What Is In Standard In Magic: The Gathering?

If you’re new to MTG, or even if you’re a seasoned player who normally plays the eternal format, you’ll likely end up wondering what is in Standard in Magic: The Gathering at some point.

It’s a question which always needs an answer because it could well be that if you’ve taken a short break, your old cards are no longer useful. That’s always a bit sad, so read on to help soften the blow a bit and stay ahead of the game.

What is in Standard in MTG?

Standard currently has seven sets within it, although that’s going to be eight when Adventures in the Forgotten Realms releases next month.

Throne of Eldraine
Theros: Beyond Death
Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
Core Set 2021
Zendikar Rising
Kaldheim
Strixhaven: School of Mages

That’s a rather large pool of cards to pull from if you’re looking to build a new deck, and there are plenty of options for people who don’t mind not playing the latest tournament-winning deck.

When does Standard rotate?

Standard usually rotates in September each year with the release of the fall set. That means that this year, 2021, we’ll have sets rotating out when Innistrad: Midnight Hunt releases.

When that happens, Throne of Eldraine, Theros: Beyond Death, Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths and Core Set 2021 will all rotate out of the format and no longer be playable in Standard.

What cards are banned in Standard?

Standard tends to have a rather modest list of bans due to the smaller card pool and generally lower power level than some other formats. As it stands, this is the banned list for Standard:

Cauldron Familiar Cauldron Familiar When this creature enters, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
Sacrifice a Food: Return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Escape to the Wilds Escape to the Wilds Exile the top five cards of your library. You may play cards exiled this way until the end of your next turn.
You may play an additional land this turn.
Fires of Invention Fires of Invention You can cast spells only during your turn and you can cast no more than two spells each turn.
You may cast spells with mana value less than or equal to the number of lands you control without paying their mana costs.
Lucky Clover Lucky Clover Whenever you cast an Adventure instant or sorcery spell, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.
Oko, Thief of Crowns Oko, Thief of Crowns +2: Create a Food token. (It's an artifact with "{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life.")
+1: Target artifact or creature loses all abilities and becomes a green Elk creature with base power and toughness 3/3.
−5: Exchange control of target artifact or creature you control and target creature an opponent controls with power 3 or less.
Omnath, Locus of Creation Omnath, Locus of Creation When Omnath enters, draw a card.
Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, you gain 4 life if this is the first time this ability has resolved this turn. If it's the second time, add {R}{G}{W}{U}. If it's the third time, Omnath deals 4 damage to each opponent and each planeswalker you don't control.
Once Upon a Time Once Upon a Time If this spell is the first spell you've cast this game, you may cast it without paying its mana cost.
Look at the top five cards of your library. You may reveal a creature or land card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath When Uro enters, sacrifice it unless it escaped.
Whenever Uro enters or attacks, you gain 3 life and draw a card, then you may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.
Escape—{G}{G}{U}{U}, Exile five other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its escape cost.)