Ancestral Recall

Standard	Not Legal
Pioneer	Not Legal
Modern	Not Legal
Legacy	Banned since May 1, 1996
Vintage	Restricted since January 25, 1994
Commander	Banned since April 22, 2005
Pauper	Never Banned
Oathbreaker	Banned since June 19, 2018
Extended	Not Legal

View on Scryfall

Timeline

• August 5, 1993 - Released
• January 25, 1994 - Status changed to Restricted in Vintage
• May 1, 1996 - Status changed to Banned in Legacy
• April 22, 2005 - Status changed to Banned in Commander
• June 19, 2018 - Status changed to Banned in Oathbreaker

Rationale

Ancestral Recall has been consistently identified since the format's early days as a card possessing an excessively high power level. Across multiple tournament rule sets, including the initial "First Restricted List" and subsequent Limited List rules, the card has been subject to restrictions because of its ability to generate immediate and profound card advantage. Its power profile—which allows for rapid resource accumulation and disruption of game balance—has led to its long-standing designation as a highly restricted card in numerous competitive environments.

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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