One of Magic: The Gathering’s most infamous spells is officially back and yes, it’s the one that can just straight-up end the game on the spot.
As part of Wizards of the Coast’s February 9 ban announcement, Biorhythm has been unbanned in Commander after spending more than 21 years on the format’s banned list. First printed in 2002’s Onslaught, the eight-mana green sorcery resets every player’s life total to the number of creatures they control. If someone has zero creatures when it resolves, they immediately lose.
Why Biorhythm Was Banned in the First Place
Back in Commander’s early days, Biorhythm wasn’t just strong, it was one of the most played games and forces.
Sheldon Menery, one of the format’s founders and longtime head of the Commander Rules Committee, once called it the first card he ever suggested banning. In a 2013 blog post, he explained that games were devolving into races to resolve Biorhythm first.
“At the time, creatures weren’t great, so games became about sticking one or two more creatures than your opponents, casting Biorhythm, and attacking for lethal,” Menery wrote.
The card was officially banned in April 2005, alongside some of Magic’s most notorious powerhouses like the Power Nine, Balance, and Library of Alexandria.
Since then, it’s been a symbol of everything early Commander tried to avoid: sudden, non-interactive endings.
Why Wizards Thinks It’s Safe Now
Fast-forward to 2026, and Wizards of the Coast says Commander has changed a lot.
In the unban announcement, Magic Principal Game Designer Gavin Verhey argued that as an eight-mana, situational sorcery, Biorhythm simply isn’t the menace it used to be. He compared it to other big, game-ending spells like Worldfire, Sway of the Stars, and Coalition Victory all of which were once banned and later brought back.
“We accept there is some risk here,” Verhey wrote, “but it’s also a card with big moments that will generate excitement… It makes for a very memorable experience, as long as it isn’t happening too often.”
And he’s not wrong about how Commander looks today. Modern decks churn out massive boards of creature tokens, run indestructible threats, and pack more interaction than ever. Pulling off a lethal Biorhythm now usually means clearing every opponent’s creatures first, not exactly a small ask in today’s multiplayer games.
What This Means for Commander Decks
Even though it’s unbanned, Biorhythm isn’t getting a total free pass.
Verhey confirmed that it’s been added to Wizards’ Game Changers list, which acts as a watchlist of high-impact, game-warping cards. Some Commander brackets ban these outright, while others limit how many you can run in a deck. So casual tables may still never see it, while higher-power groups might embrace the chaos.
“This card quite definitionally changes the game,” Verhey said and Wizards seems fine with that, as long as it stays rare and memorable instead of oppressive.
The Takeaway
After more than two decades in exile, Biorhythm is back in Commander, signaling just how much the format has evolved. Once considered too dangerous for casual play, Wizards now believes today’s faster, creature-heavy, interaction-rich Commander environment can handle its instant-win potential. Whether it becomes a nostalgic bombshell or just a flashy curiosity, one thing’s certain: some games are about to end very, very suddenly again.
Emmanuel Umahi
