The Pokémon Company has announced the 2022 Pokémon TCG Championship Series Season Format Rotation.

2022 Pokémon TCG Championship Series Season Format Rotation

Find out which cards will be permitted in the 2022 Pokémon TCG Championship Series season.

At the beginning of every Championship Series season, Pokémon Organized Play removes older expansions from competition in the Standard format with the goal of maintaining a healthy competitive environment. This rotation challenges existing players to create new strategies and enables new players to get involved in Play! Pokémon events using the most recent releases.

The Standard Format for 2022

The 2022 Standard format rotation will officially go into effect on September 10, 2021. Going forward, card legality will be linked to regulation mark rather than expansion release. Starting with the Sword & Shield Series, cards have a letter on the bottom of the card (the regulation mark) that signifies whether or not a card is legal for tournament play. Note that not all cards from the same expansion will necessarily have the same regulation mark.

For the 2022 season, cards with “D” and “E” regulation marks are legal for use (as well as any future regulation marks that may be released). As of right now, that includes all cards from the Sword & Shield expansion forward. New cards still must follow the appropriate waiting period to become tournament legal, which is typically two weeks from their release.

Support for the Fairy type in the Pokémon TCG stopped in the Sword & Shield Series. Now that all of the Sun & Moon Series is rotating out of the Standard format, basic Fairy Energy will not be legal for use in the Standard format in the 2022 season.

Grouping cards by regulation mark should make it clearer which cards are legal to use in the Standard format. Future format rotations will be more predictable, as well. For example, the 2023 season rotation will remove all cards with the “D” regulation mark from the Standard format. (The exact date of that rotation will be announced at a later time.)

Older versions of cards that don't have a regulation mark can still be used if the card is currently legal for play. For example, the card Switch from the Sun & Moon expansion can still be used because the card Switch from the Sword & Shield expansion has a “D” regulation mark. Be sure to check the Play! Pokémon Tournament Rules Handbook for further clarification on which reprints are OK to use.

The Expanded Format for 2022

The Expanded format will remain unchanged for the 2022 season, maintaining the Black & White Series and forward. Players should double-check what format is being used before choosing a deck to bring to their events. Just like the Standard format, new expansions become legal for tournament play two weeks after release. Please note that several cards are currently banned from the Expanded format.

Source: https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/2022-pokemon-tcg-championship-series-season-format-rotation/

Pokémon TCG Banned Card List

As of April 21st, 2021 the following cards are banned from Standard and Expanded play.

Standard

• Bellelba & Brycen-Man (Sun & Moon—Cosmic Eclipse, 186/236)
• Mismagius (Sun & Moon—Unbroken Bonds, 78/214)

Expanded

• Archeops (Black & White—Noble Victories, 67/101; Black & White—Dark Explorers, 110/108)
• Chip-Chip Ice Axe (Sun & Moon—Unbroken Bonds, 165/214)
• Delinquent (XY—BREAKpoint, 98/122, 98a/122, and 98b/122)
• Flabébé (Sun & Moon—Forbidden Light, 83/131)
• Forest of Giant Plants (XY—Ancient Origins, 74/98)
• Ghetsis (Black & White—Plasma Freeze, 101/116 and 115/116)
• Hex Maniac (XY—Ancient Origins, 75/98 and 75a/98)
• Island Challenge Amulet (Sun & Moon—Cosmic Eclipse, 194/236 and 265/236)
• Jessie & James (Hidden Fates, 58/68 and 68/68)
• Lt. Surge's Strategy (Sun & Moon—Unbroken Bonds, 178/214; Hidden Fates, 60/68)
• Lysandre's Trump Card (XY—Phantom Forces, 99/119 and 118/119)
• Marshadow (Shining Legends, 45/73; Black Star Promo, SM85)
• Maxie's Hidden Ball Trick (XY—Primal Clash, 133/160 and 158/160)
• Milotic (XY—Flashfire, 23/106)
• Mismagius (Sun & Moon—Unbroken Bonds, 78/214)
• Oranguru (Sun & Moon—Ultra Prism, 114/156)
• Puzzle of Time (XY—BREAKpoint, 109/122)
• Red Card (XY, 124/146; Generations, 71/83)
• Reset Stamp (Sun & Moon—Unified Minds, 206/236, 206a/236, and 253/236)
• Sableye (Black & White—Dark Explorers, 62/108)
• Shaymin-EX (XY—Roaring Skies, 77/108, 77a/108, and 106/108)
• Unown (Sun & Moon—Lost Thunder, 90/214)
• Unown (Sun & Moon—Lost Thunder, 91/214)

