VGC 19 Rule Announcement

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Get ready for a busy year to come, the VGC 2019 ruleset has been announced and it’s looking like an exciting one! Legendaries, rotating item restrictions, followed off by an anything goes GS Cup style format. TPCI is looking to go out with a bang on the 3DS and Pikalytics is ready to give you the inside scoop!

In just over one week from today, the Sun Series of VGC 19 will be commencing! Announced only days ago, TPCI has given us a peek at the new ruleset, and it’s looking to shake things up. Returning to the GS Cup style of play from ORAS, these will be the general rules for the year-long format:

VGC 2019 Rules

All battles will be Double Battles played in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon.
All Pokémon from National Pokédex No. 001 through 807 are allowed, with the following restrictions:
- Mythical Pokémon and Ash-Greninja are not permitted.
- Players may only include two of the following Pokémon in their teams: Mewtwo, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, Cosmog, Cosmoem, Solgaleo, Lunala, Necrozma, .
Pokémon must have the Alola symbol, showing they were caught in the Alola region.
Duplicate Pokémon are not allowed.
Duplicate held items are not allowed.
All Pokémon are set to Lv. 50, including Pokémon below Lv. 50.
Players will have 7 minutes of Your Time, up from 5 minutes in 2018.

If you have spent any time before playing VGC this will look like a fairly boilerplate ruleset, with the inclusion of a legendary Pokemon clause. This will be a big change in direction from the VGC18 format, as power levels will increase vastly with Pokemon likeXerneas,Yveltal andMewtwo showing up to the fight.

The fun doesn’t end there though! Though this will be the ruleset for the duration of the format, the year will be split into thirds, with a smaller subset applied to each series along the way. Beginning with the Sun Series (September 4-January 7), the following clauses will be applied:

VGC 2019 Sun Series Rules

Z-Crystals and Mega Stones are not permitted.
Blue Orb and Red Orb items are not permitted.
Rayquaza may not know the move Dragon Ascent.

No Mega Stones? No Z-Crystal? That’s right, we’re looking at a good ol’ fashioned doubles format, throwing all the way back to VGC 14! Keep an eye onXerneas, as this format may have a ruler rise up very quickly!

Following the Sun Series, next in line will be the Moon Series (January 8-April 1) opening the format up ever so slightly:

VGC 2019 Moon Series Rules

Ultranecrozium Z is not permitted, but other Z-Crystals are permitted.
Mega Stones are not permitted.
Blue Orb and Red Orb items are not permitted.
Rayquaza may not know the move Dragon Ascent.

With the moon series, we see the return of Z-Crystals! Expect to see some of the VGC18 favorites likeKartana,Tapu Koko andCresselia returning packing their favorite Z-Crystals.

Last, but not least, we have the Ultra Series (April 2-August) running right up until Worlds next year!

VGC 2019 Ultra Series Rules

All moves and items obtainable through normal gameplay are permitted.

This format is going to be crazy, and power-hungry. Allowing all Megas, all Z-Crystals, and almost all of the legendaries!? Get ready to see Necrozma-Dusk-Mane in all its glory, running rampant against armies ofKyogre-Primal,Zygarde andGroudon-Primal.

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We’re only days away from the launch of VGC 19. Hold on to your hats, and keep an eye on our Pikalytics Pokedex. As soon as data is ready, we’ll have it ready for you to crunch!

Here’s to a great VGC 19!