Riftbound Banlist Explained: Every Currently Banned Card

Riftbound's first banlist landed on 31 March 2026, when Riot Games banned seven cards from competitive constructed play. Here's the complete list, why each card was banned, and what it means if you own one.

The 7 banned cards

• Scrapheap (Origins) — enabled "Miracle Decks": drawing and playing large numbers of cards at heavily discounted cost.
• Called Shot (Spiritforged) — the same Miracle Deck problem as Scrapheap.
• Draven, Vanquisher (Spiritforged) — a straight power outlier; the design team has called it an outright mistake.
• Reaver's Row (Origins) — synergised too well with Draven and encouraged non-interactive play patterns.
• Fight or Flight (Origins) — limited to rein in Chaos decks' overall power level.
• The Dreaming Tree (Origins) — provided so much card flow it tipped the balance toward specific deck styles.
• Obelisk of Power (Origins) — banned for its sheer ubiquity; it was in nearly every competitive list.

What "banned" actually means

A banned card can't be included in a deck for competitive constructed play — organized tournaments and ranked events run under Riot's official rules. It doesn't necessarily mean your local game store's casual nights follow the same list; check with your local organizer if you're unsure, since casual play often runs looser rules than sanctioned events.

Does a ban affect a card's price?

It can go either way. A ban can crash a card's price as competitive demand dries up, or it can hold steady (or even rise) on casual and collector demand if the card is popular outside tournament play — especially for a splashy legendary printing like Draven, Vanquisher. Rather than guess, check the live numbers: every banned card above links to its own RiftCompare page with current pricing and price history across every market we track.

Why ban lists matter for deckbuilding

If you're building a deck today, none of the cards above are legal in sanctioned events — plan around their absence rather than building toward them. If you already own one, it's still a real card for casual games, or worth checking the price on if you're thinking of selling.

We'll update this guide the moment any changes to the banlist are announced.

Ban reasoning summarized from Riot Games' official announcement and community coverage of Riftbound's first ban list.