Riftbound Bans 8 Cards Including Riven and 2 Battlegrounds, Effective Nov. 23… Korea Unbans Instead
Zhonya's Hourglass and Dazzling Aurora also banned… Not applied in Korea until Radiance release
Riot Games announced on Nov. 13 (U.S. time) that it is adding 8 cards and 2 battlegrounds to the Riftbound Standard and 2v2 Constructed ban lists. The effective date is Monday, November 23. The decision was made after observing the results of the European Regional Championship last weekend, with the announcement released under the name of Game Director Dave Guskin. On the same day, a separate notice was posted on the Korean site stating that this ban list would not be applied to Korea.
8 Banned Cards, 2 Battlegrounds, and Reasons
Riot stated that it considers three criteria when banning cards: whether a card is used excessively in an unhealthy manner, whether its issues will escalate over time, and whether it creates unhealthy play patterns.
| Category | Name (Original English Name) | Reason Stated by Riot | |---|---|---| | Card | Riven, Broken Blade | As a 4-cost Select Champion, guaranteed turn-2 play, creating zero-risk conquest patterns | | Card | Zhonya's Hourglass | Protects key units from removal and avoids equipment removal by remaining hidden. Exceptionally strong in combination with Astral Heron | | Card | Stellacorn Herder | Uncapped move effect rewards, immediately recovering its value in Riven decks | | Card | Nocturne, Horrifying | 0-energy early-game play; no card loss when revealed and fetched | | Card | Rhasa the Sunderer | High trash-filling reward with low repeat-retrieval burden due to being 0-energy | | Card | Brynhir Thundersong | Played during opponent's start step, locking opponent from playing cards on their turn | | Card | Dazzling Aurora | Cheats out huge threats for free, funneling energy acceleration decks into a single build | | Card | Baited Hook | Checks Might instead of energy to cheat out high-cost units for free | | Battleground | Emperor's Dais | Eliminates conquest risks when combined with Riven | | Battleground | Star Spring | Same as above; reasons similar to the previously banned Reaver's Row |
Riot stated that Riven decks accounted for 43% of registered decks at the European Regional Championship, taking 3 of the top 4 spots and 8 of the top 16 spots. Excluding mirror matches, it recorded a win rate of over 60% in high-level competition. The tournament was won by a Kennen deck. Kennen accounted for roughly 15% of registrations and 3 of the top 8 spots. Riot explained that while Baited Hook is not currently widely played in tournaments, it was banned proactively due to a high risk of becoming problematic when combined with cards from upcoming sets such as 'Legacy' ahead of the World Showcase in January next year.
Riot also explained why the effective date was set to Nov. 23. Stating that it avoids bans within 2 weeks of premier-level events, Riot reviewed tournaments including the Houston CCS 50K (Nov. 13–15), Ningbo Minor / LA Gen.G Showdown (Nov. 20–22), and the Las Vegas North American Regional Championship (Dec. 11–13). There are no additional bans for 2v2. Riot noted it is monitoring the strength of Yasuo in 2v2 and is currently testing potential adjustments. Starting next year, Riot will use a "ban window" system, announcing bans only on the Fridays two weeks before and two weeks after continental championships.
What Changes for Korean Players
For Korea, the opposite is happening as bans are being lifted. The Riot Korean announcement stated, "The ban list announced globally on November 14 does not apply to Korea." In Korea, previously banned cards and battlegrounds can also be played from November 23 until the end of the Origin season. The English announcement similarly noted that this ban will not apply to tournaments in Korea and Traditional Chinese region until 'Radiance' is released in those regions. Starting with this update, Riot will operate region-specific ban lists instead of a single global list.
The Origin Korea Major tournament on Dec. 5–6 will also be held without any card or battleground ban list. The Korean edition of 'Spiritforged' is scheduled for release after this tournament, with the exact release date to be announced separately. The ban list that will take effect in Korea starting on the release date of Spiritforged is identical to the original ban list. It consists of 4 cards—'Telegraphed Attack' (공격 예고), 'Draven, Executioner' (드레이븐, 토벌자), 'Fight or Flight' (싸우거나 도망치거나), and 'Scrap Heap' (고철 더미)—and 3 battlegrounds—'The Dreaming Tree' (꿈꾸는 나무), 'Obelisk of Power' (힘의 오벨리스크), and 'Reaver's Row' (약탈자의 노). As official Korean names for the 10 newly banned cards and battlegrounds could not be confirmed, they were listed in their original English names.
Sources
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This article was machine-translated from Korean with AI. Original →