Keeping up to date with the latest Yugioh banlist is as much key to success in this trading card game as it is in Magic: The Gathering or the Pokémon TCG. While it’s more of a wild west than some other TCGs, Yugioh cards are still banned, limited, or semi limited on a (somewhat) regular basis to keep the game fair, fun, and balanced – and, if a key card or combo in your beloved, tournament winning deck suddenly becomes illegal, you’re going to want to know about it!
Yu Gi Oh! Trading Card Game’s publisher, Konami, releases an updated version of the banlist on its official website every couple of months, and – naturally – there are separate banlists for the game’s ‘Advanced’ format (which is used in Regional, National, and World Championship events) and the much looser ‘Traditional’ format. Many cards, for example, are Forbidden (not allowed at all) in Advanced, but only Limited (restricted to one copy per deck) in Traditional format.
Banned, Limited, and Semi-limited cards can be cards of any type, and the banlist typically contains numerous Monster, Monster/Effect, Monster/Fusion, Monster/Link, Monster/Synchro, Monster/Xyz, Spell, and Trap type cards.
The most recent version of the Yugioh banlist was released on September 20, 2021, and came into force on October 1, 2021. Konami says the banlist will not be updated again until January 17, 2022 at the earliest.
The Yugioh banlist’s rules are simple:
- If a card is ‘Forbidden’, it cannot be used in your Main Deck, Extra Deck, or Side Deck
- If a card is ‘Limited’, you can only have one copy of it in your main Deck, Extra Deck, and Side Deck combined
- If a card is ‘Semi-limited’, you can only have two copies of it in your Main Deck, Extra Deck, and Side Deck combined.
Yugioh banlist 2021
As of October 1, 2021, the official Yugioh banlist (in Advanced Format) contains the following cards. In Traditional format, the banlist is identical – except that all the Forbidden cards are instead only Limited.
Forbidden Yugioh cards
Monster/Effect
- Astrograph Sorcerer
- Blackwing – Gofu The Vague Shadow
- Blackwing – Steam The Cloak
- Blaster, Dragon Ruler Of Infernos
- Block Dragon
- Cyber Jar
- Dandylion
- Destrudo The Lost Dragon’s Frisson
- Djinn Releaser Of Rituals
- Eclipse Wyvern
- Fairy Tail – Snow
- Fiber Jar
- Fishborg Blaster
- Glow-Up Bulb
- Grinder Golem
- Jet Synchron
- Level Eater
- Lunalight Tiger
- Magical Scientist
- Majespecter Unicorn – Kirin
- Master Peace, The True Dracoslaying King
- Maxx “C”
- Mecha Phantom Beast O-Lion
- Mind Master
- Orcust Harp Horror
- Performage Plushfire
- Performapal Monkeyboard
- Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis
- Redox, Dragon Ruler Of Boulders
- Samsara Lotus
- Spyral Master Plan
- Substitoad
- The Tyrant Neptune
- Tidal, Dragon Ruler Of Waterfalls
- Victory Dragon
- Yata-Garasu
Monster/Fusion
- Elder Entity Norden
- Supreme King Dragon Starving Venom
- Thunder Dragon Colossus
Monster/Link
- Guardragon Agarpain
- Guardragon Elpy
- Heavymetalfoes Electrumite
- Knightmare Goblin
- Knightmare Mermaid
- Linkross
- Summon Sorceress
- Topologic Gumblar Dragon
- Union Carrier
Monster/Synchro
- Ancient Fairy Dragon
- Denglong, First Of The Yang Zing
- Ib The World Chalice Justiciar
