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Latest changes · September 23, 2026
- Now legal: Flash, Library of Alexandria, Limited Resources, Paradox Engine, Recurring Nightmare and Trade Secrets.
- Also legal from Vote 2: Emrakul, Golos, Griselbrand, Hullbreacher, Leovold, Sundering Titan, Sylvan Primordial and Upheaval.
- Banned again: The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale.
- Iona, Shield of Emeria is legal in the 99, not as a commander.
- A change now needs 55% Yes among the Yes and No votes.
Rules
30
Starting life
21
Commander damage
10
Poison counters
No draw
First player, turn one
Format policy
The ban list belongs to the players.
Every Cali Commander ban decision is made by community vote in The Collectors Den Discord, and a change needs 55% Yes among the Yes and No votes. Three ballots decided the current list — Vote 1, Vote 2 and the confirmation vote — and the complete aggregate results are public.
View full vote results →Read the format rules
Effective September 23, 2026 · 18 banned cards · Iona banned as a commander · 26 unbanned by vote · 55% Yes to change a card
The complete banned list · effective September 23, 2026
Everything banned in Cali Commander.
This is the whole list — you do not need to know the official Commander banned list to read it. Cali Commander starts from Commander's 42 banned cards, then the community votes on them, and a change needs 55% Yes. The deck checker and deck builder enforce everything below automatically.
Banned cards (18)
- Ancestral Recall
- Balance
- Black Lotus
- Channel
- Erayo, Soratami Ascendant
- Fastbond
- Karakas
- Mox Emerald
- Mox Jet
- Mox Pearl
- Mox Ruby
- Mox Sapphire
- Nadu, Winged Wisdom
- The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
- Time Vault
- Time Walk
- Tolarian Academy
- Yawgmoth's Bargain
Banned in one role only
Legal in a deck, but not in the role named.
- Iona, Shield of Emeria — banned as a commander; legal in the 99
- Lutri, the Spellchaser — banned as a companion; legal as a commander and in the 99
Also banned — whole card categories
Banned in every sanctioned format for reasons unrelated to power level. These never go to a ballot.
- Dexterity (2 cards) — Requires physical dexterity to resolve.
- Subgames (1 card) — Starts a subgame inside the game.
- Ante (9 cards) — References playing for ante.
- Offensive content (7 cards) — On Wizards' universal offensive-content list.
- Conspiracies (25 cards) — Conspiracy-type cards from draft-only sets.
- Sticker sheets & Attractions — Sticker sheets and Attraction cards. Playable cards that use the sticker mechanic are legal, as in official Commander.
Banned in Commander, legal here (22)
Unbanned by community vote. If you are coming from Commander, these are the cards that changed.
- Dockside Extortionist
- Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
- Flash
- Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
- Griselbrand
- Hullbreacher
- Iona, Shield of Emeria (in the 99 only)
- Jeweled Lotus
- Leovold, Emissary of Trest
- Library of Alexandria
- Limited Resources
- Mana Crypt
- Paradox Engine
- Primeval Titan
- Prophet of Kruphix
- Recurring Nightmare
- Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
- Sundering Titan
- Sylvan Primordial
- Tinker
- Trade Secrets
- Upheaval
Bar = vote support · line = 55% decision threshold
Unbanned by the community
Legal by player vote
Banned in official Commander, but the players voted these legal in Cali Commander. Each cleared 55% on the ballot that decided it.
Iona, Shield of EmeriaLegal in the 99 · banned as a commander58%, 21 of 36 to unban, Confirmation vote
Stayed banned
The community held the line
Unban votes for these cards fell short of 55%. The bar shows how close each one came on the ballot that decided it.
Watch list
Legal, but the format is watching
Fully legal today. Each drew ban support from more than a quarter of Vote 1 voters, and Vote 2 asked again without coming close. The bar shows Vote 1 support against the 55% a ban would need.
Format integrity list
Permanently banned, never voted
Banned in every sanctioned format for reasons unrelated to power level — offensive content, nonfunctional mechanics, dexterity requirements, or subgames. These never go to a ballot.
