Wizards Bans Three Standard Staples, Cracks Down on The Fantasticar

Wizards of the Coast dropped a four-card Banned and Restricted update on August 10, 2026, and it hit two very different corners of the format spectrum: Standard's Avatar: The Last Airbender all-stars, and Marvel's most chaotic vehicle.

Standard loses three cards that did too much for their cost

Three cards from Avatar: The Last Airbender are banned in Standard as of August 10:

• Badgermole Cub — Wizards called it "an extremely powerful and format-defining card" since release, saying it powered the Selesnya Offense deck to over a 57% win rate on MTG Arena while staying at a high play rate. The early, snowbally pressure it generated compressed deck diversity across the format.
• Stormchaser's Talent — A one-mana card that offered both early acceleration and late-game value alongside Boomerang Basics. Wizards' stated reasoning: "Cards that cheap shouldn't be so well-rounded and shouldn't compete with more expensive cards as the game goes long."
• Gran-Gran — Wizards' objection was cost, not colour: it offers "too much late-game advantage for a card that costs one mana." It was especially oppressive in Jeskai Lessons, where creature removal did little against the rest of the deck's plan.

All three had become format-defining pillars since Avatar: The Last Airbender released, and their departure opens real space in Standard for slower, more diverse strategies heading into the fall.

The Fantasticar grounded in Legacy, clipped in Vintage

On the eternal-format side, The Fantasticar — the Marvel vehicle that's been causing headaches since Marvel Super Heroes hit shelves — is now banned in Legacy and restricted in Vintage. Wizards didn't attach a detailed writeup to this change beyond confirming the ban and restriction take effect the same day, August 10.

What it means for the singles market

Bans like this always ripple through pricing. Expect the banned Standard trio to soften on the secondary market as playable copies flood in from players clearing their decks, while cards that were previously squeezed out by Badgermole Cub, Stormchaser's Talent, and Gran-Gran — think slower control and midrange staples — are worth watching for a bump as the format opens back up. On the Legacy/Vintage side, Fantasticar copies pulled from Marvel Super Heroes boosters just lost a lot of their competitive shine.

Mark your calendar

• Effective date: August 10, 2026 (already in effect)
• Standard bans: Badgermole Cub, Stormchaser's Talent, Gran-Gran
• Legacy: The Fantasticar banned
• Vintage: The Fantasticar restricted
• No changes to Pioneer, Modern, Pauper, Alchemy, Historic, Timeless, Brawl, or Competitive Brawl

Want to see what's replacing these staples in the new Standard metagame? Check our spoilers page for the latest set previews, and swing by the shop — we're already adjusting our singles case for the shakeup.

Filed by the Harlequins Market newsroom.