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Transformers TCG Ban List (ABR)

transformerstcg.org maintains a ban list for competitive and organized play, using an Allowed / Banned / Replaced (ABR) system: most cards are legal as printed, some are prohibited outright, and others are legal only in an updated (“replaced”) form. See Formats for which format to play and how this list applies to it.

Reasoning: Why Cards Are Banned or Replaced

Last updated October 15, 2026. If anything below seems out of date or incorrect, contact us.

Allowed

The Allowed pool differs by format; Formats explains what each format is and how its pool is decided. The Banned and Replaced lists further below apply to both.

Full Constructed

Wave 1

Wave 2

Wave 3

Blaster VS Soundwave

Wave 4

Wave 5

Wave 6

  • Wave 6: World|Strike v1.2 — provisional allowance pending full import to Org Wave status
  • Wave 6 promos: Aspect of Laughter, Lokos, and Scrounging for Energon

Org Wave 7

Wave 8

Any transformerstcg.org supplemental release

The following releases are still in development, whether in Public Beta or at Release Candidate, and enter organized play only at Harmony events. In casual play, they are unrestricted.

Org Wave 9

Store Constructed

Used at beginner and new-player events now, and a competitive format once the pool matures. Store Constructed explains how releases join it. The products below are what get admitted; the card list shows what those products contain.

Products

Cards

Already own official Transformers TCG cards? The Store Constructed card list names every card in the pool alongside the releases it has been printed in, so you can check what your collection already covers.

Banned

The following cards may not be used in transformerstcg.org organized play, in either Constructed format, in addition to any fan-made card outside the Allowed list for the format being played:

  • Optimus Prime // Inspiring Leader (WotC house promo)
  • Swap Parts (Wave 1)
  • Daring Escape (Wave 4)
  • Sergeant Springer // Special Ops • Aerial Defense (Wave 4)
  • Brisko (Wave 5)
  • Decepticon Quake // Ground Assault (Wave 5)
  • Fangry // Sky Tracker (Wave 5)
  • Grax (Wave 5)
  • Horri-Bull // Ground Trooper (Wave 5)

The following cards are banned only at non-Harmony events. In casual play, they are usually replaced, but can be unrestricted with mutual consent.

  • Multi-Mission Gear
  • Kreb

Replaced

In either Constructed format, these cards are legal only in the listed replacement version; the original printing is no longer tournament-legal:

  • Press the Advantage (Wave 2) → United Against Tyranny (Wave 6, Jumpstarter Update Booster)
  • Mission Briefing (Wave 5) → Hand of Adaptus (Wave 8, Jumpstarter Update Booster)
  • Security Checkpoint (Wave 1) → Lie in Wait (Wave 8, Jumpstarter Update Booster)
  • Peace Through Tyranny (Wave 1) → Take the Shot (Wave 8, Jumpstarter Update Booster)
  • Belligerence (Wave 5) → Bellicosity (Jumpstarter Update Booster, OW9V Marvelous Heroes VS Rising Villains)
  • Fusion Borer (Wave 5) → Mecha Star (Jumpstarter Update Booster, Org Wave 9)
  • Sky Shadow Sync (Wave 5) → Summon Sky Shadow! (Jumpstarter Update Booster, Org Wave 9)
  • Impetuous Stand (Wave 7) → Debilitate (Jumpstarter Update Booster, Org Wave 9)

The following cards are replaced only at Harmony events. In casual play, they are usually replaced, but can be unrestricted with mutual consent.

  • Multi-Mission Gear (Wave 1) → Tachyon Shield (Org Wave 9 Public Beta; a future Jumpstarter Update Booster issue)
  • Kreb (Wave 5) → Kreb // Krushed (Org Wave 9 Public Beta; a future Jumpstarter Update Booster issue)

Why Cards Are Banned or Replaced covers the reasoning card by card: what each one did, what broke, and what was weighed before the decision. See Rulings for contemporaneous rulings where documented.

Energon Edition Foil Battle Cards

For webcam and in-person events, Energon Edition foil battle cards are disallowed from legal play due to their thicker stock and how easily they can be identified within a shuffled deck.