Tinker

Standard	Rotated out on November 1, 2000
Pioneer	Not Legal
Modern	Not Legal
Legacy	Banned since October 1, 1999
Vintage	Restricted since October 1, 1999
Commander	Banned since March 20, 2009
Pauper	Never Banned
Oathbreaker	Banned since June 19, 2018
Extended	Rotated out on October 20, 2005

View on Scryfall

Timeline

• February 15, 1999 - Released
• October 1, 1999 - Status changed to Restricted in Vintage
• October 1, 1999 - Status changed to Banned in Legacy
• January 1, 2004 - Status changed to Banned in Extended
• October 20, 2005 - Status changed to Rotated in Extended
• March 20, 2009 - Status changed to Banned in Commander
• June 19, 2018 - Status changed to Banned in Oathbreaker

Rationale

Tinker was designated as banned due to its function as both a tutor and a mana accelerator. The rationale for its restriction was based on its low cost, enabling players to bring high-cost artifacts, such as Sundering Titan, Mindslaver, or Darksteel Colossus, into play significantly earlier than intended. This ability to accelerate the development of powerful artifacts in the environment, particularly following the release of cards like those in Mirrodin, led to its permanent designation as an overly impactful card in both the Extended and Commander formats.

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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