Pokémon has officially announced the next ruleset for competitive battling. The VGC Series 8 format will begin on Feb. 1, 4:00 UTC (Jan. 31, 11 p.m. ET), and go through April 30, 23:59 UTC (April 30, 11:59 p.m. ET). Here’s what will be changing once the new format goes live.
VGC Series 8 rules
The VGC Series 8 rules will allow players to use every non-Mythical Pokémon available in Pokémon Sword and Shield as long as they have the Galar Mark or Battle Ready Mark. This format will also allow players to use one restricted Legendary Pokémon. This is the first time players can use these creatures in VGC in generation eight.
Here is a list of the restricted Legendary Pokémon that will be available:
- Mewtwo
- Lugia
- Ho-Oh
- Kyogre
- Groudon
- Rayquaza
- Dialga
- Palkia
- Giratina
- Reshiram
- Zekrom
- Kyurem
- Xerneas
- Yveltal
- Zygarde
- Cosmog
- Cosmoem
- Solgaleo
- Lunala
- Necrozma
- Zacian
- Zamazenta
- Eternatus
- Calyrex (fused with Glastrier or Spectrier)
Every Gigantamax form is available except Melmetal, who is a Mythical Pokémon. Players can have as many Gigantamax forms as they want, but can only Dynamax once per battle.
Serebii Update: The Pokémon Sword & Shield Ranked Battle Series 8 Rulesets have been announced. Allows for usage of 1 Restricted Legendary Pokémon per team from February 1st through April 30th. Details @ https://t.co/gDbXkHSvkT pic.twitter.com/6G8HhrYHQ2
— Serebii.net (@SerebiiNet) January 22, 2021
As always, players can have no duplicate Pokémon, no duplicate held items, and all Pokémon will be level 50 during battles. Players will each have 45 seconds to take their turns and seven total minutes of turn time. Battles will end at 20 minutes. Players will get 90 seconds to choose their Pokémon in the team preview.
At the end of each month, players will get rewards based on where on the ladder they finished. Players who finish higher will get more BP that they can spend on battle items and other goods. Be sure to try to get as high on the ladder as you can to reap the best rewards!
The new format is right around the corner. Which restricted Legendary do you think will have the biggest impact on the VGC Series 8 format and why?
