Alternate Formats

For the Pokémon Trading Card Game

JustInBasil Online League

Up Next: Gym Leader Challenge

The next special format tournament for JustInBasil Online League will take place on 3 May 2024 at 6:00pm US Central Time using the Gym Leader Challenge Format.

In addition to Standard format tournaments that are held weekly at 6pm US Central Time on the JustInBasil Discord server, each month, one of the weekly tournaments will be held using one of the alternate formats listed below instead. For any tournament held in these formats, deck lists are required to be submitted prior to the start of the tournament. Learn about what to do if you or your opponent have included an illegal card in a special format deck by visiting the Illegal Deck Process article.

You can sign up for the weekly tournaments using a link and signup code provided to players on the JustInBasil Discord server.

To see decks that did well in previous alternate format tournaments, visit the Alternate Format Hall of Fame!

Alternate Formats

345

In the 345 format, cards printed in Sun & Moon base set and later are legal, and any Pokémon in 345 format decks must meet the following requirement:

  • Any Pokémon included in a 345 format deck must not give up more than 1 Prize card when Knocked Out and the HP printed on the card may not exceed:

    • 130 HP, if it is a Basic Pokémon

    • 140 HP, if it is a Stage 1 Pokémon

    • 150 HP, if it is a Stage 2 Pokémon

Banned Cards

The following cards (and any alternate printings of these cards) are banned in the 345 format:

Aceless

In the Aceless format, all cards from the current Standard format are legal, except any Pokémon with a Rule Box (Pokémon V, Pokémon ex, Radiant Pokémon, etc. have Rule Boxes). Additionally, ACE SPEC cards are not legal in the Aceless format. All cards banned in the current Standard format are also banned in the Aceless format.

Banned Cards

The following cards (and any alternate printings of these cards) are banned in the Aceless format:

Dream

In the Dream format, all cards released from Sun & Moon base set through the most recently released, tournament-legal set are legal, excepting those which appear on the list of banned cards below.

Eternal

In the Eternal format, all cards released from the original Base Set through the most recently released, tournament legal set are legal, excepting those which appear on the list of banned cards below.

Banned Cards

The following cards (and any alternate printings of these cards) are banned in the Eternal format:

Other Restrictions and Rules
In addition to the official rules concerning deck construction limitations imposed on the Expanded format (e.g. Professor Sycamore, Professor Juniper, Professor’s Research cannot be in the same deck), there are a few additional deck construction limitations in the Eternal format.

Understanding Older Cards

  • For any card effect referring to a Trainer card printed on a card before Diamond & Pearl base set, any sub-class of Trainer card is affected, including Supporter cards, Stadium cards, Pokémon Tool cards, and Trainer cards (Diamond & Pearl / HeartGold & SoulSilver era) or Item cards (Black & White onward).

  • Any card printed in or after Black & White base set that refers to an “Item card” and any card printed in the Diamond & Pearl era or HeartGold & SoulSilver era that refers to a “Trainer” card can target any Trainer card printed without a “Supporter,” “Stadium,” or “Pokémon Tool” card designation as if that card were an Item card (provided that the target Trainer card does not have a newer print that designates it as a Supporter, Stadium, or Pokémon Tool card). (See this Compendium Ruling.)

  • Any card from the Diamond & Pearl era or HeartGold & SoulSilver era that is designated as a Supporter, Trainer, or Stadium card can be targeted by the effects of cards printed before Diamond & Pearl base set and in and after Black & White base set that target Trainer cards, even if that card has not been reprinted with the current Trainer card designation. Treat Trainer cards from before Black & White base set not designated as Supporter cards, Stadium cards, or Pokémon Tool cards as Item cards.

  • Any cards from the Diamond & Pearl or HeartGold & SoulSilver era that target “Trainer cards” should be read as targeting “Item” cards.

