The F regulation block, first introduced with Brilliant Stars, is the first regulation block with cards legal in the 2024 Standard format.

 

The “F” regulation mark is circled in red above. The regulation mark makes it easy to identify cards that are legal in the Standard format.

Once each year, a handful of sets rotate out of the Standard Format, meaning that cards in those sets become no longer legal for play in the Standard Format. This Rotation occurs when the first main set of the year becomes legal for tournament play. Prior to rotation, The Pokémon Company International announces which sets cards will remain legal for the following year.

The 2024 season's rotation coincides with the day that our fifth Scarlet & Violet set, Temporal Forces, becomes tournament legal, 5 April 2024. The following will remain legal:

  • Cards with regulation mark F and newer.

This rotation means that many cards that were familiar to players and commonplace in decks are no longer available for the purpose of building decks in the Standard Format.

As of this year’s rotation, Battle VIP Pass will no longer be legal in the Standard format.

Why Does the Standard Format Rotate?

As a new player, the idea that cards you own will rotate out of the Standard format can be intimidating, but Rotation helps keep the game healthy and feeling fresh by cutting out old and tired strategies and cards that have long worn out their welcome. Because these old cards leave the format, strategies that wouldn’t have been possible before come seemingly out of nowhere, changing up the landscape of deck building. Cards that before would have seemed underwhelming can thrive in an environment where another card would have covered it with its shadow.

Additionally, Rotation makes the game more accessible for newer players—when deck building for the Standard format, you won’t find yourself needing to buy difficult-to-find twenty-year-old cards to keep competitive in the game. Newer cards are generally much easier to get hold of—many players have them in their trade binders at Pokémon League and both local game shops and vendors online often have them readily available for purchase in their shops. This means that, because the Standard format rotates, the cost of entry for the Pokémon Trading Card game is relatively low.

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