Choose the right queue
Competitive Brawl Changes Effective October 12, 2026
- Check your commander before entering Competitive Brawl on MTG Arena. Yuriko, Spider-Man 2099 and Light-Paws can no longer lead your deck.
- These are commander-only bans: you can still put those cards among the other 99 cards when your new commander’s colors and the remaining deck rules allow them.
- Wizards lists the changes in its October 12 announcement. These changes apply only to Competitive Brawl. Regular Brawl’s ban list hasn’t changed.
- If Arena flags your deck, read which slot is illegal before replacing cards. A forbidden commander and a forbidden card in the deck are different problems.
All 12 changes
Competitive Brawl Commander Ban Changes for October 12
| Card | October 12 change | Can it be among the other 99? |
|---|---|---|
| Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow | Newly banned as commander | Yes, subject to your deck’s other restrictions. |
| Spider-Man 2099 | Newly banned as commander | Yes, subject to your deck’s other restrictions. |
| Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice | Newly banned as commander | Yes, subject to your deck’s other restrictions. |
| Ajani, Nacatl Pariah | Moved from a full ban to a commander-only ban | Yes, subject to your deck’s other restrictions. |
| Nadu, Winged Wisdom | Moved from a full ban to a commander-only ban | Yes, subject to your deck’s other restrictions. |
| Oko, Thief of Crowns | Moved from a full ban to a commander-only ban | Yes, subject to your deck’s other restrictions. |
| Old Stickfingers | Moved from a full ban to a commander-only ban | Yes, subject to your deck’s other restrictions. |
| Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer | Moved from a full ban to a commander-only ban | Yes, subject to your deck’s other restrictions. |
| Rusko, Clockmaker | Moved from a full ban to a commander-only ban | Yes, subject to your deck’s other restrictions. |
| Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student | Moved from a full ban to a commander-only ban | Yes, subject to your deck’s other restrictions. |
| Wrenn and Six | Moved from a full ban to a commander-only ban | Yes, subject to your deck’s other restrictions. |
| Tajic, Legion's Valor | Moved from a full ban to a commander-only ban | Yes, subject to your deck’s other restrictions. |
- The first three rows lose the commander slot in this update; the next nine regain access to the rest of the deck.
- A commander-only ban doesn’t give you an exception to color identity. A card still needs to fit the leader you choose.
- For example, Yuriko can join the other 99 under a commander whose color identity includes blue and black. She can’t join a mono-white Light-Paws replacement deck.
- This table covers the changes, not every existing ban. Use the current official format list before importing a complete deck.
Keep what still fits
How to Rebuild a Competitive Brawl Deck
- Start with the engine you want to keep. If your deck depended on having its commander available every game, changing only the leader can leave the rest of the deck without a plan.
- For a Yuriko deck, decide whether you still want blue-black Ninjas or whether your other cards support a different strategy; don’t assume any blue-black leader gives you the same attacks and card advantage.
- For Light-Paws, look at how your deck finds and protects its Auras. Another white commander won’t automatically replace the card that made that package work.
- Try the revised deck before spending wildcards on a full replacement. Keep cards that work independently, then replace the pieces that only made sense with the old commander.
A different kind of change
Nashi, Illusion Gadgeteer Loses Flash
- Nashi is rebalanced rather than newly banned in this announcement. Wizards says it removed flash from this digital-only card.
- Without another permission, you can’t cast Nashi during your opponent’s turn as though it still had flash. Plan around casting it at your normal creature timing instead.
- For example, you can’t wait until your opponent’s end step to cast Nashi using its old flash ability. That plan now needs another effect that lets you cast it then.
- The updated image still gives a nonland card conjured by Nashi’s triggered ability flash. Losing flash on Nashi itself doesn’t remove that separate permission from the copy.
- Jay Parker explains the change in the Competitive Brawl section. The publisher describes problematic commander win rates but doesn’t publish a complete matchup table there.
Keep the scope clear
Regular Brawl, Commander and Other Formats
- The October 12 announcement makes no changes to Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Pauper, Alchemy, Historic, Timeless or regular Brawl.
- No changes means the existing list stays in force; it doesn’t mean the format has no banned cards.
- Paper Commander is a separate format. A Competitive Brawl commander-only ban isn’t a paper Commander ban.
Official references
Competitive Brawl Sources and Next Announcement
- Wizards’ October 12, 2026 announcement: effective date, three new commander bans, nine relaxed bans, Nashi’s change and the unchanged formats.
- Official banned and restricted lists: check the complete current list for the exact format you’ll play.
- Sources checked October 13, 2026. The next scheduled banned and restricted announcement is November 30, 2026.
- The rebuilding suggestions are editorial deckbuilding advice, not a measured replacement-leader ranking or a forecast of future bans.
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