Key facts
- The bans take effect on Monday, November 23, 2026, in Standard and 2v2 Constructed play, and events before that date may still include the listed cards.
- Dave Guskin said the bans result from moving beyond pre-launch sets to a player-informed era for Riftbound design, playtesting, and metagame.
- Riven Broken Blade, introduced with the Radiance set, received an almost immediate ban after appearing in almost half of the field at the recent European Regional Qualifier.
- Riven Broken Blade may not have won the European Regional Qualifier but dominated every stage and made up half of the decks in the top eight.
Riot game director Dave Guskin revealed 10 banned Riftbound cards—eight normal cards and two battlefields—after a lopsided competitive meta at the Riftbound European Regional Championship in Stuttgart last weekend, TheGamer reported.
The banned cards are Riven Broken Blade, Zhonya’s Hourglass, Stellacorn Herder, Nocturne Horrifying, Rhasa the Sunderer, Brynhir Thundersong, Dazzling Aurora, Baited Hook, Emperor’s Dais and Star Spring. Emperor’s Dais and Star Spring are battlefields. All ten are no longer legal in Standard and 2v2 Constructed play.
Riven Broken Blade, introduced with the Radiance set, appeared in almost half of the field at the recent European Regional Qualifier. The card may not have won the qualifier, but it dominated every stage and made up half of the decks in the top eight.
The bans take effect on Monday, Nov. 23, 2026, in Standard and 2v2 Constructed play. Events before that date may still include the listed cards. Guskin said the restrictions result from moving beyond pre-launch sets to a player-informed era for Riftbound design, playtesting and metagame. “where our design, playtesting, and metagame are informed by all of you [the players]”, he said.
The Riftbound team wants to enter 2027 with a reset and a much fairer meta, even if some legends see more play than others. Starting next year, the team will announce card bans on a Friday two weeks before each Continental event and on a Friday two weeks after. Guskin said the windows let the team control the narrative around bans and prevent players from demanding overwhelming decisions on a whim.
The game has no officially supported competitive Eternal formats yet, so the ban effectively makes Riven Broken Blade a worthless card. The alternative art version of Riven Broken Blade fell from €16 to €6 on Nov. 12, 2026, and listings have since dropped further, most to €3. On TCGplayer, the same version fell from $30 at release week to $4.80 on Nov. 13, 2026, and listings have since dropped below $4.
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