New Competitive Ruleset Begins for Pokemon Video Game Competition

Last week, The Pokémon Company held its annual Pokémon World Championships in Nashville, Tennessee. Here, Trainers from around the world faced off in the franchise’s Video Game and Trading Card Game Competitions. With this season wrapping up, a new ruleset for the Video Game Competition (VGC) has been released. Beginning September 4 and running through January 7, 2019, VGC players will have to adapt to the new ruleset.

Titled as the Sun Series of the competitive video game season, this event will be adhering to the GS Cup battling format. The Pokémon Company’s website notes the following changes coming with this ruleset:

• All battles will be Double Battles.
• All Pokémon from National Pokédex 1-807 are allowed, excluding Mythical Pokémon and Ash-Greninja.
• Only two of the following Pokémon allowed per team: Mewtwo, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, Cosmog, Cosmoem, Solgaleo, Lunala, Necrozma.
• Pokémon must have the Alola symbol, showing they were caught in the Alola region.
• Duplicate Pokémon are not allowed.
• Duplicate held items are not allowed.
• All Pokémon are set to Lv. 50.
• Players will have 7 minutes of individual play time.
• Z-Crystals and Mega Stones are banned.
• Blue Orb and Red Orb items are banned.
• Rayquaza cannot know the move Dragon Ascent.

Players wanting to test the new ruleset and start constructing their competitive teams can do so by participating in the Championship Battle game mode of the Pokémon: Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon online battling hub, Global Link.

Alongside this shifting ruleset, Trainers can expect adjustments to the games’ format later next year. The Moon series of the competitive season will take place from January 8, 2019 to April 1, 2019; the Ultra Series will be held from April 2, 2019 until the 2019 Pokémon World Championships in August.

While fans wait for the release of Pokémon: Let’s Go Evee and Pokémon: Lets Go Pikachu coming later this year, alongside a core RPG for the franchise coming next year, this new competitive ruleset is sure to keep the franchise exciting.

Travis Williamson

Travis is a gamer, writer, and cat lover from the greater Pittsburgh area. While he is a multi-genre gamer, there is a special place in his heart for fighting games - particularly the Super Smash Bros. franchise. Outside of gaming, Travis enjoys embarking on pizza and Rupaul’s Drag Race benders.