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Wizards of the Coast just unbanned High Tide & more for Pauper format, leading all us Pauper players to add them to our decks (and prepare for the others who will too)

If you've got $3 and a dream to play Magic: The Gathering, it's a good time to start playing Pauper now that High Tide has been unbanned

The artwork for High Tide from Magic: The Gathering — Image credit: Wizards of the Coast

News by Jules Chin Greene, Staff Writer

Published on Thu Apr 03 2025

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Look, not all of us have hundreds of dollars to drop on the newest Magic: The Gathering set. And this is what has made the Pauper format so successful. By only using common cards, it's a budget-friendly way of getting into Magic without selling your soul, and maybe a couple of your organs, in exchange for some cardboard.

It's also worth noting that Pauper has historically had a very small list of banned cards, and that list is about to get even shorter. Wizards of the Coast has announced that Prophetic Prism and High Tide have both been unbanned from Pauper, effective March 31, 2025. So it's time to make like Johnny Utah from Point Break and hit the waves. You can view the entire list of bans and unbans from WOTC here.

High Tide is kind of nuts. It's a reliable mana acceleration card that allows you to generate mana from untapped lands. How cool is that? If you're broke from spending all your money on the Final Fantasy or SpongeBob SquarePants sets, then perhaps it's time to switch over to Pauper for a bit. Come on in, the water is fine!

The gaming industry has come a long way since Pong blew all our minds in the 70s. We've got everything you need to know about the next big thing in games. Of course, Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be the big game of 2026, but there are plenty of other games coming out between now and then. Here is our starter guide for every gamer:

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Jules Chin Greene: Jules Chin Greene is a journalist and Jack Kirby enthusiast. He has written about comics, video games, movies, and television for sites such as Nerdist, AIPT, and Multiverse of Color.