Wizards of the Coast has made significant changes to the Standard format. The “mid-year” banned and restricted update targets the main culprits behind the Pro Tour Final Fantasy’s uniform meta environment, which featured 140 Izzet Prowess decks (42.3% of the field) and 66 Azorius Omniscience decks (19.9% of the field). The Top 8 decklist showcased four Mono-Red Aggro decks and four Izzet Prowess decks.
A total of seven cards were banned to address this meta issue, including Cori-Steel Cutter, Abuelo’s Awakening, Monstrous Rage, and Heartfire Hero. These changes target the Mono-Red, Izzet, and Azorius decks that comprised 74.1% of the Pro Tour format.
This is the first addition to the Standard banned list since May 2023, marking the largest ban in three years. The next update to the formats will occur in late November. Wizards has expressed caution regarding cheap cards like Cori-Steel Cutter and Up the Beanstalk due to the upcoming three-year Standard format rotation. With no changes to the banned or restricted list, players can expect more card bans between now and January 2027.
Source: https://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2025/06/cori-steel-cutter-abuelos-awakening-monstrous-rage-and-more-banned-in-standard