SUSPENDED CARDS

For nearly three decades, Highlander: The Card Game has handled problem cards the same way: errata them into compliance.

And to be fair — that’s worked more often than not. We’ve rewritten, reworded, and rebalanced our way out of dozens of sticky situations over the years.

But some cards just don’t want to be saved.

Whether it’s due to overpowered effects, poor interactions with newer mechanics, or the fact that no amount of wording tweaks can untangle them from the chaos they cause, errata isn’t always enough.

Figuring out an errata can take time—time during which a known problem card remains in the pool of playable cards, potentially ruining games for players.

That’s why, starting with the August 2025 rulebook, Highlander now officially supports a new concept: the Suspended Card List.

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Why Not Just Keep Using Errata?

Because we’ve tried. Extensively.

Some cards can be brought in line with a single wording update. Others require a second... and a third... and at that point, players can’t remember what the card does unless they’ve printed out a PDF cheat sheet. This creates confusion, disrupts game flow, and leaves problem cards active far longer than they should be. With the new Suspended Card system, we can immediately remove a card from the active pool when it's clear it's harming the game — without needing to feel like we need to rush a patch or tie up months debating how to “fix” it.

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How We Decide to Suspend a Card?

We don’t suspend cards lightly. But we also won’t hesitate when the health of the game is at stake. Here’s what we look at when considering suspension:

• Dominance: If a card (or the archetype it fuels) shows disproportionate representation, especially among top-performing decks. That’s a red flag. We want a metagame where multiple deck types can thrive.

• Longevity: Some strategies are strong, but beatable. But if a card has warped the meta over time with no signs of natural correction, it’s more likely to be suspended.

• Play Pattern: We evaluate how a card feels to play against. Does it lead to uninteractive gameplay? Does it shut down core mechanics?

• Player Feedback: You’re the ones actually playing. If a card becomes a repeated point of frustration or confusion across the community, that matters.

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Can Suspended Cards Return?

Yes! This isn’t a banned list—it’s suspension. We intentionally avoided the term “banned.”

Cards can be reintroduced if:

• The metagame shifts and their power level becomes reasonable.

• We find a way to fix them through errata.

• A new format or ruleset creates a healthier context for their return.

If a card comes back, it’ll do so with a blog post and rules updated explaining what changed—

just like when it was suspended.

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Final Thoughts

Suspending a card isn’t about punishment — it’s about preservation. Highlander is a long-running, evolving game. Sometimes we need to step in and protect the format from design decisions that aged poorly or mechanics that didn’t scale well.

Suspension gives us a scalpel where we used to rely on a sledgehammer.

And while we’ll continue to use errata where it makes sense, now we finally have a clean, effective way to say:“This card needs to sit out for a while.”

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Current Suspended Cards (Also in the Rule Book)

Suspended Card	Reason for Suspension
Championship Hilt (Antarctic)	This was a joke card that somehow was released into the pool of cards. It never had a Card ID.
Dark Quickening (Q2018-999)	As of the previous ruleset, it was officially prohibited from being used with 17 specific Personas — plus two more listed directly on the card itself. That level of restriction isn’t healthy for the game. When a single card creates that many edge cases and opportunities for players to accidentally build illegal decks, it’s a sign that the design isn’t working within the broader ecosystem. Rather than continue stacking errata or exceptions, we’ve chosen to remove it from play for now.
Golden Turkey (HTVG-001)	Broken interaction.
Master’s Intuition (Situation) PP2024-007)	The idea behind this card was solid, but its implementation was rushed. While Master’s Intuition remains suspended, its replacement — Insightful Planning (Protect) — will be released soon in an upcoming Prize Pack.
Master’s Intuition (Event) PP2024-008)	The idea behind this card was solid, but its implementation was rushed. While Master’s Intuition remains suspended, its replacement — Insightful Planning (Protect) — will be released soon in an upcoming Prize Pack.
Old Tricks (PP-2021) Generic Immortal	Broken interaction. Exploring a fix.
Quickening (HTGQ-036)	Broken interaction.
Quickening - Amanda (Q2018-007)	Alternate Personas were never intended to have their own dedicated Quickenings. Why? Because while you can't use the Quickening of the Persona you're currently playing, you can use both Quickenings from another Immortal — even if that Immortal is an Alternate Persona. That loophole leads to serious balance issues.
Quickening - Carl Robinson (Q-004)	Suspended due to redundancy and potential abuse. This card was originally designed for a version of Carl Robinson that was never released. However, the exact same Quickening — in both effect and function — was later printed in 2nd Edition for James Coltec. To prevent players from including both versions in the same Pregame and effectively doubling up on the same ability, we’ve chosen to suspend the 3E version. *Note if you have a copy of the Carl Robinson Q, you can use it as the James Coltec Q, but check with your Tournament Director before hand to make sure that's OK.
Swordmaster Rip Card (PP2022-011)	Broken interaction.
The Curse (HSFV-13P)	Broken interaction. Playtesting a fix.
The Doors of Time (GS041)	Broken interaction. Playtesting a fix.
There Can Be Only One (HTVG-002)	Broken interaction. Playtesting a fix.
The Raven (Dead on Arrival) RAVEN017	Broken interaction. Playtesting a fix.
The Raven (Reborn) RAVEN015	Broken interaction. Playtesting a fix.
The Raven (The Rogue) RAVEN016	Broken interaction. Playtesting a fix.