ThePokemon TCG, like many card games, has arotating format for its competitive scene. This means you can only use cards from certain sets in official tournaments using the Standard format, though you’re free to play whatever you want when hanging out with friends or at a game store.
Games like Magic: The Gathering will rotate out entire sets year by year, and Pokemon does something similar, with sets designated using letters. This ensures the game doesn’t become stagnant while creating different dynamics across its formats, where certain sets can be used.
The Pokemon Trading Card Game’s new
According to the officialPokemonwebsite,any card with the “E” regulation mark will no longer be legal in Standard. In fact,only cards with “F”, “G”, and “H” regulation marks will be legal, including any future regulation marks that will be released.
Cards that don’t have a regulation mark can still be used if there is a legal card with the same name. This includes cards with the “E” regulation mark, assuming it has a legal variant in the current Standard format.
The sets and expansions that include “E” regulation mark cards include Battle Styles, Chilling Reign, Evolving Skies, Fusion Strike, Celebrations, and Shining Fates. It also bears mentioning that cards can have different regulation marks within the same sets.
The Expanded Format is unchanged following the Standard Format announcement, as is the Unlimited Format. Expanded (unlike Standard) does have an active ban list, so make sure to keep up to date with what’s banned in that format if you want to play it.
The Pokemon Trading Card Game continues to cycle away from the Gen 8 cards and into the new ones, with more Paradox Pokemon entering the fray and somepowerful new Trainer Item cards. The next rotation is expected to happen a year from now, where “F” regulation mark cards will likely be cycled out.
Scott Baird is a Games Writer on Dexerto’s UK team, specializing in Pokemon, Baldur’s Gate, Dungeons & Dragons, Final Fantasy, and Magic The Gathering, and Nintendo games. He also has bylines at Cracked, Dorkly, Topless Robot, Screen Rant, The Gamer, and TopTenz.
