Banned Riftbound Cards

The Riftbound ban list

Every card and battlefield banned as of October 2, 2026. Riot's July update set out that the 2v2 Constructed ban list is "the entirety Standard ban list" plus its own additions, so every Standard ban applies in 2v2 too.

Riot's own announcements are the final word, and a new update can land between sets. If you're preparing for an event, check Riot's news page the week before.

March 31, 2026: the first bans

Riot's first ban list took effect the day it was announced and hit four cards and three battlefields. Called Shot and Scrapheap were the core of what Riot called "Miracle" decks: cards "that allow the player to filter through their deck AND get ahead on cards at a pace that's too efficient," which also slowed tournament rounds.

Draven, Vanquisher went because "guaranteed access to such a strong turn-two play" gave Draven decks too much early pressure. Fight or Flight, a Hidden Chaos spell, was "best in class in too many scenarios" and was crowding out other designs.

The three battlefields each did something Riot didn't want every deck doing. Reaver's Row "promotes a noninteractive pattern" of retreating instead of fighting, The Dreaming Tree "provides an excessively high level of consistency," and Obelisk of Power, which channels an extra rune on each player's first turn, let decks always hit the same mana breakpoints.

Draven, Vanquisher

SFD-020/221

Draven, Vanquisher: banned for its turn-two pressure.

Called Shot

SFD-122/221

Called Shot: half of the Miracle deck's engine.

Fight or Flight

OGN-168/298

Fight or Flight: a Hidden spell that moves a unit to base.

Riot's March announcement →

July 24, 2026: a combo, two battlefields and a 2v2 Legend

Riot announced the second update on July 17. Stealthy Pursuer was banned for a combo with Eye of the Herald and Renata Glasc that made "infinite Recruits as early as turn three." Riot noted the combo could be disrupted but was consistent enough to become "a harsh check on the metagame."

The Arena's Greatest, which gives each player a point at the start of their first turn, was banned because it favored the player going first. Aspirant's Climb, which raises the points needed to win by 1, was banned for making rounds longer.

The same update made 2v2 its own ban: Master Yi's Proving Grounds Legend, Wuju Bladesman, "has been consistently overshadowing other options in 2v2." It is still legal in 1v1 Standard, and it reached the Top 8 of both the Singapore and Los Angeles Regional Qualifiers in September.

Riot's July announcement →

September 18, 2026: Ekko and Stacked Deck

Riot announced the latest update on September 15. Ekko, Recurrent was banned for enabling infinite combos with few chances for the opponent to interact; Riot said the "risky exciting effect" didn't outweigh "the dangers of the infinites he enabled."

Stacked Deck, a 1-Energy Chaos spell that puts one of your top 3 cards into your hand, had become an auto-include. Riot singled out Kennen: "When combined with Lightning Rush, this card lets Kennen churn through the deck a little too efficiently." Kennen's Heart of the Tempest had taken five of the eight Top 8 spots at the Singapore Regional Qualifier earlier that month.

Ekko, Recurrent

OGN-110/298

Ekko, Recurrent: banned for the infinite combos it enabled.

Stacked Deck

OGN-183/298

Stacked Deck: too much consistency for 1 Energy.

Riot's September announcement →

What a ban means for your deck and your collection

A banned card can't be in your deck in the format it's banned in. That applies to every printing of the card: an alternate art of Draven, Vanquisher is banned the same as the main-set one. Casual games are up to your table.

TurnZero HQ's Riftbound deck builder checks decks against a ban list TurnZero HQ maintains, so a banned card shows up as something to fix. If a ban lands the same week as an event, trust Riot's announcement first. How the deck builder checks a deck →

For collectors, every banned card is a Common, Uncommon or Rare in its main-set printing, and none of those printings was expensive to begin with. A ban mostly affects what a card is worth to players, not to collectors chasing overnumbered printings.

Frequently Asked Questions