  • Even when a Pokémon Tool card printed prior to Scarlet & Violet base set has the word “Item” printed on it, it is not an Item card, per this errata. Pokémon Tool cards are now a distinct subclass of Trainer card separate from Item cards. Cards that search for Item cards cannot find Pokémon Tool cards unless specifically stated. Diamond & Pearl era cards, including cards from the HeartGold & SoulSilver block, that search for Trainer cards (Item cards) also cannot find Pokémon Tool cards unless specifically stated.

  • Any Pokémon printed before Black & White base set that refers to itself by name should be interpreted as saying “this Pokémon.” For example, Gyarados HS 123’s Thrash attack reads, “Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 30 damage plus 20 more damage. If tails, Gyarados does 20 damage to itself.” This should be interpreted as, “Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 20 more damage. If tails, this Pokémon does 20 damage to itself.” (In short, follow this Compendium ruling.)

  • When the effect of a card printed before Black & White base set tells you to remove damage counters from your Pokémon, interpret that as to "heal" your Pokémon. This means that the effects of these cards would be prevented by effects like Bronzong NXD 76's Heal Block ability.

  • If not otherwise printed on the card, always treat Weakness as x2 and Resistance as -30.

Gym Leader Challenge

In the Gym Leader Challenge (GLC) format, cards from Black & White base set onward are legal. All Pokémon included in a Gym Leader Challenge deck must share a single type.

Additionally, a GLC deck may not contain:

  • More than 1 copy of any card, by name (except for Basic Energy cards). A deck may have Potion and Super Potion but may not contain both Charmander VIV 23 and Charmander BCR 18.

  • Any Rule Box Pokémon, including (but not limited to) all Pokémon ex, Pokémon V (V, VMAX, VSTAR, and V-UNION), Pokémon-GX, Pokémon-EX, Prism Star Pokémon, and Radiant Pokémon.

  • Any ACE SPEC cards or Prism Star cards

  • Any cards on the format’s ban list.

The Gym Leader Challenge format is a format created and maintained by Andrew Mahone of Tricky Gym. To learn more about the Gym Leader Challenge format, please visit its official website.

Narode

The Narode format, named after the person who created the deck list used in this format, is a format that consists of exactly one sixty-card deck list. All players playing this format use the exact same sixty cards in their deck list. The deck list, in print and image format, appear below. You can learn more about this format at Simon Narode’s most recent introduction to the format on his Virbank City Gym post.

In short, the idea of this deck list and the format as a whole is to remove as much variance from the game as possible so that the game being played is mostly if not entirely dependent on a player’s skill

Note: Games in this format can take significantly longer than in a “typical” game of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, in no small part because the deck is so decision intense.

Simon Narode, the list’s creator, introduced the deck as follows:

Have you ever wondered what Pokémon would be like if you stripped away all the RNG and competed on pure in-game skill? Three years ago, I set out to design a deck for that purpose, to play against an identical copy of itself in a perfectly skill-based 60-card mirror match.

In this game, each player has access to the same suite of options, threats, and counters. Without luck to fall back on, your game-planning, resource-management, and risk-assessment skills become especially important. Strategic play is rewarded, and mistakes can be harshly punished.

Things to know before you play:

  • Games take a LONG time. The sheer number of decisions may be overwhelming at first, but it'll become more comfortable as you familiarize yourself with the cards.

  • Mind your win conditions! This deck can win by prizes, deck out, energy denial, spread damage OTK, and even Lost World. Throughout the game, you will have to remain flexible in your gameplan, adjust to how your opponent develops their field, and how they respond to yours.

  • Your hand is largely safe. Forget N - The only hand disruption in this deck is Hugh and Morty.

  • A slow start is not a bad start. One element of RNG that’s always bothered me in Pokémon is how the player with the faster opening tends to run away with the game. I’ve lessened this luck by slowing the format tremendously and stocking the deck with come-from-behind tools to punish aggressive openings. Even if you’re down five prizes, you can pull out a win with cards like Mystery Plate β and Pow! Hand Extension.

  • Other luck elements have also been removed. Prize card RNG is nullified by Azelf and top-deck RNG is mitigated by Magcargo.

  • It’s not a singleton deck, but it nearly is. Resource management is key. Every time you discard a card, you are sacrificing an option, and in some cases, a win condition. Know the limitations you set for yourself each turn, and just as importantly, watch those your opponent sets for herself, as well.

