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Trading Card Game Tournament Formats

  1. Standard Format Styles

    1. Constructed

    2. Limited

      1. Sealed

      2. Booster Draft

      3. Mutant Draft

  2. Standard Formats

    1. Modified

    2. Unlimited

  3. Horsemen Format Styles

    1. Dugtrio Team Battle

    2. Double Battle

    3. Set Restricted

    4. Pokemon Rumble

    5. Staged

    6. Kiddie Cup

    7. Stage 2 Stampede

    8. Team Battle

    9. 30-Card

 

  1. Standard Format Styles
    All sanctioned Pokémon TCG tournaments fall into one of two categories: Constructed or Limited. This section outlines the differences between the two categories, as well as any sub-categories that may exist
     

    1. Constructed
      In a Constructed event, players arrive at the tournament with a 60-card deck. The cards used to build the deck come from each player’s personal collection. Decks may not contain more than 4 copies of a single card, as defined by the card’s English title, with the standard exception for basic Energy cards. Some cards may have additional construction restrictions on them, which are treated as exceptions to the 4-copy rule. Matches are played for 6 Prize cards.
       

    2. Limited
      In a Limited event, players construct their decks using only cards provided by the Tournament Organizer at the event. Each player’s deck must contain exactly 40 cards at all times. Decks may contain more than 4 copies of a single card, as defined by the card’s English title, with the exception of cards which are limited to one per deck by card text. A Tournament Organizer must announce whether he or she is providing players with basic Energy cards before the date of the event as well as at the event before it begins. Matches are played for 4 Prize cards.
       

      1. Sealed
        In a Sealed Deck event, players receive booster packs from the Tournament Organizer at the beginning of the event. Each player opens all of his or her booster packs at a signal from the Tournament Organizer and constructs a 40-card deck using only those cards and any basic Energy cards provided by the Tournament Organizer. Players have 30 minutes to construct their decks. Players may not trade the cards from their booster packs with other players until the tournament ends. The Tournament Organizer may require players to fill out deck lists, including the cards in their decks and any cards not being used. Once the first round of the tournament begins, players may not alter the contents of their decks.Booster packs used for a Sealed Deck tournament should come from the same set to preserve Evolution chains that may not exist outside of that set.
         

      2. Booster Draft
        In a Booster Draft event, players receive booster packs from the Tournament Organizer at the beginning of the event. Players split into equal-sized groups, which should not exceed 8 players per group, and are seated in a circle.
        At a signal from the Tournament Organizer, each player opens one booster pack without revealing its contents to the other players. Each player then selects one card from his or her booster pack and lays it face down in front of him or her. Once a card has been placed in a player’s stack, it is considered selected and cannot be returned to the pack in exchange for another card. Players then pass the remaining cards, face down, to the person on that player’s left. The cards selected by each player should remain private knowledge during the drafting process. Each player continues to select one card from among the cards handed to him or her until all of the cards have been selected. This process repeats for each remaining booster pack, with the passing pattern alternating from left to right as each new pack is opened. After all of the booster packs have been opened and all of the cards have been selected, each player constructs a 40-card deck, using only the cards he or she selected and any basic Energy cards provided by the Tournament Organizer. Players have 30 minutes to construct their decks.Players may not trade the cards they selected in the draft with other players until the tournament ends. The Tournament Organizer may require players to fill out deck lists, including the cards in their decks and any cards not being used. Once the first round of the tournament begins, players may not alter the contents of their decks.
         

      3. Mutant Draft
        Mutant Draft events use the standard Booster Draft rules, as listed in section 1.2.2, with one alteration.
        For the Mutant Draft you may use different sets even though Evolution chains may not exist outside of other sets. When drafting for the Mutant Draft players may evolve Pokemon of any type to any other Pokemon that shares the same type as the Pokemon evolving into that Pokemon. For example: Reshiram may evolve into Pignite, which then can evolve into Blaziken. However Pokemon EX may not evolve because EX is part of the name, therefore Reshiram EX may not evolve into Pignite.
         

  2. Standard Formats
     

    1. Modified
      The Modified format is the standard tournament format for Pokémon Organized Play events. This format will be used at all premier events unless specified otherwise.With the exception of basic Energy cards and previously printed cards that appear in Modified legal sets, players may not use cards from Pokémon sets prior to the sets determined to be legal for tournament play. Players using previously printed cards that appear in Modified-legal sets must play those cards using the wording of the most recent printing of the card. New sets are allowed as soon as the product has been released in that rating zone. In events that include multiple rating zones, such as the Pokémon TCG World Championships, the format of the United States will be used.
       

