What are the official Pokémon TCG formats for play? As with most trading card games, there’s not just one way to battle, but rather a few different Pokémon card formats that add variety to the hobby with slightly different rules, creating distinct gameplay styles and competitions. This guide explains the four official Pokémon formats used at events in 2025, as well as seven unofficial formats you can try.
If you’re just getting started with Pokémon card collecting, this information is good to know – but you’re best off getting familiar with standard play first; our beginner’s guide on how to play Pokémon cards is a great place to start. We can also recommend the best Pokémon packs to buy to kickstart your collection.
What are the official Pokémon TCG formats?
As with most of the best trading card games, the Pokémon TCG uses set ‘formats’ – separate, standardized modes of play – to keep the game fair and balanced, and ensure the game experience stays fresh and interesting, without just one or two over-powered cards or decks dominating every tournament.
The four official Pokémon TCG formats are:
All four of these formats are based on the same core rule set for matches: 60 cards to a deck; no more than four copies of the same card; and you win by KOing six of the opponent’s Pokémon to claim all your prize cards.
The main difference between these formats is in their ‘rotation’ – which Pokémon sets‘ cards you can legally use in decks – and which powerful cards are banned.
We’ll explain all four below – but it’s worth noting that Legacy and Theme are all but extinct in 2025; in effect Standard and Expanded are now the only two widely played official Pokémon formats.
Pokémon TCG Standard
Pokémon TCG Standard is the game’s most widely played format. If you’ve been taught how to play Pokémon before, you were probably using the rules for Standard.
Standard’s defining feature is that its list of legal cards regularly rotates. Each time a brand new expansion comes out, it pushes an older set out of standard rotation, and that old set’s cards can no longer be played in your standard deck. For example, the Radiant Greninja in the picture above was released in 2022’s Astral Radiance set, and will rotate out of standard in April 2025.
How do I know if a card is legal in Standard?
The Pokémon TCG tracks which cards are standard legal using single capital letter ‘regulation marks‘ on each card. When the standard format rotates each season, cards with the oldest letter mark leave the format, and cards with the newest regulation mark are added to the pool.
You can find the regulation mark symbol in the bottom-left corner of your cards, as shown in the handy image above.
When is the 2025 Pokemon TCG standard rotation?
The next Pokemon TCG standard format rotation goes into effect on Friday, April 11, 2025. From that date, only cards with ‘G’, or ‘H’ or newer regulation marks will be legal to play, and cards marked ‘F’ will no longer be standard legal.
It’s also important to note that older versions of a legal card might not have the right regulation mark, but they are still legal to play. If a copy of that card exists with the right regulation mark, it’s still playable.
If you’re planning to play cards from the very newest Pokémon set in your deck, you should also know that new Pokémon cards only become tournament-legal two weeks after their release. Casual Standard games are fine, but if you’re heading to a championship this year, it’s worth checking everything in your deck is allowed.
Standard has a well-supported competitive scene, as it’s the biggest Pokémon format around. You can also play it on Pokémon TCG Live, the latest way to play the game online.
Pokémon TCG Expanded
Pokémon TCG Expanded is the game’s second official format. It’s got a well-supported organized play scene, and you can play it on the game’s digital platform, Pokémon TCG Live. However, not every card that’s legal in Expanded can be found on PTCGL.
Compared to Standard, a lot of cards are legal in Expanded. Anything from the 2011 Black & White Base Set onwards is fair game, as long as it’s not on the expansive Expanded banlist. The Expanded format doesn’t rotate, so cards only become illegal if they get banned – and compared to other TCGs, Pokémon doesn’t ban things all that often.
Given the wider pool of cards you can play with, Expanded is a more complex format than standard. It also features more powerful cards and combos, meaning deck-building can get a bit more expensive.
Pokémon TCG Legacy
The Pokémon TCG Legacy format could only use cards from a specific set of expansions, starting with 2010’s HeartGold & SoulSilver and ending with 2013’s Legendary Treasures. Sets don’t rotate, and newer releases aren’t included. This was a format for lovers of the golden oldies.
was popular on Pokémon TCG Online, the previous digital platform for play. However, when Pokémon TCG Live took over, Legacy didn’t make the cut. There’s also no organized play support for the format, so it’s difficult to arrange a paper or digital game of Legacy.
Legacy decks could only use cards from a specific set of expansions, starting with 2010’s HeartGold & SoulSilver and ending with 2013’s Legendary Treasures. Sets don’t rotate, and newer releases aren’t included. This was a format for lovers of the golden oldies.
Pokémon TCG Theme
Pokémon TCG Theme was a format that only allowed you to play with pre-constructed Theme decks. It was a highly affordable and approachable way to get into Pokémon, and the decks included a code that would let you play them on Pokémon TCG Online, too.
However, Theme decks were discontinued in 2021 and replaced with Battle decks, which aren’t legal in this format. Since there’s also no support for Theme decks on Pokémon TCG Live, it seems like the end for the Theme format.
Unofficial Pokémon TCG formats
Unofficial Pokémon TCG formats aren’t supported by organized play events, but many fans may enjoy playing them casually. The community has created a huge number of unofficial ways to play Pokémon, introducing wildly different rules to change the pace and strategies of matches, switch up the most competitive cards, and more.
The most popular unofficial Pokemon TCG formats are:
- Unlimited
- Pauper
- U150
- Aceless
- Gym Leader Challenge
- Region formats
- Theme Pool
Pokémon TCG Unlimited
Before Legacy, there was Pokémon TCG Unlimited, a very similar format that included cards from Base Set onwards. The power levels of the available cards are off the scale, but despite that, only a handful of strategies were ever truly competitive.
Pokémon TCG Pauper
Pokémon TCG Pauper only allows you to play with common and uncommon cards from the Pokémon rarity list. These cards are generally on the cheaper side, so this format is a great option if you’re into creative budget deck-building.
Pokémon TCG U150 Format
The Pokémon TCG U150 Format is about as close as Pokémon comes to MTG Commander decks. You play with decks of 100 cards, and you can only include one copy of any non-basic energy card. Every expansion is legal. Oh, and your Basic Pokémon can’t have HP that’s higher than 150 – hence the name of the format.
Pokémon TCG Aceless
The Pokémon TCG Aceless format uses the same rotating list of sets as Standard, including any banned cards. What makes Aceless stand out is the fact you can’t use any Pokémon V, Pokémon VMAX, or Pokémon GX cards. It’s a streamlined version of the Standard game with a lower power ceiling.
Pokémon TCG Gym Leader Challenge
In the Pokémon TCG Gym Leader Challenge, your deck can only have one Pokémon type. You can only have one card of the same name in your deck (except for Basic Energy cards, of course), and only cards from the Black & White expansions onwards are legal. ACE SPEC cards and cards with a Rule Box aren’t allowed, and the format does have its own banlist.
Pokémon TCG Region Formats
There are a variety of Pokémon TCG Region Formats, each limiting you to Pokémon from a specific region. Each version of this format has its own banlists and set legality.
Pokémon TCG Theme Pool
The Pokémon TCG Theme Pool format includes any card that has ever been included in a Theme deck. However, since they’re not making these decks any more, the format is a little stagnant.
And that’s all you need to know about Pokemon TCG formats! If you fancy digging deeper into collecting, read our up-to-date list of the most expensive rare Pokémon cards and our guide to the best Pokémon cards in the game, as well as guidance on how to spot fake Pokémon cards.
Alternatively, if you’re just returning to the hobby after an absence, allow us to answer that great question: How many Pokémon are there now?
Source: Wargamer
