Gifts Ungiven

Standard	Rotated out on October 20, 2006
Pioneer	Not Legal
Modern	Never Banned
Legacy	Never Banned
Vintage	Unbanned since January 23, 2015
Commander	Game Changers since April 22, 2025
Pauper	Never Banned
Oathbreaker	Unbanned since June 5, 2023
Extended	Rotated out on July 1, 2010

View on Scryfall

Timeline

• October 1, 2004 - Released
• June 20, 2007 - Status changed to Restricted in Vintage
• June 20, 2009 - Status changed to Banned in Commander
• January 23, 2015 - Status changed to Unbanned in Vintage
• June 19, 2018 - Status changed to Banned in Oathbreaker
• June 5, 2023 - Status changed to Unbanned in Oathbreaker
• April 22, 2025 - Status changed to Game Changers in Commander

Rationale

In Vintage, Gifts Ungiven has been restricted historically due to its perceived ability to dominate tournament play. In Commander, the card was banned multiple times because its power-tutoring ability and potential for multiple combo pieces were viewed as creating single-card, game-ending outcomes, contrary to the format's desired play pattern. The card was ultimately unbanned from Commander because its use was deemed fun and analogous to the political interplay of other powerful tutors.

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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