The Complete Ban List (Updated October 2026)

Riftbound runs two competitive ban lists: one for Standard Constructed and one for Constructed 2v2. Riot has issued bans in three waves so far, effective March 31, July 24, and September 18, 2026. This post lists everything currently banned, when each ban took effect, and why Riot made the call.

Riot announces every ban on the official Riftbound news page, and the live list always sits on the Riftbound Rules Hub. Check the Rules Hub before any sanctioned event.

Last updated: October 25, 2026 — reflecting the September 18 ban update. Riftbound Radiance (Set 5) launched worldwide on October 23.

The Riftbound Ban List at a Glance

Standard Constructed currently bans seven cards and five Battlefields. Constructed 2v2 uses the entire Standard list plus one extra Legend, Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman.

How Riot Decides What Gets Banned

Riot has said it asks three questions before banning anything:

1. Is this card overrepresented in an unhealthy way?
2. Are its problems likely to get better or worse as the card pool grows?
3. Does it promote an unhealthy play pattern?

Riot also chose bans over a restricted list. Its reasoning is that limiting a problem card to one copy can make games hinge on who happens to draw the lone copy, which can be worse than removing it. The live Rules Hub does not show a restricted list.

September 18, 2026 — Ekko, Recurrent and Stacked Deck

Riot announced these two bans on September 15, three days before they took effect and shortly before the Los Angeles Regional Qualifier. Both cards are banned in Standard and in 2v2.

Ekko, Recurrent

Riot’s explanation is that Ekko effectively grants an extra turn and recycles itself, and that the risky, exciting design didn’t outweigh the infinite combos it enabled. The main offender was the Lux combo deck, which gave opponents very few windows to interact and played out as a solitaire-style game. That deck’s play rate was modest, but Riot judged it against its goal of interactive games and removed the card from both formats.

Stacked Deck

Stacked Deck was a low-cost, low-opportunity-cost inclusion in Chaos decks, offering consistency and cheap synergy with cards like Ravenbloom Student and Battlefields like Abandoned Hall. The target was Kennen. His strategy is built around card selection, so Riot expected the archetype to feel the loss sharply. The stated intent was a targeted ban that slows Kennen’s engine and makes it less consistent without wiping out the strategy, and keeps any single deck from becoming the definitive best deck in the format.

Heads up: any decklist from before September 18 that includes Ekko, Recurrent or Stacked Deck is no longer legal. Old Kennen and Lux lists need rebuilding before your next sanctioned event.

July 24, 2026 — Stealthy Pursuer, Two Battlefields, and the 2v2 List

Announced July 17 and effective July 24, this update also introduced the separate Constructed 2v2 ban list.

Stealthy Pursuer — Riot identified a potential infinite combo with Eye of the Herald and Renata Glasc, Industrialist that could generate infinite Recruits as early as turn three. Opponents had only small windows to interact. Even though the combo could be disrupted, it was consistent enough to create polarizing games decided by whether you held the right answer at exactly the right time.

The Arena’s Greatest (Battlefield) — Once players knew whether they were going first or second in Games 2 and 3, choosing this Battlefield became a near-automatic decision for a large number of decks, and its extra point favored the first player.

Aspirant’s Climb (Battlefield) — It had the same deterministic Game 2 and 3 pattern. Its extra point also lengthened rounds, which made tournaments harder to run on time.

Riot expects removing both point Battlefields to increase Battlefield variety and make choices less dependent on who goes first.

Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman (2v2 only) — Master Yi remains legal in 1v1 Standard. In 2v2, his defensive stat bonus extends to your ally too, which supplied more starting stats than Riot considered healthy for a team format. He also showed up too often among top-performing 2v2 teams, which suppressed other Legend choices.

March 31, 2026 — Riftbound’s First Bans

Riot announced Riftbound’s first-ever bans on March 30, effective March 31: four cards and three Battlefields. They were aimed at the “Miracle” decks built around hyper-efficient Chaos turns and at the power level of Draven decks.

Called Shot and Scrapheap — Both were part of the cheap filtering and repeatable card flow that let Miracle decks move through their decks too efficiently, and they contributed to long tournament rounds.

Draven, Vanquisher — Draven decks were remarkably well-rounded, with a strong Legend, a strong Champion, an efficient card pool, and Battlefields that synergized well. Rather than remove Draven decks entirely, Riot banned this card, which provided strong turn-two access.

Fight or Flight — It could negate combat or protect a unit and was best-in-class in too many situations. Riot said the card was crowding out other Chaos designs, and that removing it lets other colors compete better with Chaos.

