list, the legal count is zero.
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Fix the deck before submitting a list
The safest time to discover the problem is before registration. Use this sequence every time you prepare a tournament deck.
- Write down the format. Use the format named by the organizer, not the format your deck was originally built for.
- Check the current Wizards list. Search the card under that exact format and verify whether it is banned, restricted, or absent from the list.
- Remove illegal copies. For a banned card, remove every copy from the main deck and sideboard. For a restricted card, leave no more than one copy across both zones.
- Select legal replacements. The replacement must be legal in the same format and must obey the deck’s color, mana-value, companion, and other construction requirements.
- Restore the required count. Recount the main deck and sideboard after every change. If removing the card leaves the deck below the format minimum, add legal replacements rather than submitting a short list.
- Synchronize the list and cards. The names and quantities on the submitted decklist must exactly match the cards you will present. Check spelling, set or collector-number fields when the event requires them, and the number of copies in each zone.
The IPG allows a judge to direct a player to add basic Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, or Forest cards if removing illegal cards leaves the deck below the format minimum. Treat that as a judge-administered remedy, not as permission to improvise a tournament list without asking.
How to choose a replacement
There is no universal one-for-one substitute for a banned card. Replace the function the card served, then verify that the new list remains legal. Evaluate each candidate against these questions:
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- Role: Was the original card a mana source, threat, removal spell, counterspell, card-advantage engine, tutor, or finisher?
- Mana cost and colors: Can your current mana base cast the replacement on the turn your deck needs it?
- Game plan: Does it support the deck’s primary strategy, or does it pull the list toward a different plan?
- Curve: Does adding a cheaper or more expensive spell create too many cards at one point in the mana curve?
- Synergy: Does the replacement work with the deck’s existing creature types, card types, graveyard effects, artifacts, tokens, or other payoffs?
- Availability and budget: Can you obtain enough copies before the event without changing other cards that the deck depends on?
- Legality: Is the replacement legal in the exact format, and does its quantity comply with all copy limits?
Build a short replacement list, test the options in representative opening hands, and then update both the digital list and the physical deck. Testing is useful for deciding which legal card is best; it does not change the legality requirement.
If you discover the banned card after registering
Call a judge before the match begins. Do not quietly exchange cards, alter the submitted list, or ask an opponent to approve an informal fix. The judge needs to determine whether the problem is in the registered list, the physical deck, or both.
An illegal registered list is handled as a Decklist Problem under the IPG. The guide expressly gives the example of a Legacy player listing Mana Drain, a banned card, and assigns a Game Loss to a Decklist Problem. The judge’s remedy removes the illegal cards and corrects the list and deck. If the corrected deck is short, the judge can direct the player to add basic Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, or Forest cards to reach the format minimum.
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Because the penalty is tied to the decklist infraction, registering first and hoping to fix the cards later is not a safe strategy. Report the error as soon as you notice it and follow the judge’s instructions for the remainder of the event.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.If the card is found in the physical deck
Tell the judge immediately and present the deck and list as they are. The judge will establish whether the submitted list is legal while the physical deck is wrong, whether both are illegal, and when the discrepancy was discovered.
Physical-deck errors fall under Deck Problem procedures. The ordinary result is a Warning, but the IPG specifies Game Loss upgrades for certain cases involving pre-game presentation or a deck check. Do not assume that a physical mistake is harmless because the list itself is correct; the applicable penalty depends on the circumstances and the judge’s ruling.
| Where the error appears | IPG category | Ordinary result | Player action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Submitted decklist contains a banned card | Decklist Problem | Game Loss | Call a judge; remove the illegal card and correct the list and deck |
| Physical deck differs from an otherwise legal list | Deck Problem | Warning | Notify a judge immediately and follow the prescribed correction |
| Physical-deck issue discovered in specified pre-game or deck-check circumstances | Deck Problem with an IPG upgrade | Game Loss where the upgrade applies | Allow the judge to determine the applicable upgrade |
The table describes the normal framework, not a promise of a particular ruling in every fact pattern. Judges apply the current IPG to the event’s circumstances.
Make the physical deck match the list
After replacing the card, perform a deliberate reconciliation instead of relying on memory:
- Lay out the main deck and sideboard separately.
- Read each line of the registered list and count the corresponding physical cards.
- Confirm that every card name is the same and that no banned copy remains in a sleeve, sideboard compartment, token box, or alternate deck.
- Check the total main-deck and sideboard counts required by the format and event.
- Shuffle, then repeat the count with a second person if possible.
- Keep the final list available at the event so you can verify a card between rounds without changing the registered configuration.
Using different sleeves for a sideboard, storing old versions of a deck separately, and labeling a deck box with the format can reduce accidental mixing. Those habits do not replace the legality check, but they make a last-minute deck problem easier to catch.
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Can you still play the banned card casually?
Yes, if every player in the casual game agrees to a house rule. The Wizards list and the IPG govern sanctioned formats and tournament procedures; they do not establish a universal penalty for an unsanctioned kitchen-table game.
Agree on the exception before the game starts, and describe the deck as casual rather than presenting it as legal for a sanctioned event. A group might permit one copy, allow an entire historical card pool, or use a custom ban list, but those are local agreements. If the same deck may later be taken to a tournament, keep a separate legal version so the house rule does not carry over accidentally.
A repeatable pre-event legality checklist
- Format confirmed from the event announcement.
- Current Wizards Banned & Restricted list checked for that format.
- Every banned card removed from the main deck and sideboard.
- Every restricted card counted across both zones, with no more than one copy where applicable.
- Main deck and sideboard meet the event’s construction requirements.
- Replacement cards fit the deck’s colors, mana curve, strategy, and copy limits.
- Physical cards and submitted list reconciled line by line.
- Any uncertainty taken to a judge before the match begins.
Following this order prevents the most expensive mistake: discovering that the card was illegal only after a list has been registered. If a problem still appears, disclose it immediately; judges can apply the IPG’s correction instead of allowing an unreported deck change to create a second infraction.
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