Confiscation was released way back in 2002 in the set Spell Rulers. Since the creation of the restricted list, this card has been on it. However, that brings up the question “Why is Confiscation Banned?”
What does Confiscation do?
The card is very simple in what it does. When this spell card is played the player must pay 1000 life points, but they can look at the opponent’s hand. Additionally, the player can also select one card in the opponent’s hand and discard it. Confiscation is amazing on the first turn, as you can look at what the opponent has in hand in order to gain intel.
Confiscation Gives Too Much Advantage
The player who goes first already has an advantage in the game of Yugioh. However, the big disadvantage is that the first player doesn’t know what their opponent is using. Different matchups require different strategies, and knowing what you are playing against lets you plan accordingly. However, Confiscation gets rid of this problem. If you can start the first turn by looking at the opponent’s hand you can plan way better.
The other problem is that the player can pick a vital card, and throw it in the graveyard. Imagine playing this card, and getting rid of a vital combo piece from your opponent’s hand. This is anti-fun gameplay. The chance of drawing a Confiscation on your first turn isn’t immense, but in those scenarios, the player gets so much advantage.
Will Confiscation Stay Banned?
Most likely. Weirder things have happened such as Monster Reborn and Mind Control being put to one. If the card is unbanned I can only imagine it staying at one. Generating so much value for such a small cost is an amazing trade-off. Konami doesn’t seem like that care for looking at your opponent’s hand. For example, The Forceful Sentry is still banned, and doesn’t appear to be coming back anytime soon.
If you are interested in more reasons why cards are banned in Yugioh could I suggest learning about Change of Heart?