2021 Pokemon TCG Format Rotation Announced!

Mimikeon

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Trainers we lose (If some were reprinted let me know and I'll edit this list)

Acro Bike
Adventure Bag
Beast Ring
Custom Catcher
Cynthia
Electropower
Energy Recycle System
Energy Switch
Escape Board
Faba
Fairy Charms
Fiery Flint
Gardena
Heat Factory Prism
Judge
Life Forest Prism
Lillie
Lure Ball
Lysandre Labs
Mars
Metal Frying Pan
Mt. Coronet
Mysterious Treasure
Nest Ball
Order Pad
Pal Pad
Pokemon Fan Club
Professor Elms Lecture
Shrine of Punishment
Spell Tag
Tate & Liza
Thunder Mtn Prism
Ultra Space
Unidentified Fossil
Volkner
Did you get confused on which sets are getting cut? Because some of these are from post-TEU sets. Also, Nest Ball rotated last year.
 

Yaginku

H-on Will Save Pokemon
Member
Yes, that's totally the goal here and there's definitely not just a pattern that's being followed. You can especially see it from all of the cards that can OHKO VMAX easily they keep releasing.
I don't get why you're unsuccessfully trying to get a "zinger" every time I post a message, but I'll bite.
It is obvious they're not trying to release a VMAX that can easily OHKO another VMAX outright. That's not the point. Because standard damage output lands between 200-250, that repeats the exact same problem as Tag Teams had - everything that's not a VMAX/Tag Team dies in one hit. And because the damage isn't adjusted (it's actually higher on multiprize Pokemon), you have to sacrifice up to three times the card advantage and deck resources to get the same amount of prizes.

So yes, get ready for another year of only VMAX decks, gimmick decks like stall, and above all, 95% of each set going straight to the jank box.
 

Mimikeon

Aspiring Trainer
Member
I don't get why you're unsuccessfully trying to get a "zinger" every time I post a message, but I'll bite.
It is obvious they're not trying to release a VMAX that can easily OHKO another VMAX outright. That's not the point. Because standard damage output lands between 200-250, that repeats the exact same problem as Tag Teams had - everything that's not a VMAX/Tag Team dies in one hit. And because the damage isn't adjusted (it's actually higher on multiprize Pokemon), you have to sacrifice up to three times the card advantage and deck resources to get the same amount of prizes.

So yes, get ready for another year of only VMAX decks, gimmick decks like stall, and above all, 95% of each set going straight to the jank box.
Your post was a bit of a "zinger." And idk, the constant complaining about multi-prize Pokemon gets old.
 

Tytus

Expanded Best Format
Member
The fact that Black and White may be rotating when the Sword and Shield block finishes is kind of crazy.
 

Diego Lima

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Unsurprising. Cut out Prism Stars, leave Tag Teams.
Ahoy a three-prize format, where you either swing for 250, or die from it immediately.

3 prizes Pokémon are so boring, it's like you don't even have the time to actually play the game, you just goldfish for a few turns to kill 2 pokémon and that's it. And to think a few years back I thought games revolving around "who Lysandres benched Shaymins for the win first" were silly...I was happy and didn't know it.
 

dmein89

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Did you get confused on which sets are getting cut? Because some of these are from post-TEU sets. Also, Nest Ball rotated last year.

I meant Net Ball lol. I set filter on PTCGO for Ultra Prism to Lost Thunder and these are the notable cards that appeared.
 

Cramp_Discharger

Aspiring Trainer
Member
*Laughs in Zacian/ADP*

I'm here for just 2 things:

1) To dance on Spell Tag Malamar's grave

and

2) To join in the complaining about 3-prizers.

Like, seriously, let's just go back to single-prize everything. Bulk up evolutions to make them more viable. It would be so much more fun IMO.

Anyway, really happy to see Spell Tag Mally rotate out. This also effectively hobbles Pikarom, which is awesome. Escape board is a big loss, but otherwise I'm happy to see a lot of this stuff go.
 

Mimikeon

Aspiring Trainer
Member
I meant Net Ball lol. I set filter on PTCGO for Ultra Prism to Lost Thunder and these are the notable cards that appeared.
Ah. Well, only the Lightning and Psychic Fairy Charms are rotating, and in addition to what has already been said, Energy Switch is reprinted in SSH.

