Collector’s Analysis of the March/April 2025 Banned and Restricted List

Banned and Restricted (B&R) season is here, fellow planeswalkers! It’s when Wizards of the Coast (WotC) shakes up game formats by banning or unbanning cards, impacting the playability and value of our favorite pieces of cardboard.

Let’s explore the March/April 2025 changes and what they mean for card prices, game play, and collector buzz.

The MTG ban list fallout and overall MTG B&R impact will also be covered.

These announcements create market rhythms, with players speculating on changes. WotC’s decisions for game balance heavily influence the secondary market and card values.  

March Mayhem

March 31st brought major changes. Here’s a quick look.    

Underworld Breach Says Goodbye!

One of the biggest pieces of news to come out of March is Underworld Breach is now banned in Modern (boo).

WotC found Breach, especially with Mox Opal, made for a combo deck that was too fast, resilient, and non-interactive, even winning on turn one. This type of deck often gets WotC’s attention.  

Underworld Breach’s price, once around $7 to $8, dropped as expected. While still used in Vintage and Commander, its Modern demand vanished, cooling its average price. 

With Breach gone, WotC hoped Modern would open up a bit, and it did. Decks like Boros Energy, Eldrazi Ramp, and Dimir Murktide gained ground. Banning a combo piece doesn’t necessarily kill it. Us players always adapt.

Mox Opal, Breach’s old pal, is still legal and sees play in artifact decks like Affinity and Kethis Combo. For collectors, this means cards supporting banned strategies, if still legal, or enabling alternatives can be noteworthy.  

So Long, Sowing Mycospawn & Troll of Khazad-dûm!

Legacy also saw ban list changes with Sowing Mycospawn and Troll of Khazad-dûm banned.  

• Sowing Mycospawn: This Modern Horizons 3 Eldrazi was too good at land destruction and mana acceleration, creating unfun games.  
• Troll of Khazad-dûm: Made Reanimator decks too consistent. Its cycling and resilience as a reanimation target were key issues.

Pricewise, Sowing Mycospawn, which maxed out around $5 pre-ban, now hovers around $3. Troll of Khazad-dûm, a common, wasn’t a big individual loss but impacted the decks it enabled.

Even commons can be pivotal. These bans aim to help slower Control and Midrange decks return, as player sentiment was low. WotC’s willingness to ban newer, powerful cards quickly suggests a reactive approach to balance.  

Pauper’s Patch-up

Pauper saw big changes: Basking Broodscale (infinite combo), Kuldotha Rebirth, and Deadly Dispute were banned. Prophetic Prism (for Tron) and High Tide (for combo) were unbanned.

The Pauper Format Panel aimed to disrupt dominant strategies and refresh the format, citing Broodscale’s problematic play patterns and Dispute’s ubiquity. These changes can notably affect common card values.  

April’s Awesome Unbans

The Commander unbans from April brought back some classics.    

The Famous Five Return!

WotC unbanned five cards: Gifts Ungiven, Sway of the Stars, Braids, Cabal Minion, Coalition Victory, and Panoptic Mirror. They cited fond memories and positive play patterns, believing new tools like Commander Brackets and pre-game chats make them manageable now.  

Unban Price Spikes

• Gifts Ungiven unbanned value soared, reportedly from $6 to $50.  
• Braids Cabal Minion price also jumped, from $0.20 to nearly $2.00 before settling.  
• Coalition Victory, Panoptic Mirror, and Sway of the Stars also saw price hikes as these Commander unbans excited collectors.

Commander’s New (Old) Groove

You can expect all these old favorites in Commander games. Gifts Ungiven for combos, Braids for stacks effects, and Panoptic Mirror for spell repetition. Collector’s excitement is high for nostalgia and new deck ideas.

WotC believes they won’t break the format, relying on Commander Brackets and pre-game talks, and will re-ban if needed. This approach acknowledges Commander’s social nature.

WotC confirmed no unbans for cards like Dockside Extortionist and promised no more Commander B&R changes in 2025, aiming for stability.  

Riding the B&R Waves

How do collectors navigate this? Anticipate the MTG B&R impact. These announcements are constant, sometimes making it feel like it’s never a good time to get in a format due to potential changes.

The market gets jumpy. Banned cards usually drop in price, while unbanned cards, especially in Commander, can spike. Decide whether to react quickly or hold. A card banned in one format might stay valuable elsewhere, like Underworld Breach in Vintage/Commander.

Playability elsewhere, iconic status, or unban potential can maintain value. Predicting unbans is risky but can be rewarding. Failed unban specs are also common. B&R news always sparks community discussion.  

The Dust Settles (For Now)

So, the March/April 2025 B&R updates brought Underworld Breach banned in Modern, Legacy ban list changes, Pauper shuffles, and Commander unbans.

The key for collectors is the MTG B&R impact is constant. Values shift, metas evolve. Stay informed. WotC usually gives a Next Announcement Date, like June 30, 2025, after March’s changes, helping us prepare.

Collecting is a marathon not a sprint. Just remember these changes keep MTG dynamic and as always happy collecting!