Brotherhood Pokemon Gym Leader Challenge Wednesday (18:30pm)

Frequently Asked Questions and Rulings

What types of cards have a Rule Box? Cards with a Rule Box cannot be played in GLC format. This includes Pokemon V, EX, GX, BREAK, Radiant Pokémon, ACE SPECs, and Prism Stars (including Prism Star Trainer and Energy cards). Ancient Trait Pokémon do not have a rule box.

Can I play more than one Pokemon of the same name so long as its not the same card? You can only play one Pokemon of the same card name. (e.g., 1 Bulbasaur, 1 Ivysaur, 1 Venusaur). However, two of the same species of Pokémon can be played as long as their card name is different (e.g., Shining Genesect and Genesect, or Alolan Grimer and Grimer).

What about Eeveelutions or Pokemon that evolve from Basics of a different type? Following GLC’s official rules, cards that are one type and evolve into a different type cannot be played in the same deck, like Eevee. Check out this article for more information.

Do you play with Weakness and Resistance? Yes. While Weakness and Resistance may make some decks better against certain others, they are not the only factor determining which matchups are favorable or unfavorable. Additionally, many types have Pokémon with different weaknesses (e.g. Colorless Pokémon may be weak to Lightning or Fighting) – creating a balanced matchup spread is part of the challenge of deckbuilding!

Can I use Dual Type Pokemon? Dual Type Pokémon are allowed, as long as one of their types matches your deck type. The card must physically be two types in order to play it in either type of deck (e.g., Volcarona STS can be played in a Fire or Grass deck, but Gallade CEC can only be played in a Psychic deck).

Can I use Tool cards that grant an additional attack even if it is a GX attack? Tools that add an attack to a Pokémon are allowed (e.g., Normalium Z: Tackle). The Seal Stone Tool cards introduced in Silver Tempest (e.g. Forest Seal Stone) are technically playable in GLC, but only Pokémon V can use the VSTAR Powers printed on them, so they are effectively useless.

Can I use more than one type of Basic Energy in my deck? Yes! Any number of any type of Basic Energy may be played in your deck.

Can I play cards like Robo Substitute, Unidentified Fossil, and Lillie’s Pokédoll in my deck? Yes. These cards are item cards, and are only treated as Pokémon when in play. They are all allowed in any type of deck.

Can I play multiple cards in my deck with the same effect, like Boss’s Orders and Lysandre? You may play one Boss’s Orders OR Lysandre in your deck – not both. This is an official Pokémon TCG Official Ruling. Similarly, you may only play one of Professor’s Research OR Professor Sycamore OR Professor Juniper per deck. These are the only cards affected by this restriction.

Any other cards with similar or identical effects may be played together. There is no restriction on Double Colorless Energy and Twin Energy, as they have different names despite their similar effects. You may also combine Hop, Hau, Tierno, Cheren, etc. in the same deck.

What about cards that are banned from Standard or Expanded format? Gym Leader Challenge format has its own ban list which you can find here. If a card isn’t on this list, it’s fair game —so feel free to play your Delinquent and Hex Maniac. Go crazy!

Can I play with cards that say “this card cannot be used in official tournaments” on them? Cards like Zacian Lv. X, Dragapult Prime, Imakuni?’s Doduo, etc., are not legal in GLC.

Can I play with Celebrations Classic Collection cards and Promos? The Classic Collection cards are not permitted in GLC unless they are from Black & White or later and abide by the existing GLC rules. This means that only Reshiram and Zekrom are legal in GLC.

Can I play with Pokémon Trading Card Game Classic cards? For the most part, no. These decks feature cards that are not legal for tournament play, either as reprints of non-GLC-legal cards (such as Charizard Base Set) or new cards that are not legal for tournament play (such as Ho-oh ex). The exception is for cards that have been printed in this set as reprints of GLC-legal cards such as Ultra Ball, Super Rod, VS Seeker, etc. These versions of these cards are legal as they are functionally identical to cards already allowed in GLC.

What if I don’t like a rule? If you and your buddies want to allow Eevee in your decks, or you want to play the Celebrations Claydol in your Fighting deck at home, or you want to play Fire against Water without Weakness, go ahead and establish your own house rules. While the official Gym Leader Challenge rules are designed for everyone, if you’d prefer to play your own spin on the format at home, go ahead!