It is possible to reduce the processing intensity of blind detection by configuring user equipments (UEs) to search for fewer than all possible DCI formats defined for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), as this reduces the number of searches performed by the corresponding UE during blind detection. The UE may select the subset of DCI formats to search for during blind detection based on various criteria, such as an air interface configuration assigned to the UE, a UE group to which the UE belongs, a transmission mode used by the UE, a re-transmission scheme assigned to the UE, a characteristic (e.g., size, location) of the UE's search space, or a combination thereof.