Source: https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-tcg-banned-card-list/

The Pokémon Company and several museums in Japan including the Mikasa City Museum and the National Museum of Nature and Science have joined forces to create the Pokémon Fossil Museum (ポケモン化石博物館) exhibition! The exhibition will be held at the Mikasa City Museum in the summer of 2021, and then travel around Japan! The exhibition will be held at the National Museum of Nature and Science in the Spring of 2022! Press release pictures have been added to an Imageboard thread.

This exhibition was created by Daisuke Aiba (相場大佑) of the Mikasa City Museum, and the efforts of the museum, other museums, and The Pokémon Company. The theme of the exhibition is Fossils and Fossil Pokémon from the popular game series Pokémon and fossils and paleontology found in our world. While experiencing the basic scientific methods of observation and comparison, visitors can discover the shapes and ecology of these creatures, as well as the similarities and differences between fossil research in each world, and learn about paleontology while having fun.

What is the Pokémon Fossil Museum?

Some of the mysterious Pokémon that appear in the popular game series Pokémon are known to be resurrected from fossils, therefore being known as Fossil Pokémon.

In this exhibit, visitors can enjoy learning about paleontology by comparing the Fossil Pokémon with fossils and paleontology found in our real world and discover the similarities and differences.

Be sure to take a tour of the exhibition, guided by Professor Kaseki (Fossil Professor カセキ博士) from the Pokémon world with their assistant Excavation Pikachu (発掘ピカチュウ), and compare the fossils of the Pokémon world and our world!

Mikasa City Museum (三笠市立博物館)

Exhibition Period: July 4th, 2021 until September 20th, 2021
Venue: Mikasa City Museum (1-212-1, Nishikicho, Ikharubetsu, Mikasa City, Hokkaido)
Opening hours: 9:00 - 17:00 (last admission 16:30)
Closed on Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a national holiday)

Shimane Nature Museum of Mt. Sanbe Sahimel (島根県立三瓶自然館サヒメル)

Exhibition Period: Autumn 2021
Venue: Shimane Nature Museum of Mt. Sanbe Sahimel (1121-8 Tane, Sanbei-cho, Ota City, Shimane Prefecture)
Opening hours: 9:30 - 17:00
Closed on Tuesdays (or the following day if Tuesday is a national holiday)

National Museum of Nature and Science (国立科学博物館)

Scheduled Exhibition Date: Spring 2022
Venue: National Museum of Nature and Science (7-20 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo)
Opening hours: 9:00 - 17:00 (last admission 16:30)
Closed: Monday (or the following day if Monday is a national holiday)

Toyohashi Museum of Natural History (豊橋市自然史博物館)

Scheduled Exhibition Date: Summer 2022
Venue: Toyohashi Museum of Natural History (1-238 Aza-Oana, Oiwa-cho, Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan (in Toyohashi Zoo and Botanical Park)
Opening hours: 9:00 - 16:30 (last admission 16:00)
Closed on Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a national holiday)

Exhibition Highlight 1

Let's look for similarities and differences in the illustrations of the dinosaur Tyrannosaurus and the Pokémon Gachigoras!

Exhibition Highlight 2

A life-size skeletal model of a Fossil Pokémon! Let's compare this life-size skeletal model of a Pokémon with a real paleontological specimen!

Exhibition Highlight 3

Let's compare skeletons of Pokémon and dinosaurs! The skeletal images of Pokémon are shown for the first time in Japan. The skeletal diagram of Fossil Pokémon is an imaginary diagram.

