Radiant Greninja fans, beware. The most turbulent—and exciting—time of the year is just around the corner for Pokémon Trading Card Game players, promising to turn most competitively viable decks on their head and shake up the scene.
Play! Pokémon announced the next Standard Rotation for the Pokémon TCG on Jan. 9 in an article, highlighting which cards would be dropped from the roster and when fans can expect to see changes in the competitive scene for this format. Rotation will be taking place on April 11, meaning cards with the F Regulation Mark will no longer be eligible for tournament play. From that point, only cards with G and H will be allowed in official competitive settings when the Standard format is in play.
Standard events will be changed by the Rotation during April, but Pokémon TCG Live will be impacted earlier on March 27. This is the usual practice for PTCG Rotation to provide competitive players with a realistic environment to test their new deck lists and strategies in.
The article elaborates on this change, noting that older cards which don’t have a Regulation Mark can still be used during tournaments if there’s a legal version of the card currently in play, providing the example of the Rare Candy from the Sun & Moon era and the newer Rare Candy iteration.
When new cards are released after this Standard Rotation, players should still expect to wait the usual two-week period before they become legal in a tournament setting. This can vary in some instances, so it’s best to check with a tournament host, but generally, the period is two weeks.
Interestingly, the Expanded format is not altering during this Rotation. “The Expanded format will remain unchanged, maintaining the Black & White Series and forward,” the article notes, encouraging players to double check their cards and the ban list before going to any Expanded tournaments.
Standard Rotation always makes for an interesting time in the competitive Pokémon TCG scene, as it boots out staple cards and encourages players to find new pieces to add into their favorite deck lists, pushing for big changes in the meta and tournament scene overall.
If you’re planning to head to any competitive events using the Standard format after April 11, make sure to double check your cards and swap out any that don’t meet the new criteria. If there are any that you’re unsure about, it’s best to contact the host of the event and ask for help to avoid any issues on the day.
