The Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game’s current banlist contains over 100 banned cards alone - some cards fall into the forbidden category, while others are limited or semi-limited to retain balance. Most other major trading card games, like the Pokémon TCG or Magic: The Gathering, have set rotations, where after a certain amount of time cards from old enough sets can no longer be used in standard tournament play. Yu-Gi-Oh, on the other hand, doesn’t rotate out its cards at all. Cards released when the TCG first launched in 2002 can be used in decks with the most recently-released cards, as long as they comply with the current banlist, otherwise known as the Forbidden & Limited Lists.
In the Yu-Gi-Oh TCG, some cards may become weaker or much stronger as time passes and more cards are made to synchronize with it. For instance, fans who played in 2009 will remember the Synchro Monster Ancient Fairy Dragon not get much play, but after a few years, Field Spell Yu-Gi-Oh cards started getting stronger, and helped Ancient Fairy Dragon’s effect. Now, it’s a member of Yu-Gi-Oh’s substantial forbidden list. No set rotation makes Yu-Gi-Oh a unique game where older cards can remain relevant even after many years, but it makes its banlist crucial and extensive.
Yu-Gi-Oh uses two main formats: Advanced and Traditional. Traditional format has no forbidden cards; all forbidden cards in the Advanced format are treated as limited in Traditional. Advanced format is the official tournament format, however, so most players abide by it. Normally players can include up to three copies of any given card in their deck, but Yu-Gi-Oh cards that are forbidden can't be included at all. Limited cards can only be included once, and semi-limited cards have a cap of two. There is no strict time for the TCG to update its banlist, and instead updates the banlist whenever it is deemed necessary. Because the last banlist was published in September and put into effect in October, a new banlist wouldn’t be published before January 17. Now that the date has passed, Konami could publish a new list, but it still wouldn't come into effect immediately, giving players have a chance to tweak their deck to the changes.
Forbidden Cards In Yu-Gi-Oh’s Current 2022 Banlist
The currently forbidden Monster cards are:
- 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
Forbidden Fusion Monsters include:
- Elder Entity Norden
- Supreme King Dragon Starving Venom
- Thunder Dragon Colossus
The banned Link Monster cards are:
- Guardragon Agarpain
- Guardragon Elpy
- Heavymetalfoes Electrumite
- Knightmare Goblin
- Knightmare Mermaid
- Linkross
- Summon Sorceress
- Topologic Gumblar Dragon
- Union Carrier
The forbidden Synchro Monsters are:
- Ancient Fairy Dragon
- Denglong, First of the Yang Zing
- Ib the World Chalice Justiciar
- Tempest Magician
Xyz Monsters that are banned include:
- Lavalval Chain
- M-X-Saver 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
Forbidden Spell cards include:
- 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
Trap cards that are currently banned are:
- Last Turn
- Return from the Different Dimension
- Royal Oppression
- Self-Destruct Button
- Sixth Sense
- Time Seal
- Trap Dustshoot
- Ultimate Offering
- Vanity’s Emptiness
The Yu-Gi-Oh banlist, including cards the anime still uses, is heavy with forbidden cards, and it’s gotten this way because of how long the game has lasted. Although it can be overwhelming, especially for new players, the banlist is a necessity to ensure things stay balanced even as new card sets are released throughout the year. It’s always fine to ignore the banlist when first learning to play with friends in a casual setting, too.
Limited Cards In Yu-Gi-Oh’s Current 2022 Banlist
The pieces of Yu-Gi-Oh's Exodia — Left Arm, Left Leg, Right Arm, and Right Leg of the Forbidden One — are the only normal Monsters included in the Yu-Gi-Oh banlist. The limited Effect Monsters include:
- 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
The limited Fusion Monster is:
The limited Link Monsters include:
- Prank-Kids Meow-Meow-Mu
- Striker Dragon
The limited Synchro Monsters are:
- Psy-Framelord Omega
- T.G. Hyper Librarian
- Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
The limited Xyz Monsters are:
- Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal
- Daigusto Emeral
- Salamangreat Miragestallio
The only limited Ritual Monster is:
- Cyber Angel Benten
Limited Spell cards include:
- A Hero Lives
- Called by the Grave
- Card Destruction
- Card of Cemise
- 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 Draw
- Terraforming
- Trickstar Light Stage
- Upstart Goblin
The limited Trap cards are:
- Imperial Order
- Macro Cosmos
- Magical Explosion
- Metaverse
- Red Reboot
- Skill Drain
- Wall of Revealing Light
Like the forbidden list, Yu-Gi-Oh’s limited list is significant, and is only increased in Traditional format where it’s joined with the forbidden list. Some of these Yu-Gi-Oh cards have been over or underrated throughout the game’s history, while others were just waiting for their chance to shine with new support. Even when limited to one copy per deck, these cards are still very powerful.
Semi-Limited Cards In Yu-Gi-Oh’s Current 2022 Banlist
The semi-limited Monster cards are:
- Danger! Nessie!
- Destiny HERO - Malicious
- Performapal Skullcrobat Joker
The only semi-limited Spell card is:
- Emergency Teleport
There are currently no semi-limited Trap cards. The semi-limited list is usually the smallest of the three Yu-Gi-Oh banlist components, but its possible range is still impressive. The next time the Yu-Gi-Oh banlist gets updated, cards may be added, removed, or moved between lists depending on the competitive state of the game. Until then, fans still have plenty of cards to play with, and plenty of Yu-Gi-Oh cosplay to admire.