The next Standard Rotation for Pokémon TCG is quickly approaching! Get familiar with what cards are leaving the competitive format on April 11th, 2025 in the article below.

2025 Pokémon TCG Standard Format Rotation Announcement

The Standard format rotation for 2025 competitive play will go into effect on April 11, 2025.

Every Championship Series season, Play! Pokémon removes older expansions from competition in the Standard format with the goal of maintaining a healthy competitive environment. This rotation challenges existing players to create new strategies and enables new players to get involved in Play! Pokémon events using the most recent releases. Pokémon TCG Live also follows this rotation, so players can experience a consistent ruleset no matter where they compete.

The Standard Format for 2025

Cards with the “F” regulation mark will no longer be legal for play in the 2025 Standard format. Cards with “G” and “H” regulation marks will be legal to use (as will any future regulation marks that may be released). A card’s legality status is no longer based on which expansion it’s from. Even if a card is from a recently released expansion, players will need to refer to the regulation mark on the bottom of the card to see whether that card is legal for play. New cards still must follow the appropriate waiting period to become tournament legal, which is typically two weeks after their release. Moving forward, players should expect cards with the oldest legal regulation mark to rotate out of the Standard format when a new one is introduced.

For in-person Play! Pokémon events, the Standard format rotation will go into effect on April 11, 2025. For digital play on Pokémon TCG Live, the Standard format rotation will go into effect on March 27, 2025. This will give players an official platform to test out the new Standard format before participating in any in-person events.

Older versions of cards that don’t have a regulation mark can still be used if the card is currently legal for play. For example, the card Rare Candy from the Sun & Moon expansion can still be used because the card Rare Candy from the Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet expansion has an “G” regulation mark. And even though the card Judge from the Sword & Shield—Fusion Strike expansion has an “E” regulation mark (which has rotated out of the Standard format), it can still be used because the card Judge from the Scarlet & Violet expansion has a “G” regulation mark. Be sure to check the Play! Pokémon Tournament Rules Handbook for further clarification on which reprints are OK to use.

The Expanded Format for 2025

The Expanded format will remain unchanged, maintaining the Black & White Series and forward. Players should double-check which format is being used before choosing a deck to bring to their events. Just like the Standard format, new expansions become legal for tournament play two weeks after release.

Please note that several cards are currently banned from the Expanded format. You can find the list of banned cards below.

Pokémon TCG Banned Card List - January 9th, 2025

Archeops (Black & White—Noble Victories, 67/101; Black & White—Dark Explorers, 110/108)
Chip-Chip Ice Axe (Sun & Moon—Unbroken Bonds, 165/214)
Delinquent (XY—BREAKpoint, 98/122, 98a/122, and 98b/122)
Duskull (Sun & Moon—Cosmic Eclipse, 83/236)
Flabébé (Sun & Moon—Forbidden Light, 83/131)
Forest of Giant Plants (XY—Ancient Origins, 74/98)
Ghetsis (Black & White—Plasma Freeze, 101/116 and 115/116)
Hex Maniac (XY—Ancient Origins, 75/98 and 75a/98)
Island Challenge Amulet (Sun & Moon—Cosmic Eclipse, 194/236 and 265/236)
Jessie & James (Hidden Fates, 58/68 and 68/68)
Lt. Surge’s Strategy (Sun & Moon—Unbroken Bonds, 178/214; Hidden Fates, 60/68)
Lysandre’s Trump Card (XY—Phantom Forces, 99/119 and 118/119)
Marshadow (Shining Legends, 45/73; Black Star Promo, SM85)
Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick (XY—Primal Clash, 133/160 and 158/160)
Milotic (XY—Flashfire, 23/106)
Mismagius (Sun & Moon—Unbroken Bonds, 78/214)
Oranguru (Sun & Moon—Ultra Prism, 114/156)
Puzzle of Time (XY—BREAKpoint, 109/122)
Red Card (XY, 124/146; Generations, 71/83)
Reset Stamp (Sun & Moon—Unified Minds, 206/236, 206a/236, and 253/236)
Sableye (Black & White—Dark Explorers, 62/108)
Scoop Up Net (Sword & Shield—Rebel Clash, 165/192 and 207/192)
Shaymin-EX (XY—Roaring Skies, 77/108, 77a/108, and 106/108)
Unown (Sun & Moon—Lost Thunder, 90/214)
Unown (Sun & Moon—Lost Thunder, 91/214)

Source: https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/2025-pokemon-tcg-standard-format-rotation-announcement