The Dreaming Tree (Battlefield) — It created card flow on both players’ turns, which distorted deckbuilding and gave the format too much consistency.

Obelisk of Power (Battlefield) — It was ubiquitous in powerful decks and let players bypass the energy breakpoints that normally force a mix of costs for going first or second, which narrowed deckbuilding decisions.

Reaver’s Row (Battlefield) — It encouraged retreating instead of meaningful Showdowns and was especially strong in Draven and conquer-focused decks.

For Battlefield bans, Riot noted that new sets keep adding more Battlefields, so players can find rewarding replacements.

Riftbound Radiance and the Ban List

Radiance, the fifth Riftbound set, held Pre-Rift events October 16–22 and launched worldwide on October 23, 2026. It introduces new keywords including Deploy, Show Off and Disarm. Riot also published Radiance errata on October 9 and updated its tournament rules effective October 16. You can read both in the official Radiance errata update and the Radiance overview.

As of this update, the most recent ban announcement is the September 15 post effective September 18. The Rules Hub says every set currently in production is legal in sanctioned play, with rotation for Standard intended to begin in 2028. That means Origins, Spiritforged, Unleashed and Vendetta all remain legal alongside Radiance, and new bans, if any, will arrive as dated announcements. Check the Rules Hub’s last-updated date before you register for an event.

Vendetta Errata — July 23, 2026

Errata updates the legally correct text of a card, so the new text applies in play regardless of what is printed on the card.

Astral Heron — The cost reduction now reads that “the next card you play this turn” costs {2}{A}{A} less, which limits it to the immediately following card in the same turn.

Gangplank, Naval (both versions) — “This turn” was added to his Empowered ability. The Overnumber version is also missing his Pirate tag on the printed card; the Pirate tag is correct and should be treated as present.

Resonating Strike — The Reaction timing now reads “Play any time, even before spells and abilities resolve,” replacing “Play on your turn or in showdowns.” That widens when it can legally be played.

Earlier errata (Spiritforged and Unleashed): Draven, Vanquisher (now banned in Standard), Emperor’s Dais and Fizz, Trickster received wording and timing clarifications, as did Diana, Lunari and Stalking Wolf. See Riot’s Vendetta errata article for the exact text.

Check Your Deck Before an Event

1. Pick the format first. Standard and 2v2 are different lists. Master Yi is legal in 1v1 but not in 2v2.
2. Check your Legend, Main Deck and Battlefields separately. A banned Battlefield is easy to miss when you only scan the main list.
3. Date your decklists. A list that won an event before September 18 may contain Ekko, Recurrent or Stacked Deck.
4. Replace the role, not just the card. Stacked Deck provided cheap selection and trash setup, so a one-for-one swap may not fill the same job.
5. Re-check the Rules Hub right before you register.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which cards are banned in Riftbound Standard?
Seven cards: Called Shot, Draven, Vanquisher, Fight or Flight, Scrapheap, Stealthy Pursuer, Ekko, Recurrent and Stacked Deck. Five Battlefields are also banned: The Dreaming Tree, Obelisk of Power, Reaver’s Row, The Arena’s Greatest and Aspirant’s Climb.

Is Master Yi banned in Riftbound?
Only in Constructed 2v2, effective July 24, 2026. Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman is still legal in 1v1 Standard.

When were Ekko and Stacked Deck banned?
Riot announced both bans on September 15, 2026, effective September 18, in Standard and 2v2.

Did Radiance change the ban list?
Radiance launched October 23, and the most recent ban announcement is still the September 18 update. All current sets remain legal, with rotation intended to begin in 2028.

Can I still use banned cards at home?
Yes. Bans apply to sanctioned and organized play. Ask the organizer whether an event is casual or sanctioned before you register a deck.

Play Riftbound at Skillshotz Gaming

Skillshotz Gaming in Deerfield Beach is a Riftbound home base for South Florida players. Check with our staff about card legality at any specific event, and browse Riftbound sealed product and singles through our TCGPlayer store or ask what’s on the shelf this week.

Skillshotz Gaming
616 SE 10th Street
Deerfield Beach, FL 33441
561-532-3068

Tuesday – Thursday: 5:30 PM – 11:00 PM
Friday: 5:30 PM – Midnight
Saturday – Sunday: 2:00 PM – Midnight
Monday: Closed

Game nights at Skillshotz →
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Sources: Riot’s first bans announcement, July ban list update, September ban list update, and the Riftbound Rules Hub.