- Tempest Magician
Monster/Xyz
- Lavalval Chain
- M-X-Saber Invoker
- Number 16: Shock Master
- Number 42: Galaxy Tomahawk
- Number 86: Heroic Champion – Rhongomyniad
- Number 95: Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon
- Number S0: Utopic Zexal
- Outer Entity Azathot
- Tellarknight Ptolemaeus
- True King Of All Calamities
- Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity
- Zoodiac Broadbull
- Zoodiac Drident
Spell
- Brilliant Fusion
- Butterfly Dagger – Elma
- Card Of Safe Return
- Change Of Heart
- Chicken Game
- Cold Wave
- Confiscation
- Delinquent Duo
- Dimension Fusion
- Giant Trunade
- Graceful Charity
- Heavy Storm
- Kaiser Colosseum
- Last Will
- Mass Driver
- Metamorphosis
- Mirage Of Nightmare
- Painful Choice
- Pot Of Greed
- Premature Burial
- Smoke Grenade Of The Thief
- Snatch Steal
- Soul Charge
- Spellbook Of Judgment
- That Grass Looks Greener
- The Forceful Sentry
- Zoodiac Barrage
Traps
- Last Turn
- Return From The Different Dimension
- Royal Oppression
- Self-Destruct Button
- Sixth Sense
- Time Seal
- Trap Dustshoot
- Ultimate Offering
- Vanity’s Emptiness
Limited Yugioh cards
Monster
- Left Arm Of The Forbidden One
- Left Leg Of The Forbidden One
- Right Arm Of The Forbidden One
- Right Leg Of The Forbidden One
Monster/Effect
- Armageddon Knight
- Black Dragon Collapserpent
- Cyber-Stein
- Danger!? Jackalope?
- Danger!? Tsuchinoko?
- Dark Grepher
- Dinomight Knight, The True Dracofighter
- Dinowrestler Pankratops
- Eva
- Exodia The Forbidden One
- Genex Ally Birdman
- Infernity Archfiend
- Miscellaneousaurus
- Morphing Jar
- Night Assailant
- Phantom Skyblaster
- Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon
- Salamangreat Gazelle
- Servant Of Endymion
- Speedroid Terrortop
- Spyral Quik-Fix
- Tempest, Dragon Ruler Of Storms
- True King Lithosagym, The Disaster
- White Dragon Wyverburster
- Zoodiac Ratpier
Monster/Fusion
- Gem-Knight Master Diamond
Monster/Link
- Prank-Kids Meow-Meow-Mu
- Striker Dragon
Monster/Ritual
- Cyber Angel Benten
Monster/Synchro
- Psy-Framelord Omega
- T.G. Hyper Librarian
- Trishula, Dragon Of The Ice Barrier
Monster/Xyz
- Beatrice, Lady Of The Eternal
- Daigusto Emeral
- Salamangreat Miragestallio
Spell
- A Hero Lives
- Called By The Grave
- Card Destruction
- Card Of Demise
- Chain Strike
- Dimensional Fissure
- Divine Wind Of Mist Valley
- Draco Face‐off
- Dragonic Diagram
- Final Countdown
- Fire Formation – Tenki
- Foolish Burial
- Gateway Of The Six
- Gold Sarcophagus
- Harpie’s Feather Duster
- Infernity Launcher
- Instant Fusion
- Into The Void
- Magical Mid-Breaker Field
- Mind Control
- Monster Reborn
- One Day Of Peace
- One For One
- Raigeki
- Reasoning
- Reinforcement Of The Army
- Salamangreat Circle
- Scapegoat
- Sekka’s Light
- Set Rotation
- Sky Striker Mecha – Hornet Drones
- Sky Striker Mecha Modules – Multirole
- Sky Striker Mobilize – Engage!
- Slash Draw
- Spyral Resort
- Terraforming
- Trickstar Light Stage
- Upstart Goblin
Trap
- Imperial Order
- Macro Cosmos
- Magical Explosion
- Metaverse
- Red Reboot
- Skill Drain
- Wall Of Revealing Light
Semi-limited Yugioh cards
Monster/Effect
- Danger! Nessie!
- Destiny Hero – Malicious
- Performapal Skullcrobat Joker
Spell
- Emergency Teleport
