2020 Standard Format Announced, Goes Into Effect Before Worlds!

The last time they did a rotation before Worlds was back in 2012 or 2013, when the Black and White set came with new rulings and actions during the 1st turns of the game. Between SP decks, Sableye, and Machamp (take out). With the new rulings that B&W brought literally broke the format with games lasting up to 5 minutes or less.

This rotation idea is a bit extreme as now Worlds will have fewer Rogue decks that can pop-up, which will most likely feature decks that drop from the August set as decks will have fewer chances/time to counter these decks.

I am skeptical about which of these trainers will be reprinted between now and Worlds, as I am worried about format imbalances occurring without certain cards.

> Guzma and DCE are the biggest 2 losses as they not only kept balance in the format, but also allowed smaller rogue decks to keep bigger Gx decks on their toes. Guzma prevented decks from being setup fodder and targeted down opposing traps that would otherwise be troublesome. Triple Boost Energy is a nice card, but it will not replace the flexibility of DCE, period.

> Other Cards that I will miss are Professor Kukui and Pokemon that took 2 years to find a noteworthy deck for worlds like Vileplume and many others.
I will miss Marshadow Gx was a fun card to exploit, which I will take to expanded due to how fun Marshadow Box is, but outside these cards I have no problem seeing a format change even-though it will be Tag Teams and counter decks.

What I will miss about this block of cards are all of the tricks that came out, whether it is to confuse the opponent and getting the opponent to think as well as having fun making big decks tremble.

I however look forward to new decks, strategies, and all the fun that comes with heading back to the drawing board.

Rogue Decks for life!
 
One of the most interesting maneuvers I've seen TPCI do regarding rotations. It's a shame we're losing the ball cards and Lele GX, but at least we've got Pokemon Communication, Pokegear 3.0, and Dedenne GX to make up for that.

Type specific decks like Grass, Psychic, and Dragon still have it easy with Net Ball and Mysterious Treasure, respectively.
 
I've Created a list of most of the relevant things we lose from rotation. Let me know if I missed anything
  • Decidueye-GX
  • Vikavolt
  • Solgaleo¬-GX
  • Eevee
  • Oranguru
  • Great Ball
  • Prof Kukui
  • Skull Grunt
  • DCE
  • Timer Ball
  • Ultra Ball
  • Nest Ball
  • Alolan Tales (GRI)
  • Koko GX
  • Lele GX
  • Roc GX (GRI)
  • SudoWoodo
  • Honchkrow
  • Metagross GX
  • Sylveon GX
  • Every trainer from GRI other than Hala and Altar of the Sunne
  • Plume
  • Goli GX
  • Ho-Oh GX
  • Alolan Tales (Water, BUS)
  • Necrozma GX
  • Marshadow GX
  • Weavile
  • Garde GX
  • Acerola
  • BB Dumbbells
  • Rope
  • Guzma
  • Kiawe
  • Mount Lanakila
  • Plumeria
  • Sophocles
  • Weakness Policy
  • Wishful Baton
  • Shining Volc
  • Shining Genesect
  • Marshadow
  • Zoroark GX
  • Hoopa
  • Energy Retrieval
  • Magikarp
  • Buzz GX
  • Miltank (Saw play in Japanese ChariRam)
  • Counter Catcher
  • Gladion
  • Alolan Vulpix (GRI)
  • Garbodor
  • Devoured Field
  • Koko Promo
  • Psychic Lele
  • Counter Energy
  • Dhelmise
  • Xurkitree GX
Eevee got a McDonald's Promo card that will keep it in format for at least one more year.
Lusamine has a Full-Art Print in Ultra Prism, which will keep her in format for another year.
Choice Band and Ultra Ball, according to information given by PokeBeach forums, should be getting a reprint in Unbroken Bonds *crossing fingers*. **Edit: As of right now there is no word of Choice Band or Ultra Ball as a physical reprint, yet; however, there will probably be a new Ball search if not Ultra Ball as currently there are virtually no direct Pokemon search (outside Red's Challenge and Treasure).**

What are your biggest worries or cards you would not like to see go?
 
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Eevee got a McDonald's Promo card that will keep it in format for at least one more year.
The annoucnment literally says Mcdonald's promo's are only legal if the card is still in standard so Eevee is still gone
 
