Riftbound has announced fresh updates to the Standard and 2v2 Constructed ban list, effective September 18 2026. Heading into the final stretch before the Regional Championships, these changes target Ekko's extra turn engine and reduce the card selection of top Chaos strategies.
The Complete Ban List
The following cards are illegal in competitive play. The two newest additions are highlighted at the top of the list:
- (NEW) Ekko, Recurrent
- (NEW) Stacked Deck
- Stealthy Pursuer
- The Arena’s Greatest
- Aspirant’s Climb
- Called Shot
- Scrapheap
- Draven, Vanquisher
- Fight or Flight
- Reaver’s Row
- The Dreaming Tree
- Obelisk of Power
Why the Changes?
The ban of Ekko, Recurrent directly addresses issues surrounding the Lux combo deck. Because Ekko both grants an extra turn and recycles himself, he created repetitive play patterns with limited windows of interaction. Banning Ekko fixes this while keeping the rest of the Mind archetype intact.
Meanwhile, Stacked Deck was removed to address card selection in Chaos strategies (particularly Kennen). Combined with Lightning Rush, Stacked Deck allowed Kennen players to churn through the deck efficiently while filling the trash for cards like Rhasa the Sunderer and Last Rites. Banning Stacked Deck slows down the engine without destroying the core strategy.