TCG Jump: Banned Cards from TCG Quarterly Announcement!

[MC Elesa]

I'm not too clued up on the TCG, but I noticed that all the cards listed there are from previous generations. Can you use the previous generations' cards in the TCG tournaments? Part of the reason I lost interest was because I thought that you had to use the new ones.

There are currently two official formats for the TCG. There is the Expanded format that goes from Black & White to the current set (Forbidden Light and soon Celestial Storm) and Standard format which is BREAKthrough to the current set (Forbidden Light and soon Celestial Storm). Soon the Standard format will rotate to be Sun & Moon to current set.

There are some previous generation cards that could be played in the Standard format. This is because they have been reprinted in newer sets. Some examples of these cards include N, Professor Sycamore, Switch and Ultra Ball.

Two of the cards that were recently banned (Ghetsis and Hex Maniac) can only be played in the Expanded format. Due to the playing conditions that caused have led to them being banned. Meanwhile Puzzle of Time and Wally are still playable in the Standard format. These cards are being banned because of certain combos but also creating conditions that are not welcome in healthy battle conditions in the Expanded format.

I hope this helps.

[Blaquaza]

There are currently two official formats for the TCG. There is the Expanded format that goes from Black & White to the current set (Forbidden Light and soon Celestial Storm) and Standard format which is BREAKthrough to the current set (Forbidden Light and soon Celestial Storm). Soon the Standard format will rotate to be Sun & Moon to current set.

There are some previous generation cards that could be played in the Standard format. This is because they have been reprinted in newer sets. Some examples of these cards include N, Professor Sycamore, Switch and Ultra Ball.

Two of the cards that were recently banned (Ghetsis and Hex Maniac) can only be played in the Expanded format. Due to the playing conditions that caused have led to them being banned. Meanwhile Puzzle of Time and Wally are still playable in the Standard format. These cards are being banned because of certain combos but also creating conditions that are not welcome in healthy battle conditions in the Expanded format.

I hope this helps.

That helps a lot, thanks for letting me know! The TCG's always been really weird for me because I've collected the cards and knew how to battle, but I've never known what you can and can't use in the formats, so that's really helpful. Is there no way of officially using the Gen IV and earlier cards in a competitive setting?

Though as confusing as the TCG might be, it's nowhere near as confusing to me as Yu-Gi-Oh!, which is a completely different game now compared to what I remember. :3

[MC Elesa]

That helps a lot, thanks for letting me know! The TCG's always been really weird for me because I've collected the cards and knew how to battle, but I've never known what you can and can't use in the formats, so that's really helpful. Is there no way of officially using the Gen IV and earlier cards in a competitive setting?

Though as confusing as the TCG might be, it's nowhere near as confusing to me as Yu-Gi-Oh!, which is a completely different game now compared to what I remember. :3

No problem. I am TCG Professor and Judge so explaining these things are part of the job.

There are no official formats that allow Pre-Gen IV cards in the game. The only exception is when you have reprints like Switch or N. Recent some cards from Gen 3 and Gen IV were reprinted like PokeNav and Copycat. That means all the old copies of those cards are now playable in the Standard format.

There are unofficial formats that you can play. There is Legacy, U150 and certain "cube" formats that are possible. Pokemon doesn't have any events with these but you are always welcome to find some people who will be willing to play these formats.

I played YGO a long time ago for fun and recently started to dabble a bit in it. That game is much different compare to how it was seven years ago.

[Blaquaza]

No problem. I am TCG Professor and Judge so explaining these things are part of the job.

There are no official formats that allow Pre-Gen IV cards in the game. The only exception is when you have reprints like Switch or N. Recent some cards from Gen 3 and Gen IV were reprinted like PokeNav and Copycat. That means all the old copies of those cards are now playable in the Standard format.

There are unofficial formats that you can play. There is Legacy, U150 and certain "cube" formats that are possible. Pokemon doesn't have any events with these but you are always welcome to find some people who will be willing to play these formats.

I played YGO a long time ago for fun and recently started to dabble a bit in it. That game is much different compare to how it was seven years ago.

It's a shame that so many of the cards I grew up with are no longer viable, but I guess that helps keep it all fresh in the long run. The power creep would probably make them (especially fully evolved forms) a bit less than ideal for competitive environments anyway. I'd definitely play in some of the unofficial, older formats if I was to make the move from TCG collecting to battling. Thanks for the information though, it's been really helpful, because I didn't really understand the TCG formats until now. :D