Riftbound's process for banning cards is quite simple. The company asks itself these three questions:
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1. Is this card overrepresented in an unhealthy way?
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2. Are the problems with this card likely to get better or worse over time?
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3. Does this card promote unhealthy play patterns?
So, on September 18, 2026, two cards will be added to the Standard and 2v2 Constructed ban lists:
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Ekko, Recurrent
Riot has been tracking the Lux combo deck since the Unleashed release. Its play rate stayed low, but the deck offers few windows of interaction and plays out like solitaire once the combo starts. Ekko is the culprit: he effectively grants an extra turn and recycles himself, which is what enables the infinites. Riot judged that the risk outweighed the flavour fit, and since the ban shouldn't touch most other Mind decks, they decided to act now. 
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Stacked Deck
Riot says Stacked Deck simply gives Chaos decks more consistency than they want. The card costs almost nothing to include, synergizes with Ravenbloom Student and Battlefields like Abandoned Hall, and became an autoinclude in most Chaos lists. The Kennen legend compounded the issue: alongside Lightning Rush, Kennen churns through his deck too efficiently, finding Nocturne while filling the trash for Rhasa the Sunderer and Last Rites. Riot expects Kennen to feel the loss hardest, since his engine runs on card selection, and hopes the ban pushes players to adapt their deckbuilding.
Riot's stated goal is to avoid a single best deck in the format. Kennen's play rate and win rate put him above the other top decks, and the Stacked Deck ban is meant to bring him in line without dismantling the strategy. The timing points to the Los Angeles Regional Qualifier and the Chengdu Major ahead.
