Skullclamp

Standard	Rotated out on October 20, 2005
Pioneer	Not Legal
Modern	Banned since August 12, 2011
Legacy	Banned since September 20, 2004
Vintage	Never Banned
Commander	Never Banned
Pauper	Never Banned
Oathbreaker	Never Banned
Extended	Rotated out on July 1, 2010

View on Scryfall

Timeline

• February 6, 2004 - Released
• June 20, 2004 - Status changed to Banned in Standard
• September 20, 2004 - Status changed to Banned in Extended
• September 20, 2004 - Status changed to Banned in Legacy
• October 20, 2005 - Status changed to Rotated in Standard
• July 1, 2010 - Status changed to Rotated in Extended
• August 12, 2011 - Status changed to Banned in Modern

Rationale

Skullclamp has been banned in multiple formats, including Extended, *Mirrodin* Block Constructed, Modern, and Tribal. The consistent rationale for its restriction is its excessive power and ability to dominate card acquisition. Analysis across various formats determined that the card is so impactful that nearly every successful deck builds around its use, fundamentally warping the format's structure and creating an overly coherent and singular gameplay experience. The ban is maintained to preserve format health, ensure sufficient deck diversity, and restore player enjoyment by mitigating the overwhelming influence of the card in major tournament play.

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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