Sources: https://www.kahaku.go.jp/pokemon/ and https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000241.000047048.html

YouTube Clip - TBS NEWS - The first collaboration between the National Science Museum and Pokémon

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B5WlTCP5ik

Premium Bandai has revealed the Pokémon Scale World Houen Region Set 2. Pre-orders start on April 20th, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. JST for 3,300 yen (tax included). High resolution pictures from this set have been added to an Imageboard thread.

Product Description:

This is the seventh in a series of 1/20th scale figures based on the concept of recreating a world where humans and Pokémon coexist. This is the second Houen region set, which is the setting for the Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire games.

In addition to Haruka and Yuki, who are in their main character costumes from Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the set lineup includes nine different Pokémon. The set includes nine Pokémon and two Pokémon Trainers, for a total of eleven different types of figures.

Product Details:

Pokémon Scale World Houen Region Set 2 (ポケモンスケールワールド ホウエン地方2 セット)
Price: 3,300 yen (tax included)
Pre-order: Starts April 20, 2021, 1:00 p.m.
Delivery date: Scheduled to be shipped in August 2021
Set of 11 pre-colored figures
Pedestal
6 pieces of gum (soda flavor)
Materials: Body, base: PVC
MIN: Powalen - H approx. 15mm x W approx. 8mm
MAX: Sirnight - H approx. 80mm x W approx. 50mm

Source: https://p-bandai.jp/item/item-1000157450/

DeNA has announced that the Guzma and Lusamine Spotlight Scout will take place from April 18th, 2021 at 11:00 p.m. until May 1st, 2021 at 10:59 p.m. in Pokémon Masters EX.

Guzma and Lusamine Spotlight Scout

Increased chance to scout Guzma and Lusamine! Guzma and Lusamine Spotlight Scout Under Way! Featuring 5★ Guzma & Golisopod and 5★ Lusamine & Pheromosa! In this sync pair scout, you can use the daily discount for only 100 paid gems per scout up to 3 times per day.

You can also receive up to 15 Custom ★ Power-Ups for both 5★ Guzma & Golisopod and 5★ Lusamine & Pheromosa depending on how many times you scout them using this sync pair scout!


5★ Guzma & Golisopod can now be raised to 6★ EX in conjunction with this sync pair scout.

About Guzma & Golisopod

This Physical Strike sync pair batters its opponents with super aggressive Bug-type moves!

About Lusamine & Pheromosa

With both physical and special moves, the Aether Foundation’s president is a force to be reckoned with!

Sync Pair Scout + Present!

Receive the following items as presents according to the number of times you obtain 5★ Guzma & Golisopod and 5★ Lusamine & Pheromosa from this sync pair scout!

1 Time(s)

• Acquired sync pair's Custom ★ Power-Up ×3

2 Time(s)

• Acquired sync pair's Custom ★ Power-Up ×3

3 Time(s)

• Acquired sync pair's Custom ★ Power-Up ×3

4 Time(s)

• Acquired sync pair's Custom ★ Power-Up ×3

5 Time(s)

• Acquired sync pair's Custom ★ Power-Up ×3

Date/Time

April 18, 2021 at 11:00 p.m. - May 1, 2021 at 10:59 p.m.

Important

• The sync pairs featured in this sync pair scout may also appear in future sync pair scouts.
• Sync pairs other than the ones mentioned above may appear as well.
• To upgrade to 6★ EX, you must have completed Main Story Chapter 1: The More the Merrier (Normal) in single-player.
• You will not receive the presents if you obtain 5★ Guzma & Golisopod and 5★ Lusamine & Pheromosa outside of the scout period.
• The applicable presents will be sent to you upon obtaining 5★ Guzma & Golisopod or 5★ Lusamine & Pheromosa in this sync pair scout during the scout period.
• You will not receive any additional presents if you obtain 5★ Guzma & Golisopod and 5★ Lusamine & Pheromosa from this sync pair scout more than the specified number of times during the scout period. Note: Presents will be sent to the Temp Storage section of the Present Box.
• Please note that you cannot have two or more sync pairs that include Trainers with the same name in your team.
• The number of times the daily discount (100 paid Gems per scout) can be used is reset each day. Reset Time: 11:00 p.m.
• Featured sync pairs have a higher chance of appearing than non-featured 5★ sync pairs.
• To check the available sync pairs and their respective offering rates, go to the Offering Rate section on the Sync Pair Scout screen.
• Please read the Notes section under Offering Rate on the Sync Pair Scout screen before using the feature.
• The time period and featured content are subject to change without notice.

