If you are planning to attend a Yu-Gi-Oh tournament, better make sure that your deck is legal first! Almost all tournaments follows the Advanced format, which has many forbidden and limited cards. Forbidden cards are not allowed anywhere near your deck. Limited cards are those that you can only have one of in your deck and Semi-Limited are those that you can only have two of in your deck, instead of the usual three.
Cards are banned in order to keep the game interesting. Without these lists, tournament matches will just be a game of luck: whoever draws the super powerful card first will win. In some cases, if both players get a strong starting hand, it might even be whoever goes first wins. This is no fun for players and observers. Instead, the banlist forces players to be creative and to strategize while playing, which keeps the game interesting in the long run.
There is also the Traditional format of Duel Monsters, which has no forbidden cards. Those that are forbidden are considered to be limited instead under the Traditional format. If you are playing with your friends, be sure that you all agree on which ruleset you are following in order to prevent arguments later on!
The banlist is constantly updated and changed. Some cards that are forbidden now may become limited in the future and vice versa. Kidzworld.com will be sure to keep you updated on these changes! Below is the most current update, which came into effect starting March 2009.
FORBIDDEN |
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Card Type | Card Name | Changes |
Effect/Monster | BLACK LUSTER SOLDIER - ENVOY OF THE BEGINNING | |
Effect/Monster | CHAOS EMPEROR DRAGON - ENVOY OF THE END | |
Effect/Monster | CYBER JAR | |
Effect/Monster | CYBER-STEIN | |
Effect/Monster | DARK MAGICIAN OF CHAOS | |
Effect/Monster | DESTINY HERO - DISK COMMANDER | |
Effect/Monster | FIBER JAR | |
Effect/Monster | MAGICAL SCIENTIST | |
Effect/Monster | MAGICIAN OF FAITH | |
Effect/Monster | MAKYURA THE DESTRUCTOR | |
Effect/Monster | SINISTER SERPENT | |
Effect/Monster | TRIBE-INFECTING VIRUS | |
Effect/Monster | TSUKUYOMI | |
Effect/Monster | VICTORY DRAGON | |
Effect/Monster | WITCH OF THE BLACK FOREST | |
Effect/Monster | YATA-GARASU | |
Fusion/Monster | THOUSAND-EYES RESTRICT | |
Spell | BUTTERFLY DAGGER - ELMA | |
Spell | CHANGE OF HEART | |
Spell | CONFISCATION | |
Spell | DARK HOLE | |
Spell | DELINQUENT DUO | |
Spell | DIMENSION FUSION | |
Spell | GRACEFUL CHARITY | |
Spell | HARPIE'S FEATHER DUSTER | |
Spell | LAST WILL | |
Spell | METAMORPHOSIS | |
Spell | MIRAGE OF NIGHTMARE | |
Spell | PAINFUL CHOICE | |
Spell | POT OF GREED | |
Spell | PREMATURE BURIAL | |
Spell | RAIGEKI | |
Spell | SNATCH STEAL | |
Spell | THE FORCEFUL SENTRY | |
Trap | CALL OF THE HAUNTED | |
Trap | EXCHANGE OF THE SPIRIT | |
Trap | IMPERIAL ORDER | |
Trap | LAST TURN | |
Trap | RING OF DESTRUCTION | |
Trap | TIME SEAL |
LIMITED |
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Card Type | Card Name | Changes |
Effect/Monster | BREAKER THE MAGICAL WARRIOR | |
Effect/Monster | CARD TROOPER | |
Effect/Monster | CHAOS SORCERER | Forbidden -> Limited |
Effect/Monster | CYBER DRAGON | |
Effect/Monster | D. D. WARRIOR LADY | |
Effect/Monster | DANDYLION | |
