Pokémon TCG tournament rules
Official play runs through Play! Pokémon, from League Challenges and Cups at local shops up to Regionals, Internationals and the World Championships.
Formats
- Standard: the main format. Cards are legal by their regulation mark, the small letter at the bottom of the card. Older marks rotate out once a year, usually in spring or summer.
- Expanded: a bigger pool of cards from the Black & White era onward, with its own ban list.
- Unlimited: every card ever printed, mostly for casual play.
Check which marks are legal and the current ban list on the official site before every event.
Deck lists and checks
- You register a deck list before the event and must play exactly that deck all day.
- Use opaque, matching sleeves. Marked or damaged sleeves can bring a penalty.
- Proxies (printed copies) are not allowed, and every card needs an English or allowed-language print.
- Judges may run deck checks between rounds.
Matches and timing
Most competitive events are played as best of three games in Swiss rounds, then a top cut. Rounds usually last around 50 minutes; when time runs out, extra turns are played and the player with fewer Prize cards left wins. Smaller store events may use single games. Players are split by age into Junior, Senior and Masters divisions.
Conduct
Shuffle properly and offer your deck to cut. State what you're doing ("attaching to Charizard, attacking"). Call a judge when something goes wrong; don't fix it yourselves. Penalties range from a warning to a game loss for things like drawing extra cards.
Getting ready
- Play the list you've tested, and know your counts.
- Practise against the decks you expect to face.
- Use the Vault Strategy tab to plan each matchup, and Test hands to check how consistent your opening is.