Riftbound Bans Ekko, Recurrent and Stacked Deck, Effective 18 September

Riot has added two cards to the Standard and 2v2 Constructed ban list, effective 18 September. It is the first ban wave to hit both formats from day one, and it also applies to the new Korean Standard launching the same day.

Stacked Deck

Stacked Deck is a targeted hit on Kennen. Riot says the spell offers low-cost consistency and cheap synergy with cards like Ravenbloom Student and the Abandoned Hall battlefield, and that alongside Lightning Rush it let Kennen, Heart of the Tempest churn through its deck too efficiently. The core strategy stays legal, but Riot wants it less consistent and less dominant, to avoid a definitive best deck heading into the Regional Championships.

Ekko, Recurrent

Ekko, Recurrent powered the Lux combo deck. Its play rate stayed low, but Riot considers the infinite loop an unhealthy, solitaire-esque pattern with few windows of interaction, so it acted now despite the small footprint.

Riot released the bans quickly after the Shenyang Regional Open, ahead of the Los Angeles Regional Qualifier and the Chengdu Major.