Recurring Nightmare

Standard	Rotated out on November 1, 1999
Pioneer	Not Legal
Modern	Not Legal
Legacy	Never Banned
Vintage	Never Banned
Commander	Banned since February 28, 2008
Pauper	Never Banned
Oathbreaker	Unbanned since October 11, 2019
Extended	Rotated out on October 20, 2005

View on Scryfall

Timeline

• June 15, 1998 - Released
• April 1, 1999 - Status changed to Banned in Standard
• November 1, 1999 - Status changed to Rotated in Standard
• February 28, 2008 - Status changed to Banned in Commander
• June 19, 2018 - Status changed to Banned in Oathbreaker
• October 11, 2019 - Status changed to Unbanned in Oathbreaker

Rationale

Recurring Nightmare was banned in Standard on March 1st as part of a massive effort by Wizards of the Coast to curb "combo" decks that were deemed overly powerful, marking the beginning of a period referred to as "Combo Winter." This sweeping ban included other cards such as *Time Spiral*, *Dream Halls*, *Earthcraft*, *Fluctuator*, and *Lotus Petal*, representing one of the largest ban lists implemented in the format since 1994.

This summary was generated by gemma4 on September 16, 2026. It has not yet been reviewed by a human editor and may contain some inaccuracies. Learn more.

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