Expanded format (TCG)

The Expanded format (Japanese: エクストラレギュレーション Extra Regulation format) of the Pokémon Trading Card Game is one of two formats used for officially-sanctioned Play! Pokémon events. It was added to the Standard format in the 2014-2015 season. It allows a greater number of expansions than Standard format but is not as unpredictable in card combinations as Unlimited format.

Expanded is one of the formats playable in Pokémon Trading Card Game Live. However, as Pokémon Trading Card Game Live does not currently support all of the cards that are legal in Expanded, the format is instead called Expanded (Beta), and only allows cards legal in Expanded that are usable in the client. (Currently, this includes the Scarlet & Violet, Sword & Shield, and Sun & Moon series.) Prior to its discontinuation, it was also used in the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online. Pokémon Trading Card Game Online always supported every card in the full Expanded format.

It remains to be seen if Play! Pokémon will ever rotate sets out of the Expanded format, as they currently do with Standard format. Additional expansions are added to the current Rotation three weeks after they are released in the United States. Starting from 2016, they were added to the current Rotation on the third Friday in the month of release.

If a card in an Expanded-legal expansion is a reprint of an older card, all prints of the card can be played in an Expanded-legal expansion-legal deck (e.g. Aquapolis Energy Switch). However, some cards significantly differ in wording between older prints and newer prints (e.g. Pokémon Fan Club from Aquapolis compared to its Ultra Prism iteration); those cards cannot be used in sanctioned tournaments. The exception is cards that have received errata (e.g. Base Set Potion); all printings of cards with errata may be used in sanctioned tournaments.

Play! Pokémon requires players to play with cards printed in their region's official language (for example: players in the United States are restricted to English cards only, whereas players in Canada can use both English cards and French cards).

As of 2023, there has not been an official Expanded tournament since 2020, and the format is not fully supported in Pokémon Trading Card Game Live. It is currently unknown if Play! Pokémon will continue to support the format.

List of Expanded formats

Banned Cards

Certain cards[1][2] are banned from the Expanded format due to the large number of available cards causing unintended combos. Several of these bans are in response to strategies that allow the player going first to win before their opponent performs an action.[3] Strategies involving hand disruption have also been a cause for bans.[4]

Cards banned from the Expanded format
Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format.
Cards listed with a silver background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card Type English
Expansion
Rarity # Japanese
Expansion
Rarity #
Archeops   Noble Victories   67/101 Red Collection   040/066
Dark Explorers   110/108 Dark Rush   075/069
Sableye   Dark Explorers   62/108 Dark Rush   043/069
Ghetsis Su Plasma Freeze   101/116 Team Plasma Battle Gift Set   013/016
      Spiral Force   048/051
Plasma Freeze   115/116 Spiral Force   055/051
Red Card I XY   124/146 Collection Y   056/060
      M Charizard-EX Mega Battle Deck   014/021
      Hyper Metal Chain Deck   012/018
      Super Legend Set: Xerneas-EX & Yveltal-EX   016/023
Generations   71/83 BREAK Starter Pack   062/072
      Premium Champion Pack   108/131
      XY-P Promotional cards   XY-P
Milotic   Flashfire   23/106 Wild Blaze   018/080
      Extra Regulation Box   008/048
Lysandre's Trump Card Su Phantom Forces   99/119 Phantom Gate   086/088
Phantom Forces   118/119 Phantom Gate   095/088
Maxie's Hidden Ball Trick Su Primal Clash   133/160 Gaia Volcano   067/070
Primal Clash   158/160 Gaia Volcano   078/070
Shaymin    Roaring Skies   77/108 Emerald Break   063/078
Roaring Skies   106/108 Emerald Break   087/078
      Premium Champion Pack   098/131
      The Best of XY   106/171
Yellow A Alternate cards   77a/108 The Best of XY   188/171
      Extra Regulation Box   021/048
Forest of Giant Plants St Ancient Origins   74/98 Bandit Ring   079/081
      Premium Champion Pack   127/131
      Premium Trainer Box   016/018
      The Best of XY   154/171
      Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Deck Build Boxes   038/041
Hex Maniac Su Ancient Origins   75/98 Bandit Ring   077/081
      XY-P Promotional cards   173/XY-P
      The Best of XY   140/171
Yellow A Alternate cards   75a/98 The Best of XY   181/171
      Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Deck Build Boxes   027/041
Delinquent Su BREAKpoint   98/122 Rage of the Broken Heavens   077/080
      The Best of XY   145/171
Yellow A Alternate cards   98b/122 The Best of XY   184/171
      Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Deck Build Boxes   030/041
Yellow A Alternate cards   98a/122      
Puzzle of Time I BREAKpoint   109/122 Rage of the Broken Heavens   071/080
      The Best of XY   112/171
      Extra Regulation Box   024/048
Marshadow   Shining Legends   45/73 Shining Legends   046/072
SM Black Star Promos   SM85 SM-P Promotional cards   155/SM-P
      GX Ultra Shiny   050/150
Oranguru   Ultra Prism   114/156 Ultra Sun   052/066
      GX Starter Decks   101/131
Flabébé   Forbidden Light   83/131 Forbidden Light   057/094
Unown   Lost Thunder   90/214 Super-Burst Impact   041/095
Unown   Lost Thunder   91/214 Super-Burst Impact   042/095
Mismagius   Unbroken Bonds   78/214 Double Blaze   039/095
Chip-Chip Ice Axe I Unbroken Bonds   165/214 Double Blaze   080/095
Lt. Surge's Strategy Su Unbroken Bonds   178/214 Night Unison   051/055
Hidden Fates   60/68      
      V Starter Decks   119/127
Reset Stamp I Unified Minds   206/236 GG End   046/054
Unified Minds   253/236 GG End   068/054
      Tag All Stars   136/173
Yellow A Alternate cards   206a/214 Tag All Stars   137/173
      Charizard VMAX Starter Set   016/021
      Grimmsnarl VMAX Starter Set   016/020
      V Starter Decks   100/127
      Charizard VMAX Starter Set 2   016/021
Jessie & James Su Hidden Fates   058/068 Sky Legend   048/054
Hidden Fates   68/68 Sky Legend   062/054
Island Challenge Amulet I Cosmic Eclipse   194/236 Alter Genesis   085/095
Cosmic Eclipse   265/236 Alter Genesis   116/095
Scoop Up Net I Rebel Clash   165/192 Rebellion Crash   086/096
Rebel Clash   207/192 Rebellion Crash   114/096
      Shiny Star V   157/190
      VMAX Climax   133/184
 


In other languages

Language Title
  Danish Udvidet
  Dutch Uitgebreid
  Finnish Laajennettu
  European French Étendu
  German Erweitert
  Indonesian Luas
  Italian Esteso
  Norwegian Utvidet
  Brazilian Portuguese Expandido
  Russian Расширенны Rasshirenny
  European Spanish Expandido
  Swedish Utökadе

See also

References



  This article is part of Project TCG, a Bulbapedia project that aims to report on every aspect of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.