Punishing Fire

Standard	Rotated out on September 30, 2011
Pioneer	Not Legal
Modern	Banned since January 1, 2012
Legacy	Never Banned
Vintage	Never Banned
Commander	Never Banned
Pauper	Never Banned
Oathbreaker	Never Banned
Extended	Never Banned

View on Scryfall

Timeline

• October 2, 2009 - Released
• January 1, 2012 - Status changed to Banned in Modern

Rationale

Punishing Fire was banned in Modern, Standard, Extended, Legacy, and Vintage due to its devastating potential when paired with Grove of the Burnwillows. This combination allows for a repeatable, efficient win condition that is particularly effective against creature decks reliant on creatures with less than two toughness. The card was restricted as part of a broader effort to address format diversity concerns and temper the aggressive strategies dominating the competitive environment.

This summary was generated by gemma4 on September 14, 2026. It has not yet been reviewed by a human editor and may contain some inaccuracies. Learn more.

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