Pokemon TCG Standard Rotation 2024 (Complete Guide)

There will be a new standard format coming in 2024!

Every year, there is a rotation in the Pokemon TCG Standard format. This is to remove old expansions and to encourage a healthy playing environment.

This rotation will leave many cards behind and welcome the upcoming “H” regulation mark in Temporal Forces. This short guide will explain everything you need to know about the upcoming rotation.

Contents

Standard Format Rotation

Expanded Format

Rotated Out Cards

The Standard Rotation will occur on April 5th, 2024. Any card with an “E” regulation mark, will be rotated out. Now, the legal regulation marks are: “F”, ”G”, ”H” and any new regulation marks this year.

Important sets that will no longer be legal are:

• Battle Styles

• Chilling Reign

• Evolving Skies

• Celebrations

• Fusion Strike

They will also rotate out specific cards from newer sets as well. These include some from Brilliant Stars, Astral Radiance, Astral Radiance Trainer Gallery, Lost Origin and Crown Zenith.

Pokemon TCG Live will receive the rotation 2 weeks earlier on March 21st. So players can try the new format ahead of in-person tournaments.

The Standard Rotation 2024

The Expanded Format remains unchanged. Most cards from the Black & White Series and Forward are legal. There have been several card bans from the Expanded format which you can check here.

The Expanded Format

Numerous vital cards will be removed in this standard rotation. To see all the cards that will be gone check out JustinBasil’s article. Below are some of the most important cards we will lose.

Important Cards Rotated Out

Mew Vmax

This card has been impactful in the Pokemon TCG for quite a while. It is a fundamental part of the Mew Vmax deck along with Mew V. Both Mew cards will be rotating out. April 5th will be the end of this deck.

Mew Vmax’s Cross Fusion Strike allows the card to mimic attacks. The goal of this deck is to set up your bench, evolve Mew V into Mew Vmax and mimic Genesect’s Techno Blast by turn 2.

Gardevoir (CRE 61)

Gardevoir (CRE 61) and Kirlia (CRE 60) will become illegal. These are both valuable cards in the Gardevoir ex deck.

Gardevoir’s ability, Shining Arcana, allows you to draw 2 cards and place any energy cards onto any Pokemon. Kirlia’s Mirage Step lets you search the deck for up to 3 Kirlia. This means this deck is losing out on a lot.

Flaaffy

Another card that will be lost is Flaaffy. This card is a critical energy accelerator in the Miraidon ex deck. Its ability, Dynamotor, allows the player to attach electric energy to a bench Pokemon once a turn.

Escape Rope

Escape Rope was an essential card in many decks including Miraidon ex, Mew Vmax and the Sableye/Charizard deck.

Escape Rope forces players to switch their Active Pokemon with 1 of their Benched Pokemon. Your opponent will switch first.

Path To The Peak

Path To The Peak is prominent in decks like Giratina Vstar (Lost Zone) and Mew Vmax. This card was made popular for its frankly annoying ability. It blocked any active Pokemon’s abilities if it had a rule box. You and Your Opponent's Pokemon would be affected.

Battle VIP Pass

It’s hard to state how widely used this card has been. The decks that used Battle VIP Pass are Roaring Moon ex, Giratina (Lost Zone), Gardevoir ex, Miraidon ex, Mew Vmax, Sableye/Charizard and many more.

This card allows the player to draw 2 basic Pokemon and place them onto your bench. The Battle VIP Pass worked on only the 1st turn. It was the perfect card for the early game for many decks.

Conclusion

Get ready for a fresh start in the Pokemon TCG! The new Standard Rotation shakes things up, meaning exciting new decks are waiting to be built. Check out my other articles like How To Play The Pokemon TCG and a Guide To Pokemon TCG Live.