  • • There is no shuffle-draw (and very little straight-draw). Search-based consistency engines require skillful decision-making. You will often find that you have access to ANY card in your deck, but not EVERY card in your deck. And be cautious how much you draw; since you can’t shuffle your hand in, the player who’s fished more cards from their deck will deck out first if they can’t find a win before then.

  • There are two stage 2 Pokémon, but only one Pokémon Breeder. Choose your late-game powerhouse carefully, but know that the pre-evolutions are strong standalone cards, and in some cases, more influential than their stage 2 counterparts. Look out for tricky combos you can pull off with Pidgey and Gastly. There is also just one Ditto Prism Star, with three possible stage 1s.

  • Get Magcargo out as early as possible.

FAQs and Rulings:

  • This deck is played with present-day rules.

  • Gastly’s "Pitch-Dark" attack refers to “Trainers,” which should be read as present-day Items (think of it as "Quaking Punch" for no Energy and no damage).

  • Old cards which just say "Trainer" at the top (Erika’s Kindness, Computer Error, etc.) are played as Items.

  • Ditto DS cannot “Duplicate” into Ditto Prism Star, because it technically has a different name.

  • Pokémon Powers (on Electrode & Ditto FO), as well as Abilities (on Herdier and Ditto Prism Star) are not Poké-Powers, and thus are not affected by Power Spray and Cursed Stone.

Pokémon - 33

  • 2 Holon's Castform HP 44
  • 2 Holon's Magnemite DS 70
  • 1 Absol TM 91
  • 1 Azelf LA 19
  • 1 Bronzong G PL 41
  • 1 Crawdaunt ex HP 99
  • 1 Darkrai & Cresselia LEGEND TM 99
  • 1 Darkrai & Cresselia LEGEND TM 100
  • 1 Dialga PL 5
  • 1 Ditto RG 4
  • 1 Ditto FO 18
  • 1 Ditto DS 62

  • 1 Ditto {*} LOT 154

  • 1 Electrode BS 21

  • 1 Gastly SF 62

  • 1 Gengar EX 48

  • 1 Gengar LV.X AR 97

  • 1 Herdier SUM 104

  • 1 Holon's Magneton DS 22

  • 1 Lapras LM 8

  • 1 Lucario GL RR 8

  • 1 Magcargo DX 20

  • 1 Mew ex LM 88

  • 1 Pidgeot EX 59

  • 1 Pidgey RG 73

  • 1 Shaymin UL 8

  • 1 Slugma DX 74

  • 1 Spiritomb LA 16

  • 1 Unown E MT 65

  • 1 Unown Q MD 49

  • 1 Zapdos G AR 12

Trainer Cards - 27

  • 2 Holon Mentor DF 75
  • 1 Bebe's Search RR 89
  • 1 Gladion CIN 95
  • 1 Hugh BCR 130
  • 1 Korrina FFI 95
  • 1 Marley's Request SF 87
  • 1 Morty LOT 186
  • 1 Pokémon Breeder BS 76
  • 1 Rival SW 124
  • 1 Scott PK 81
  • 1 Seeker TM 88
  • 1 Twins TM 89
  • 2 Holon Transceiver DS 98
  • 1 Computer Error WBP 16
  • 1 Erika's Kindness G2 103
  • 1 Friend Ball CES 131
  • 1 Mystery Plate Beta SK 134
  • 1 Pokémon Communication TEU 152
  • 1 Pow! Hand Extension TRR 85
  • 1 Swoop! Teleporter TRR 92
  • 1 Team Galactic's Invention G-103 Power Spray PL 117
  • 1 Warp Point MD 88
  • 1 Team Galactic's Invention G-101 Energy Gain PL 116
  • 1 Cursed Stone LM 72
  • 1 Lost World CL 81

Energy - 0

Pauper

In the Pauper format, all cards that have an English-language printing with a common or uncommon rarity from Black & White base set and newer are legal. This means, for example, that Professor Sycamore STS 114—a full art version of the card—is legal in the format because Professor Sycamore XY 122 is an uncommon. However, Professor’s Research SSH 178 is not legal because there is no print of the card that has a common or uncommon rarity. The following cards (and any alternate printings) are banned in the Pauper format:

With the exception of cards with common or uncommon printings in a legal set and Karen XY177, no Promo cards are legal in the Pauper format.