Oh no.
Expanded.
Lose weight, and just say goodbye to Black and White. Please.
I’m starting to think they’re going to rotate BW and XY out in the same single rotation.
I’m glad Ultra Prism is here, though. Phew.
Farewell Lele. Farewell, Choice Band. Farewell, GRI Goomy. Farewell, Professor Kukui. Farewell, Hammers. Farewell Nest and Timer balls. Farewell Energy Loto, Field Blower, Acerola, Rescue Stretcher, Max Potion, Aqua Patch, Beacon Vulpix, Lycanroc GX, Gardevoir GX, Acerola, Guzma, Escape Rope, Plumeria, Wishful Baton, Counter Catcher, Counter Energy, Zoroark, Oranguru, Silvally GX. It’s been a nice run. *sniff*
Predicted effects on the meta:
Flops like a sad pancake with the following reductions:
Choice Band. Damage is limited now.
Lele. As Supporters become more rare, better search engines will be added. Magcargo will find it’s way into more and more decks.
Hammers. Disruption decks fly out the window.
Balls. Again, more search is needed. Pokémon search will slow to a crawl.
Beacon Vulpix means Stage 2 decks become unviable.
Zoroark means Zoroark is gone.
Rescue Stretcher. We’re going to have to rely on our insufficient Supporter search to search Brock’s Grit and then use our insufficient Ball search to search Pokémon back out of the deck.
Guzma. No tricky tactics.
Wishful Baton. Decks that rely on Energy in play (Melmetal GX) become less viable.
This is assuming Ultra Ball and DCE get reprinted. If they don’t...
All decks using a 3 energy attack with 2 [C] energy without extra acceleration become unviable.
Pokémon search fails completely. It’ll be luck of the draw.

Sad Pancake indeed. This isn’t good. They’ll have to put Ultra Ball and DCE in UNB for the game to be as fun as it was. And Lele, but that’s a stretch.
 
Eevee is gone. It was an alternate reprint.
"Starting with the 2020 season, cards from McDonald’s Collections will be legal in the Standard format if they’re functionally identical to a card that is currently legal in the Standard format. For example, Magnemite (McDonald’s Collection 2018, 8/12) is functionally the same card as Magnemite from Sun & Moon—Ultra Prism, so it can still be used in the Standard format." From the headline that McDonald's Promos are, at the moment, to continue into the next format. Check (https://www.pokebeach.com/2018/10/mcdonalds-toys-and-cards-coming-to-happy-meals-this-month) for the McDonald's Promos in question.
 
Time to start hoarding older Sun/Moon packs
Why? When a majority of the cards are subject to rotate before Worlds, which means decks will adapt to Ultra Prism on...these sets will start to lose their value once Internationals are drawing to a close, and we know more about our August set.
 
I like that it's before Worlds so that won't be that silly period of it being just a Worlds format, at least we can continue on with that format after that tournament.
 
I've Created a list of most of the relevant things we lose from rotation. Let me know if I missed anything
  • Decidueye-GX
  • Vikavolt
  • Solgaleo¬-GX
  • Eevee
  • Oranguru
  • Great Ball
  • Prof Kukui
  • Skull Grunt
  • DCE
  • Timer Ball
  • Ultra Ball
  • Nest Ball
  • Alolan Tales (GRI)
  • Koko GX
  • Lele GX
  • Roc GX (GRI)
  • SudoWoodo
  • Honchkrow
  • Metagross GX
  • Sylveon GX
  • Every trainer from GRI other than Hala and Altar of the Sunne
  • Plume
  • Goli GX
  • Ho-Oh GX
  • Alolan Tales (Water, BUS)
  • Necrozma GX
  • Marshadow GX
  • Weavile
  • Garde GX
  • Acerola
  • BB Dumbbells
  • Rope
  • Guzma
  • Kiawe
  • Mount Lanakila
  • Plumeria
  • Sophocles
  • Weakness Policy
  • Wishful Baton
  • Shining Volc
  • Shining Genesect
  • Marshadow
  • Zoroark GX
  • Hoopa
  • Energy Retrieval
  • Magikarp
  • Buzz GX
  • Miltank (Saw play in Japanese ChariRam)
  • Counter Catcher
  • Gladion
  • Alolan Vulpix (GRI)
  • Garbodor
  • Devoured Field
  • Koko Promo
  • Psychic Lele
  • Counter Energy
  • Dhelmise
  • Xurkitree GX
Xurkitree-GX (along with Pheromosa-GX and Celesteela-GX) were reprinted in Ultra Prism, so they won’t be rotating - good list otherwise!

EDIT: Also just noticed Solgaleo-GX-SUM - that was reprinted in UPR as well, along with Lunala-GX
 
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Eevee got a McDonald's Promo card that will keep it in format for at least one more year.
Lusamine has a Full-Art Print in Ultra Prism, which will keep her in format for another year.
Choice Band and Ultra Ball, according to information given by PokeBeach forums, should be getting a reprint in Unbroken Bonds *crossing fingers*. **Edit: As of right now there is no word of Choice Band or Ultra Ball as a physical reprint, yet; however, there will probably be a new Ball search if not Ultra Ball as currently there are virtually no direct Pokemon search (outside Red's Challenge and Treasure).**

What are your biggest worries or cards you would not like to see go?
Unfortunately, they stated that McDonald's series 2018 cards will only be legal if they have an identical card in the legal standard format.
 
