Riftbound tournament rules
Riftbound ban list
As of September 18, 2026, 7 cards and 5 battlefields are banned in Riftbound Standard Constructed, and 2v2 Constructed also bans the Master Yi legend Wuju Bladesman. The latest additions are Ekko, Recurrent and Stacked Deck.
Updated 12 banned in Standard13 in 2v2
Standard Constructed
is:bannedRiftbound's main constructed format. Nothing on this list can be played in sanctioned Standard events.
Banned cards · 7
Called Shot
Spell · Banned since
We do not consider this style of deck to be healthy, and we don’t want players to feel like they have to gravitate toward this package every time they play a Chaos Legend. … Because of this, we’re banning Called Shot and Scrapheap, two cards that allow the player to filter through their deck AND get ahead on cards at a pace that’s too efficient (free).
Draven, Vanquisher
Unit · Banned since
To address this, we’re banning Draven, Vanquisher. Having guaranteed access to such a strong turn-two play gives Draven deckbuilders considerable freedom while creating early-game pressure that is difficult for opponents to navigate. Because Draven, Showboat from Origins still exists, Draven decks will retain access to a Chosen Champion in each of their Domains.
Fight or Flight
Spell · Banned since
Lastly we’re also banning Fight or Flight to limit the power of Chaos decks more generally. Its ability to be played from hand or hidden to negate combat or protect a friendly unit makes it a flexible spell that is best in class in too many scenarios.
Scrapheap
Gear · Banned since
Because of this, we’re banning Called Shot and Scrapheap, two cards that allow the player to filter through their deck AND get ahead on cards at a pace that’s too efficient (free).
Stealthy Pursuer
Unit · Banned since
We shared our intent to ban this card early in Vendetta’ preview season as many in the community had already identified a potential infinite Unit combo involving it, Eye of the Herald, and Renata Glasc, Industrialist. This has the potential to create infinite Recruits as early as turn three with only small windows for interaction.
Ekko, Recurrent
Unit · Banned since
Although the play rate has remained low, we believe this style of infinite promotes an unhealthy play pattern due to its limited windows of interaction and solitaire-esque gameplay required to execute the combo. The design of Ekko is unique in that it both effectively grants an extra turn and also recycles itself, and in retrospect the benefits of a risky exciting effect that's resonant to Ekko's identity didn't outweigh the dangers of the infinites he enabled.
Stacked Deck
Spell · Banned since
While we acknowledge that the card is fun to play and can slot into any Chaos strategy seamlessly, the consistency it provides is higher than we would like and has shown a compounding issue with the release of the Kennen legend. When combined with Lightning Rush, this card lets Kennen churn through the deck a little too efficiently, finding key cards like Nocturne while simultaneously filling the trash for Rhasa the Sunderer and Last Rites.
Banned battlefields · 5
The Dreaming Tree
Battlefield · Riot lists it as “Dreaming Tree” · Banned since
The second is The Dreaming Tree, which is a battlefield that distorts deckbuilding and provides substantial card flow due to its ability to be used on both players’ turns. Access to this much card flow is a strength (or weakness) of various domains, and the presence of Dreaming Tree in the metagame provides an excessively high level of consistency.
Obelisk of Power
Battlefield · Banned since
Finally, we’re banning Obelisk of Power for being ubiquitous among the most powerful decks and for reducing interesting deckbuilding decisions.
Reaver's Row
Battlefield · Banned since
The first is Reaver’s Row, which promotes a noninteractive pattern (especially if both players bring it in the same game) - rather than have meaningful showdowns and interactions between players or situations where a player tries to hold, players will just retreat.
The Arena's Greatest
Battlefield · Banned since
For many decks, using one of these point battlefields has become a de facto play in Game 2 or 3, once you know whether you are going first or second. The Arena’s Greatest is particularly powerful when going first, and gives the first player an advantage that we don’t think it’s healthy to reinforce with such consistency.
Aspirant's Climb
Battlefield · Banned since
For Aspirant’s Climb, adding the extra point has the additional negative impact of increasing round length and making it take longer to execute rounds in a tournament setting.
2v2 Constructed
Everything banned in Standard, plus:
Wuju Bladesman, Starter
Legend · Riot lists it as “Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman” · Banned since
While the Proving Grounds Master Yi has solidly proven himself as a 1v1 competitor, his Legend has been consistently overshadowing other options in 2v2 to the detriment of that format. Since the defensive bonus extends to both you and your ally, he is providing far more stats from the start of the game than are healthy.
Ban list history
Effective
September Ban List Updates (Effective September 18, 2026)
Two cards added in both Standard and 2v2 Constructed.
- Standard and 2v2:
- Ekko, Recurrent; Stacked Deck
Effective
July Ban List Updates
One card and two battlefields added in Standard, and a new 2v2 Constructed ban list: all of Standard's bans plus the Master Yi legend Wuju Bladesman.
- Standard and 2v2:
- Stealthy Pursuer; The Arena's Greatest; Aspirant's Climb
- 2v2 only:
- Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman
Effective
Announcing Riftbound's First Bans
Riftbound's first bans: four cards and three battlefields in Standard Constructed.
- Standard:
- Called Shot; Draven, Vanquisher; Fight or Flight; Scrapheap; Dreaming Tree; Obelisk of Power; Reaver's Row
Ban list FAQ
When was the Riftbound ban list last updated?
On September 18, 2026, when Riot banned Ekko, Recurrent and Stacked Deck in both Standard and 2v2 Constructed.
Two cards are being added to the Standard and 2v2 Constructed ban list:
Is the 2v2 ban list different from Standard?
Yes. 2v2 Constructed bans everything Standard does, plus the Master Yi legend Wuju Bladesman. Riot says each ban update will note whether it applies to both formats.
It is comprised of the entirety Standard ban list plus the following. Any future ban updates will explicitly note if they apply to both formats.
Where do the bans apply?
In sanctioned Constructed tournaments, from events at your local game store to larger tournaments.
The following are banned from play in sanctioned Constructed tournaments:
Does Riftbound have set rotation?
Not yet. Every Riftbound set is legal in sanctioned tournaments, and Riot plans to start rotating sets out of Standard Constructed in 2028.
All sets currently produced for Riftbound are legal to be played in sanctioned tournaments at your local game store as well as at larger tournaments. Starting in 2028, we intend to introduce rotation of legal sets for play in Standard Constructed (our primary constructed format.)
How does Riot decide what to ban?
Riot asks three questions: is the card overrepresented in an unhealthy way, are its problems likely to get better or worse over time, and does it promote unhealthy play patterns?
As we’ve previously discussed, there are three questions we ask when considering whether to ban a card:
Why ban cards instead of changing them with errata?
Riot uses errata and rules changes to make cards work with the rules and as intended, not to balance the competitive metagame. Banning is its balance tool.
We do not change cards or rules as a “balance lever” to adjust the competitive metagame.
Will Riot restrict cards to one copy instead of banning them?
Not for the foreseeable future. Riot says limiting a card can make the problem worse, down to who draws their only copy.
When a specific card is a problem, limiting or restricting it can actually make the problem sharper - it can then come down to magnified randomness on who draws their lone copy, for example. We do not have any plans to pursue these in the foreseeable future.
Why was Draven, Vanquisher banned instead of Draven's legend?
Banning a legend stops everyone from playing that champion, which Riot keeps as a last resort. Draven decks can still use Draven, Showboat as their Chosen Champion.
However, if we ban a legend, we are essentially banning everyone from playing Draven, and we would only do that as a last resort.