Effect/Monster | DARK ARMED DRAGON | Semi-Limited -> Limited |
Effect/Monster | ELEMENTAL HERO STRATOS | |
Effect/Monster | EXODIA THE FORBIDDEN ONE | |
Effect/Monster | GLADIATOR BEAST BESTIARI | NEW; Limited |
Effect/Monster | GORZ THE EMISSARY OF DARKNESS | |
Effect/Monster | MARSHMALLON | |
Effect/Monster | MEZUKI | NEW; Limited |
Effect/Monster | MORPHING JAR | |
Effect/Monster | NEO-SPACIAN GRAND MOLE | |
Effect/Monster | NIGHT ASSAILANT | |
Effect/Monster | PLAGUESPREADER ZOMBIE | NEW; Limited |
Effect/Monster | SANGAN | |
Effect/Monster | SNIPE HUNTER | |
Effect/Monster | SPIRIT REAPER | |
Effect/Monster | TREEBORN FROG | |
Synchro/Monster | GOYO GUARDIAN | NEW; Limited |
Monster | LEFT ARM OF THE FORBIDDEN ONE | |
Monster | LEFT LEG OF THE FORBIDDEN ONE | |
Monster | RIGHT ARM OF THE FORBIDDEN ONE | |
Monster | RIGHT LEG OF THE FORBIDDEN ONE | |
Spell | ADVANCED RITUAL ART | |
Spell | BRAIN CONTROL | |
Spell | CARD DESTRUCTION | |
Spell | CARD OF SAFE RETURN | Semi-Limited -> Limited |
Spell | EMERGENCY TELEPORT | NEW; Limited |
Spell | FISSURE | |
Spell | FUTURE FUSION | |
Spell | GIANT TRUNADE | |
Spell | HEAVY STORM | |
Spell | LEVEL LIMIT - AREA B | |
Spell | LIMITER REMOVAL | |
Spell | MEGAMORPH | |
Spell | MONSTER GATE | |
Spell | MONSTER REBORN | |
Spell | MYSTICAL SPACE TYPHOON | |
Spell | OVERLOAD FUSION | |
Spell | REASONING | |
Spell | REINFORCEMENT OF THE ARMY | NEW; Limited |
Spell | SCAPEGOAT | |
Spell | SMASHING GROUND | |
Spell | SWORDS OF REVEALING LIGHT | |
Spell | UNITED WE STAND | |
Trap | CEASEFIRE | |
Trap | CRUSH CARD VIRUS | |
Trap | GRAVITY BIND | |
Trap | MAGIC CYLINDER | |
Trap | MIRROR FORCE | |
Trap | OJAMA TRIO | |
Trap | RETURN FROM THE DIFFERENT DIMENSION | |
Trap | THE TRANSMIGRATION PROPHECY | |
Trap | TORRENTIAL TRIBUTE | |
Trap | TRAP DUSTSHOOT | |
Trap | WALL OF REVEALING LIGHT |
SEMI-LIMITED |
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Card Type | Card Name | Changes |
Effect/Monster | DESTINY HERO - MALICIOUS | NEW; Semi-Limited |
Effect/Monster | GOBLIN ZOMBIE | NEW; Semi-Limited |
Effect/Monster | GREEN BABOON, DEFENDER OF THE FOREST | Limited -> Semi-Limited |
Effect/Monster | JUDGMENT DRAGON | |
Effect/Monster | MASK OF DARKNESS | |
Effect/Monster | NECROFACE | |
Effect/Monster | RAIZA THE STORM MONARCH | Limited -> Semi-Limited |
Effect/Monster | RESCUE CAT | |
Effect/Monster | SUMMONER MONK | NEW |
Spell | ALLURE OF DARKNESS | NEW; Semi-Limited |
Spell | CHAIN STRIKE | |
Spell | DESTINY DRAW | NEW; Semi-Limited |
Spell | FOOLISH BURIAL | |
Spell | GOLD SARCOPHAGUS | Limited -> Semi-Limited |
Spell | MAGICAL STONE EXCAVATION | |
Trap | MIND CRUSH | Limited -> Semi-Limited |
Trap | ULTIMATE OFFERING | Limited -> Semi-Limited |
NO LONGER LIMITED |
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Card Type | Card Name | Changes |
Effect/Monster | MANTICORE OF DARKNESS | Semi-Limited -> No Longer Limited |
Effect/Monster | PHANTOM OF CHAOS | Semi-Limited -> No Longer Limited |
Effect/Monster | TWIN-HEADED BEHEMOTH | Limited -> No Longer Limited |
Spell | BOOK OF MOON | Semi-Limited -> No Longer Limited |
Spell | NOBLEMAN OF CROSSOUT | Semi-Limited -> No Longer Limited |
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