Riftbound bans: September 2026 deck checks
On this page
The official rules page of Riftbound, updated on September 18, 2026, includes bans for Constructed and a list of 2v2 of its own. Before an event, check both the Main Deck cards and the battlefields and the Legend. Just because a set is legal doesn't mean that all your cards are allowed.
What has been checked and when
This guide collects the status consulted on October 1, 2026 in the official Rules Hub. The page identifies its legality update and separates Constructed from 2v2. It is a dated editorial snapshot, not a permanent list or a prediction of what will be banned later. For a future tournament, open the source before closing your construction.
The publication of an update and its application may require a different reading when another announcement indicates an effective date. Do not use the date of this article as a rule of entry into force. Keep the event reference and check if it uses a special modality. Casual exceptions from a store do not automatically describe the legality of an official competition.
Banned Cards in Constructed
The revised section includes Called Shot, Ekko, Recurrent, Draven, Vanquisher, Fight or Flight, Scrapheap, Stealthy Pursuer and Stacked Deck. Search each name with its identifier when you prepare your list. Do not extend a ban on a specific version to all character cards for sharing part of the name.
For example, seeing "Ekko" in an ad is not enough to say which copy is affected. The Recurrent specification identifies the cited card. If your collection is ordered by champion, check the variants within that group. The thematic order is useful for collecting, but legality is checked with the full name and card identity.
Battlefields are also affected
The Constructed list includes The Arena's Greatest, Aspirant's Climb, Dreaming Tree, Obelisk of Power and Reaver's Row. Do not skip the battlefields because they are outside the 40 cards in the Main Deck. Full construction has more components and restrictions can affect any of those listed in the rules.
A review focused only on units and spells could leave intact a combination of battlefields that can no longer be recorded. Make a separate section for them on the list. If several people share copies during learning, confirm that each participant has the legal selection they need for the event and not just an old photograph of the deck.
The difference of 2v2
The 2v2 section consulted repeats the cards and battlefields above and also includes the Legend Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman. Do not deduce that the list of one mode can be copied unchanged to the other. The eligibility of a Legend can alter the identity and domains of the entire construction, not just one piece of the Main Deck.
If you prepare two lists to play as a team, check the modality of both players. Agreeing a team strategy before consulting the restrictions can make all preparation dependent on an unsupported Legend. First confirm the format; then study synergies and cards that you need to get. Order reduces useless purchases.
Legal sets and banned cards
The Rules Hub states that the currently produced sets are legal for the sanctioned tournaments described and places the intention to introduce Standard Constructed rotation starting in 2028. That general statement does not eliminate the individual bans listed on the same page. Rotation and list of bans are different tools.
Do not turn the 2028 planning into a promise that no current card will change status until then. The September list shows that individual measures may exist before a rotation. For collection, you can keep a forbidden card; for organized play, you must separate it from the supported components from the list you will register.
Review the entire construction
Check Legend, Champion, Main Deck cards, runes, battlefields and any additional set required by the modality. Mark matches by full name and check quantities. If a list app has not yet updated its base, do not take a green indicator as the final authority. The reference is the documentation of the organizer and the game.
A simple working table can have a component, identity, format and revision date. Add the action you need: remove, replace or confirm. You don't have to copy all the news in every row. The goal is for a person to detect what part of the deck depends on a restriction and what check is missing.
Replace by function and not by resemblance
When a card is left out, identify what it brought: resource, selection, attack, defense, or win condition. Find supported options that can fulfil that function in your domains. A card from the same champion is not necessarily a useful replacement, and a card with similar text may have a cost that changes the turn you can use it.
Then try initial hands and real sequences. If the change affects a Legend or battlefield, it is not enough to exchange a unit within the list. You can change how you prepare the deck and what score plan you follow. Do the review before investing in the so-called substitute's collection variants.
What to do with the copies you already have
Banned does not mean counterfeit, damaged or devoid of collectible interest. You can archive it, use it in an agreed casual variant, or keep it as part of a collection. Do not infer a specific drop or rise in the price of the ban without verifiable market data and such printing.
If you offer it, identify the card and do not hide its competitive state when the receiver is looking for a piece to play. A note dated with an official link provides context. Avoid absolute announcements such as ‘safe investment’ or ‘it will become legal again’: the revised documentation does not guarantee future decisions or demand.
Before traveling to an event in Spain
Confirm the format, the reference date of the rules and if the organizer requires a decklist submitted in advance. Make a last check near the event and bring the exact details of any card you doubt about. Communication with the store can resolve a difference between a casual session and a sanctioned session without changing the underlying official rules.
Do not book transportation based on a list of third parties that omits battlefields or Legends. The start guide helps to prepare a collection, but this review of legality is a concrete task for your construction and modality. If a change is posted after registering, ask the organizer how it applies to the event you are going to participate in.
A format-specific review example
Imagine saving a Constructed list and a 2v2 list under the same deck name. The second uses Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman as its Legend, and both retain a battlefield appearing on the September list. Checking only the 40 Main Deck cards would miss both problems. Separate the builds by format, review each Legend and battlefield selection, and record the replacements before testing the remaining list.
This example does not recommend a particular replacement. A new Legend can change domains and the game plan, while replacing a battlefield can change how the deck scores. Recheck the complete build afterward instead of marking the old list legal simply because you removed one component.
Save lists without confusing different seasons
Include the format and review date in saved deck names. A file called only Riftbound control does not show whether it was checked before or after September's announcement. When sharing it, include the Rules Hub reference and identify the version you tested. That helps someone importing the list spot an outdated version without assuming their own collection caused the problem.
When a restriction changes, preserve the previous list as history and create a reviewed version. Record the role of each removed piece and its replacement. For battlefields, also note how the change affects your conquest or scoring plan instead of merely replacing a name in the file. This makes the adaptation easier to test and prevents a banned card from accidentally returning when quantities are copied from an older version.
Frequently asked questions
Does a legal set make every card in it legal?
No. A legal set may contain individually banned cards. Check the specific list in addition to the supported sets.
Do Constructed and 2v2 have identical banned lists?
Not in the September 2026 review. The 2v2 section adds Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman as a banned Legend.
Should I check the battlefields, too?
Yes. The list consulted lists banned battlefields. They're not an exception for being outside the Main Deck.