    2. Unlimited
      Unlimited decks may contain cards from any and all Pokémon Trading Card Game sets and promotional cards that have been released in the United States. Players using cards that have been reprinted in a later set must play those cards using the wording of the most recent printing. New sets are allowed as soon as the product has been released. There are currently no cards banned in the Unlimited format.
       

  3. Horsemen Format Styles
     

    1. Dugtrio Team Battle
      Three people form a team, each bringing decks with different contents, and battle team vs. team. Each team decides the order its members will battle in, and the battles begin, 1 on 1. When all 3 persons' battles are over, the team that won twice wins.
       

    2. Double Battle
      The 2-on-2 Battle format allows each player to have 2 Active Pokémon in play at a time. This game is played exactly like a regular game of Pokémon except for a few rules changes.
      Players may put up to 2 Basic Pokémon into play, face down, at the beginning of the game.
      No player may have more than 6 Pokémon in play at any time. If possible, a player must have 2 Active Pokémon in play at all times.
      Only 1 Pokémon may attack each turn. During his or her turn, a player may only choose Defending Pokémon to attack unless the text of a Pokémon’s attack refers to “each Defending Pokémon.”
      When both of a player’s Pokémon are Asleep, Burned, Confused, or Poisoned, that player can make an attempt to recover or avoid damage in whatever order he or she would like. When 1 of that player’s Active Pokémon becomes Paralyzed, it cannot attack on that player’s next turn— though his or her other Pokémon may still attack if it is not affected by a Special Condition that would prevent it from doing so.
      If a Trainer card has an effect on an Active Pokémon, a player must choose only 1 Active Pokémon for that card’s effect, unless that card specifies that it affects more than 1 Pokémon.
      When a player’s Pokémon uses an attack on an opponent’s Baby Pokémon that requires a flip, that player must flip a coin. However, if 1 of the defending player’s Pokémon is a Baby Pokémon that requires a flip and the defending player’s other Pokémon is not, the attacking player does not have to flip a coin to attack the non-Baby Pokémon.
       

    3. 30-Card
      The 30-Card format allows players to build decks consisting of half as many cards as a standard deck. This tends to reduce the amount of time needed to play a match, allowing players to get in more games in a shorter time frame than a standard game. Decks may not contain more than 2 copies of a single card, as defined by the card’s English title, with the standard exception for basic Energy cards. Some cards may have additional construction restrictions on them, which are treated as exceptions to the 2-copy rule. Matches are played for 3 Prize cards.
       

    4. Set Restricted
      Set Restricted is much like Limited, 1.2, except the players construct a deck of 60 cards, much like Constructed 1.1, but they are restricted to only using cards from one set. The players get to choose which set they wish to construct their deck with, but it must be within the designated sets given by the Tournament Organizer. Players using previously printed cards that appear in the designated sets must play those cards using the wording of the most recent printing of the card.
       

    5. Pokemon Rumble
      Pokemon Rumble format is a restricted format where only Pokemon and Energy cards can be played. This format is played much like the Constructed style except all Trainers Cards (Supporters, Items, Stadiums) are banned.
       

    6. Staged
      Stage 1 Pokémon are treated as Basic Pokémon in all ways other than the deck construction limitation listed above.
      All other rules apply.

      For example:
      You must have a Stage 1 Pokémon face down in front of you to start your game.
      Any damage done by attacks to a Stage 1 Pokémon with Eviolite attached is reduced by 20. (after applying Weakness and Resistance)

      Stage 1 Pokemon that have Abilities that state "When you play this Pokémon from your hand to evolve 1 of your Pokémon" may be read as "Once during your turn, when you put this Pokemon from your hand onto your Bench" instead.
       

    7. Kiddie Cup
      The Kiddie Cup format is similar to the 30-Card format, found in 3.3, with additional rules.
      Pokémon used must be able to evolve to a Stage 1 or Stage 2 Pokémon. For example:
      Tepig can evolve to Pignite and so would be allowed.
      Pignite can evolve to Emboar and so would be allowed.
      Emboar is unable to evolve and so would not be allowed in a deck.
      Bouffalant is unable to evolve and would not be allowed in a deck.
      Hypnotoxic Laser (Black & White—Plasma Storm, 123/135) will not be permitted in Kiddie Cup decks.
       

    8. Stage 2 Stampede
      -STILL IN DEVELOPMENT-
       

    9. Team Battle
      The Team Battle format allows two players to participate on a team, each player having one Active Pokémon. This game is played exactly like a regular game of Pokémon except for a few rule changes.

       

 

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