Oh no.
Expanded.
Lose weight, and just say goodbye to Black and White. Please.
I’m starting to think they’re going to rotate BW and XY out in the same single rotation.
I’m glad Ultra Prism is here, though. Phew.
Farewell Lele. Farewell, Choice Band. Farewell, GRI Goomy. Farewell, Professor Kukui. Farewell, Hammers. Farewell Nest and Timer balls. Farewell Energy Loto, Field Blower, Acerola, Rescue Stretcher, Max Potion, Aqua Patch, Beacon Vulpix, Lycanroc GX, Gardevoir GX, Acerola, Guzma, Escape Rope, Plumeria, Wishful Baton, Counter Catcher, Counter Energy, Zoroark, Oranguru, Silvally GX. It’s been a nice run. *sniff*
Predicted effects on the meta:
Flops like a sad pancake with the following reductions:
Choice Band. Damage is limited now.
Lele. As Supporters become more rare, better search engines will be added. Magcargo will find it’s way into more and more decks.
Hammers. Disruption decks fly out the window.
Balls. Again, more search is needed. Pokémon search will slow to a crawl.
Beacon Vulpix means Stage 2 decks become unviable.
Zoroark means Zoroark is gone.
Rescue Stretcher. We’re going to have to rely on our insufficient Supporter search to search Brock’s Grit and then use our insufficient Ball search to search Pokémon back out of the deck.
Guzma. No tricky tactics.
Wishful Baton. Decks that rely on Energy in play (Melmetal GX) become less viable.
This is assuming Ultra Ball and DCE get reprinted. If they don’t...
All decks using a 3 energy attack with 2 [C] energy without extra acceleration become unviable.
Pokémon search fails completely. It’ll be luck of the draw.

Sad Pancake indeed. This isn’t good. They’ll have to put Ultra Ball and DCE in UNB for the game to be as fun as it was. And Lele, but that’s a stretch.
Crushing Hammer and Silvally GX are both going to be Standard Legal due to a secret rare and a reprint respectively!
 
Wow did they show no mercy to standard. I would have thought CRI would have stayed, given it introduced the Ultra Beast mechanic. But ULP-On, and Worlds having to abide to it... That is a really hardcore stance to force upon players.
 
Woah already? Well, alright. ULP-on. Forget all the 10% of the people that said it was gonna be SUM-on. Lele's dead, Ultra Ball's dead, DCE is dead, and what more it's also the World's Format? I did not expect this, esspecially the second part.
 
I've Created a list of most of the relevant things we lose from rotation. Let me know if I missed anything
  • Decidueye-GX
  • Vikavolt
  • Solgaleo¬-GX
  • Eevee
  • Oranguru
  • Great Ball
  • Prof Kukui
  • Skull Grunt
  • DCE
  • Timer Ball
  • Ultra Ball
  • Nest Ball
  • Alolan Tales (GRI)
  • Koko GX
  • Lele GX
  • Roc GX (GRI)
  • SudoWoodo
  • Honchkrow
  • Metagross GX
  • Sylveon GX
  • Every trainer from GRI other than Hala and Altar of the Sunne
  • Plume
  • Goli GX
  • Ho-Oh GX
  • Alolan Tales (Water, BUS)
  • Necrozma GX
  • Marshadow GX
  • Weavile
  • Garde GX
  • Acerola
  • BB Dumbbells
  • Rope
  • Guzma
  • Kiawe
  • Mount Lanakila
  • Plumeria
  • Sophocles
  • Weakness Policy
  • Wishful Baton
  • Shining Volc
  • Shining Genesect
  • Marshadow
  • Zoroark GX
  • Hoopa
  • Energy Retrieval
  • Magikarp
  • Buzz GX
  • Miltank (Saw play in Japanese ChariRam)
  • Counter Catcher
  • Gladion
  • Alolan Vulpix (GRI)
  • Garbodor
  • Devoured Field
  • Koko Promo
  • Psychic Lele
  • Counter Energy
  • Dhelmise
  • Alolan Muk
Due to the McDonalds sets, cards such as Eevee (SUM) may not be rotating if I'm correct.
Dunno how that would work though considering there are some differences between places like the UK and USA (e.g. I think alo Vulpix was added to USA but not UK as far as I remember)
 
I kind of like doing the rotation before worlds. It allows the best and creative minds to shine the brightest. I look forward to watching how the Worlds tournament plays out. It feels like we are losing a lot with this rotation, more than the other two I've experienced.
 
Does the Tapu Lele GX Tropical Islands box set not count as a reprint? I remember it being in those with a different art but am not sure if it is separate or not.
 
Bleh, guess that means goodbye to Decidueye-GX unless it gets a surprise reprint.

Still, should be interesting to see what impromptu decks end up being made for Worlds!
 
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