*Laughs in Zacian/ADP*

I'm here for just 2 things:

1) To dance on Spell Tag Malamar's grave

and

2) To join in the complaining about 3-prizers.

Like, seriously, let's just go back to single-prize everything. Bulk up evolutions to make them more viable. It would be so much more fun IMO.

Anyway, really happy to see Spell Tag Mally rotate out. This also effectively hobbles Pikarom, which is awesome. Escape board is a big loss, but otherwise I'm happy to see a lot of this stuff go.
It would take more than bulking up to go back at this point. The game would need to be rebooted, as that single-prize tournament showed. It's just too broken at this point.
 

jamashawalker

Ikouze!
Member
I don't get why you're unsuccessfully trying to get a "zinger" every time I post a message, but I'll bite.
It is obvious they're not trying to release a VMAX that can easily OHKO another VMAX outright. That's not the point. Because standard damage output lands between 200-250, that repeats the exact same problem as Tag Teams had - everything that's not a VMAX/Tag Team dies in one hit. And because the damage isn't adjusted (it's actually higher on multiprize Pokemon), you have to sacrifice up to three times the card advantage and deck resources to get the same amount of prizes.

So yes, get ready for another year of only VMAX decks, gimmick decks like stall, and above all, 95% of each set going straight to the jank box.


I've said before in a thread they are trying to make it so VMAXs have to have an evolution bench sitter support Pokemon. There are some exceptions so far but not ground breaking exceptions.

At the end of the day, i I would rather have a format where I don't scoop on turn 2 because my opponent did 300 damage with very little effort
 

Otaku

The wise fool?
Member
It would take more than bulking up to go back at this point. The game would need to be rebooted, as that single-prize tournament showed. It's just too broken at this point.

Hence my usual spiel about what I think the game needs... but even I'm tired of repeating myself so I'll just summarize it as "Make sure you identify the true problem."

The game right now is... a lot like how it gets every few years. I think the powers-that-be have made some bad calls, but I also know they have the horrible task of adapting the latest VG gimmicks to the TCG. I've never played a TCG where the vast majority of cards weren't filler or bait, though I thought I did for quite some time with Pokémon. Then I finally got a few percentage points as good as I'd insisted I was and realized "Nope. Mostly filler and bait." XD
 

ForeverRanger91

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Feels like we just got back Acro Bike and now it is rotating out again. Good news is that the bulk of my Noctowl deck is here to stay.
 

Chimecho3000

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Wow, I can't believe Lost Thunder is already rotating. It seems like just yesterday when I preordered a booster case of it.

Yeah I feel the same way. Felt the same way for Crimson Invasion when it rotated last year. But Lost Thunder is much more impactful given the number of good cards it has. It's always rough for the set that is released at the end of the year as they get the shortest time (and Lost Thunder's time is cut even shorter due to the pandemic).
 

Yaginku

H-on Will Save Pokemon
Member
Your post was a bit of a "zinger." And idk, the constant complaining about multi-prize Pokemon gets old.
I mean, this is literally a thread about the next format. What kind of discussion would you expect, beside "yeah, we knew"?
It would take more than bulking up to go back at this point. The game would need to be rebooted, as that single-prize tournament showed. It's just too broken at this point.
Why would you base that opinion off of one tournament with 8 players in it?
I guess that means Slowpoke & Psyduck is the best deck in Standard right now, it constantly places high at my league.

I would totally reboot the game, but it's obviously not possible. What needs to happen at this point is a large amount of V-hate cards (forget about Tag Teams, we have to live with them for now). Just straight up "if you don't have a V-Pokemon in play, your active Pokemon does 100 more damage to opposing V-Pokemon". And then slowly bury them with better mechanics.
 

Mimikeon

Aspiring Trainer
Member
I mean, this is literally a thread about the next format. What kind of discussion would you expect, beside "yeah, we knew"?

Why would you base that opinion off of one tournament with 8 players in it?
I guess that means Slowpoke & Psyduck is the best deck in Standard right now, it constantly places high at my league.

I would totally reboot the game, but it's obviously not possible. What needs to happen at this point is a large amount of V-hate cards (forget about Tag Teams, we have to live with them for now). Just straight up "if you don't have a V-Pokemon in play, your active Pokemon does 100 more damage to opposing V-Pokemon". And then slowly bury them with better mechanics.
Fair, though I'm not really sure how else it would turn out. Dolls and spread are just ideal for such a format right now.
 
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