Source: https://pokemonmasters-game.com/en-US/announcements/BSearch_3030_3W_3

DeNA has announced that the Elio Spotlight Scout is under way and it will be available from April 16th, 2021 at 11:00 p.m. until May 1st, 2021 at 10:59 p.m. in Pokémon Masters EX.

Elio Spotlight Scout

Increased chance to scout newly released Elio & Popplio! Elio Spotlight Scout Under Way! Featuring 5★ Elio & Popplio! Plus, the Sync Pair Scout ×11 and Sync Pair Scout ×6 will both be available with presents!


5★ Elio & Popplio will be released with their sync grid expanded and will have the ability to be raised to 6★ EX in conjunction with this sync pair scout.

About Elio & Popplio

This skilled Trainer from Alola can strengthen all of his allies and put opponents to sleep with Sing!

Sync Pair Scout ×11 + Present

You can receive the following items as presents according to the number of times you use the Sync Pair Scout ×11!

1 Time(s)

• Support Move Candy Coin ×1

2 Time(s)

• Support Move Candy Coin ×1

3 Time(s)

• Support Move Candy Coin ×1

Sync Pair Scout ×6 + Present

The Sync Pair Scout ×6 is available using paid Gems only. You can receive the following items as presents according to the number of times you use the scout! Note: You may only use the Sync Pair Scout ×6 a total of 3 times.

1 Time(s)

• Support Move Candy Coin ×1

2 Time(s)

• Support Move Candy Coin ×1

3 Time(s)

• Support Move Candy Coin ×1

Date/Time

April 16, 2021 at 11:00 p.m. - May 1, 2021 at 10:59 p.m.

Important

• The Sync Pair Scout ×6 requires paid Gems.
• You cannot gain scout points from the Sync Pair Scout ×6.
• Once the Sync Pair Scout ×6 has been used 3 times, it will no longer appear on the Sync Pair Scout selection screen.
• The present that comes with the Sync Pair Scout ×11 cannot be obtained from the 4th Sync Pair Scout ×11 onwards.
• Presents will be sent to your Present Box.
• The number of times the daily discount (100 paid Gems per scout) can be used is reset each day. Reset Time: 11:00 p.m. Note: There are no discounted versions of the Sync Pair Scout ×6.
• The sync pairs featured in this sync pair scout may also appear in future sync pair scouts.
• Sync pairs other than the ones mentioned above may appear as well.
• Please note that you cannot have two or more sync pairs that include Trainers with the same name in your team.
• To unlock the sync grid, you must have completed Main Story Chapter 2: A Friendly New Rival (Normal) in single-player.
• To upgrade to 6★ EX, you must have completed Main Story Chapter 1: The More the Merrier (Normal) in single-player.
• Featured sync pairs have a higher chance of appearing than non-featured 5★ sync pairs.
• To check the available sync pairs and their respective offering rates, go to the Offering Rate section on the Sync Pair Scout screen.
• Please read the Notes section under Offering Rate on the Sync Pair Scout screen before using the feature.
• The time period and featured content are subject to change without notice.

Sources: https://pokemonmasters-game.com/en-US/announcements/BSearch_3030_3W_2

Here comes stylish and cute bag charms! The Pikachu and Eievui's tail motifs are cute and you can hang it from the handle of your bag, and the reel is extendable, so it's very convenient. They will be released in Japan in early April 2021 for 1,320 yen each (tax included) by the Maruyoshi Corporation.

Source: https://www.pokemon.co.jp/goods/2021/04/210416_go03.html