Like any ongoing competitive card game, Yu-Gi-Oh! updates its rules on a regular basis to account for new cards, strategies, and shifts on how players approach the game. Regular updates like these are part of what helps keep longstanding TCGs fresh, but sometimes, fans are less than thrilled with the rule changes and card bans. That seems to be the case with the latest update to the Forbidden & Limited card list for Yu-Gi-Oh!, which adds new forbidden & limited cards while allowing some others to re-enter the battlefield.
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Konami updates this card list every few months or so, and it has become quite extensive over the years as new packs launch into the meta. The list includes cards that are forbidden, i.e. fully banned from competitive play, and those that players can only have one or two copies of, depending on whether they’re limited or semi-limited. Thankfully, as often as they add cards, they do let some cards back into play, so there are never too many forbidden cards at once.
The most recent Forbidden & Limited Card List update is effective from December 9th, 2024. The major changes, including newly banned and limited cards, appear below.
Newly Forbidden Cards
These cards are fully banned from being in competitive players’ decks as of December 9th, 2024.
- Gimmick Puppet Nightmare
- Jowgen the Spiritualist
- Original Sinful Spoils – Snake-Eye
Newly Limited Cards
Players may only have up to one copy of each of these cards across their Main, Extra, and Side decks in competitive play.
- Tenpai Dragon Chundra
- Phantom of Yubel
- Sangen Kaimen
- Zoodiac Barrage
Newly Semi-Limited Cards
Players can only have up to two copies of these cards across their main, extra, and side decks.
- Cyber Jar
- Danger?! Jackalope?
- Danger?! Tsuchinoko
- Eva
- Performapal Monkeyboard
Newly Unlimited Cards
These cards were previously limited, but are now considered fair game once again in competitive play.
- Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos
- Dinowrestler Pankratops
- Lunalight Tiger
- Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders
- Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms
- Tidal, Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls
- Thunder Dragon Colossus
- IB The World Chalice Justiciar
- Opening of the Spirit Gates
Yu-Gi-Oh! Players Call Out Cards That Seriously Need to be Banned
Highlights of the major changes were shared via the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG account on X, and fans have some thoughts about some of the newly banned cards.
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While some players are pleased at some of the cards that have finally been set free, including Cyber Jar, others are furious about the bans. “How is someone supposed to keep up when every competitive deck receives a ban every few months?” asks one player, who wonders if players are supposed to keep building new decks to keep up with the rule changes. Of course, if a TCG’s goal is to keep players invested in buying new cards, that alone would be a good reason to ban popular cards and encourage new strategies.
For many, the rule changes don’t meet their expectations, and many players feel that certain overused cards should have been included. In particular, Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG fans really want to wave goodbye to Dimension Shifter in competitive play. “Shifter not banned = fail list” says one player, and many comments echo the sentiment.
Another commonly mentioned card in both complains and praise is Sinful Spoils – Snake Eye. Many are thrilled to see this card finally hit the ban list, while some are curious about why Konami would bother to ban it at all.
Naturally, how TCG fans react to a ban list like this will in part be a product of those cards that they’ve gone up against personally or used to great effect, but even so, the overall response is clear – fans are not satisfied with this latest update to the banned and forbidden list. For some, no explanation is needed, and a simple “This list is trash” will suffice to explain their feelings.
The reaction isn’t wholly bad, however. Many are happy to see this succinct post summing up the changes to the rules, which is certainly easier for players to quickly review than skimming the full list to spot what’s changed. Hopefully, when the next update rolls around in a few months, Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG fans will be happier with the changes they see, not just how they’re presented.