Quick Draw

In the Quick Draw format, five different Pokémon Trading Card Game sets are legal†—four main sets and one mini set. Sets from Black & White base set and onward can be selected.

Which sets are part of a specific Quick Draw tournament are determined as follows:

  1. The first main set is determined randomly with a random number generator.

  2. The second and third main sets are voted upon by those intending to participate in the format’s tournament.

  3. The fourth main set is chosen by the tournament organizer.

  4. The mini set is determined randomly with a random number generator.

Alternate prints of cards that are present in a selected Quick Draw set are also legal for that Quick Draw format. For example, if Sun & Moon base set is one of the selected sets for a Quick Draw format, the Double Colorless Energy from HeartGold & SoulSilver is also legal, because Double Colorless Energy is present in Sun & Moon base set.

The following cards (and any alternate printings) are banned in the Quick Draw format:


† For sets with Shiny Vaults, Trainer Galleries, or a Galarian Gallery, cards in that subset are only legal if that card's original set is one of the sets drawn for the Quick Draw format. This means, for example, that even if Shining Fates is one of the sets drawn for Quick Draw, Charizard VMAX SHF SV107 isn't legal in the Quick Draw format unless Darkness Ablaze is one of the five sets drawn. Cards from Radiant Collections are legal for the format if the set that Radiant Collection is tied to is legal.

Theme Pool

With the discontinuation of official Theme Decks, the new V and ex Battle Decks will have the majority of their card pools introduced to the Theme Pool format as they release in an effort to help keep the format fresh. However, please note the following:
  • Multiprizers included in these Battle Decks will not be legal in the Theme Pool format. Any other Pokémon, any Trainer cards, and any Special Energy cards will be.
  • Only cards from the decks themselves will be added to the card pool. Additional trainer packs, like the one included with the Venusaur vs. Blastoise 2-Deck Pack, are not part of the decks and their cards are not made legal by this inclusion in the product.

In the Theme Pool format, all cards that have been present in any English-language theme deck printed from Black & White base set onward are legal. Additionally, alternate printings of cards that have been included in theme decks are legal. For example, Professor Juniper PLF 116—a full art version of the card—is legal in the format because Professor Juniper BLW 101 was included in the Green Tornado theme deck.

The following cards (and any alternate printings) are banned in the Theme Pool format:

For a list of theme decks and the cards included in them, visit this article on Bulbapedia. Deluxe Battle Decks, Battle Arena, and League Battle decks are not theme decks and a card’s inclusion in these decks does not permit their use in the Theme Pool format. (The same is also true of “Trainer Kits” and the Red Genesect Collection).

See a comprehensive list of Trainer cards available in the theme pool format here.

Type Focus

In the Type Focus format, all players are restricted to the same single† type of Pokémon but can also use any Colorless Pokémon in their deck. A Type Focus deck must contain at least 4 Pokémon of the focus’ type and may not contain more Colorless Pokémon than the selected focus type. Any cards from sets printed from Black & White base set onward are legal, except for cards banned in the Type Focus format. The following cards and any alternate printings of these cards are banned in the Type Focus format:

A tournament held in the Type Focus format will announce which type the tournament is to be centered around when announced. For example, a tournament may be held in the Type Focus–Grass format, which would mean that types of allowed Pokémon would be Grass and Colorless and all players would need to primarily build around the Grass type.

