Getting banned in League of Legends or Valorant could block you from Riftbound TCG events, thanks to this one Riot rule

Due to the often, erm, outspoken nature of its videogame communities, Riot Games is, quite rightly, extremely tough on those that insult or abuse other players. Account suspensions and bans for inappropriate behavior in-game or even making hateful, offensive comments while streaming or discussing Riot's games on social media, can earn you a smack on the wrist. As of last year, the most severe punishments can also see you suspended from several of its multiplayer games at once - if you're seriously violating the company's user rules and get banned in League of Legends, for example, you could see that ban extended to Valorant, 2XKO, or any of Riot's other titles. However, what many may not realize is that this also applies to Riftbound, the new LoL-themed trading card game that released a few weeks ago.

Riftbound is already a big hit. Sure, there have been supply shortages and issues around rare cards not appearing in packs, which have led to Riot admitting that it "missed the mark" with the product's launch. But there's still a major buzz. However, you're likely wondering how Riot could possibly police you playing a physical TCG, and in the broadest sense, it can't. However, if you really get into Riftbound and want to participate in officially supported tournaments and events, you may find yourself being turned away if you've got a serious misconduct ban that applies to all of Riot's products.

As is highlighted by Riftbound Report on X, official tournaments and open play events require you to have a Riot account. While you'll first be asked to create an Organized Play account, you must link this to your Riot account in order to book places at these in-person events. If there's an account-wide ban in place from your actions in League of Legends, Valorant, 2XKO, Legends of Runeterra, or any other Riot videogame, then that ban should also apply to Riftbound sign-ups.

This rule has been in place since last year, when Riot updated its policies to extend bans for the most serious offenders across its entire portfolio. Following that update, section 7.3 of its Terms of Service now reads: "Misconduct in one of our games can result in account-wide penalties or escalated penalties in another game once you break the User Rules in the new game.

"To the extent allowed by applicable law, violation of the User Rules in one of the Riot Services can result in a penalty applicable to certain other or all Riot Services. This includes potentially escalating penalties in one game based on your misconduct in another: for instance, repeated hate speech by a player in one of our games may lead to longer temporary bans in another of our games (once that same player violates the User Rules in the new game). It might also include the issuance of temporary or permanent bans and account suspensions that apply to all of our games."

So, if you're one of those bad actors with a big mark against your Riot account, Riftbound events won't be a loophole to getting your LoL fix. Of course, you can still purchase packs and booster boxes from retailers, collect and trade cards, and compete with friends, but to go to official events, you'll probably encounter resistance.