The Pokemon Company announces 2024 Standard Format TCG Rotation
The Pokemon CompanyThe next era of organized play for the Pokemon Trading Card Game has been revealed, with the new Standard Format rotation officially announced for 2024.
The Pokemon TCG, like many card games, has a rotating 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 Company has announced the Temporal Forces set for the Pokemon TCG, bringing more Gen 9 Pokemon into the game, alongside information and dates for the 2024 Standard rotation, which will go into effect within the next few months.
The Pokemon CompanyThe Pokemon Trading Card Game’s new
According to the official Pokemon website, 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 2024 Pokemon TCG Standard Format rotation rules will go into effect first in Pokemon TCG Live on March 21, 2024. They will then go into effect for in-person Pokemon TCG events from April 5, 2024.
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 some powerful 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.