† With two exceptions, aside from Colorless Pokémon:
Exception 1: Pokémon of the focus type whose pre-evolutions have no other available types may be used if and only if their Type Focus typed evolution is present in the deck. However, the use of these pre-evolutions counts against the deck's number of permitted Colorless Pokémon. (For example a Type Focus–Fairy deck could include 4 copies of Alolan Vulpix GRI 21 and 4 copies of Alolan Ninetales CEC 145, but in order to include a copy of Ditto {*} LOT 154, the deck would need to include a fifth Fairy-type Pokémon card.)
Exception 2: Pokémon with multiple printed types. So long as one of the types printed on the card is the assigned focus type, the card is permitted. For example, M Gardevoir STS 79 is both Psychic and Fairy type. This means that the card is legal for use in both the Type Focus–Fairy and Type Focus–Psychic formats. These Pokémon simply count as the assigned type in their corresponding Type Focus formats.

Unova

In the Unova format, all cards released from Black & White through Legendary Treasures are legal, with the exception of the following cards on the Unova format’s ban list:

Additionally, alternate prints of cards included in the sets Black & White through Legendary Treasures are legal. For example, Rare Candy SSH 180—the print of Rare Candy from the Sword & Shield Base Set—is legal in the format because Rare Candy DEX 100—the Dark Explorers print of the card—is from a set that is legal in the Unova format. This is also true of prints that occurred prior to the release of Black & White Base Set. So, continuing this example, Rare Candy UL 82—the print from Unleashed, released during the HeartGold & SoulSilver era, is also legal.

All BW Promo cards are also legal in this format.

Kalos

In the Kalos format, all cards released from XY through Evolutions are legal, with the exception of the following cards on the Kalos format’s ban list:

Additionally, alternate prints of cards included in the sets XY through Evolutions are legal. For example, Rare Candy SSH 180—the print of Rare Candy from the Sword & Shield Base Set—is legal in the format because Rare Candy PRC 135—the Primal Clash print of the card—is from a set that is legal in the Kalos format. This is also true of prints that occurred prior to the release of XY Base Set. So, continuing this example, Rare Candy DEX 100—the print from Dark Explorers, released during the Black & White era, is also legal.

All XY Promo cards are also legal in this format.

Alola

In the Alola format, all cards released from Sun & Moon through Cosmic Eclipse are legal, with the exception of the following cards on the Alola format’s ban list:

Additionally, alternate prints of cards included in the sets Sun & Moon through Cosmic Eclipse are legal. For example, Rare Candy SSH 180—the print of Rare Candy from the Sword & Shield Base Set—is legal in the format because Rare Candy CES 142—the Celestial Storm print of the card—is from a set that is legal in the Alola format. This is also true of prints that occurred prior to the release of the Sun & Moon Base Set. So, continuing this example, Rare Candy PRC 135—the print from Primal Clash, released during the XY era, is also legal.

All SM Promo cards are also legal in this format, save for Marshadow SM85, which is banned as it is an alternate print of Marshadow SLG 45.

Galar

In the Galar format, all cards released from Sword & Shield through Crown Zenith are legal, with the exception of the following cards on the Galar format’s ban list:

    No cards are currently on the Galar format's ban list.

Additionally, alternate prints of cards included in the sets Sword & Shield through Crown Zenith are legal. For example, Rare Candy SVI 191—the print of Rare Candy from the Scarlet & Violet Base Set—is legal in the format because Rare Candy SSH 180—the Sword & Shield Base Set print of the card—is from a set that is legal in the Galar format. This is also true of prints that occurred prior to the release of the Sword & Shield Base Set. So, continuing this example, Rare Candy PRC 135—the print from Primal Clash, released during the XY era, is also legal.

All SS Promo cards are also legal in this format.

Paldea

In the Paldea format, all cards released from Scarlet & Violet Base Set through the most recent set in the Scarlet & Violet series are legal, with the exception of the following cards on the Paldea format’s ban list:

    No cards are currently on the Paldea format's ban list.

Additionally, alternate prints of cards included in the sets Scarlet & Violet through the most recent set in the Scarlet & Violet series are legal. This means, for example, that prints that occurred prior to the release of the Scarlet & Violet Base Set are also legal. So, Rare Candy PRC 135—the print from Primal Clash, released during the XY era, is also legal in this format.

All SV Promo cards are also legal in this format.