Quick Verdict
Since 10 April 2026, Standard uses cards with the H, I and J regulation marks. Expanded uses every card from Black & White (2011) onward, minus a ban list of 27 entries on pokemon.com. Standard rotates every year; Expanded doesn't rotate and is balanced only through bans.
The Pokémon Trading Card Game has two main competitive formats: Standard and Expanded. This guide compares them as of October 2026, after the Standard rotation on 10 April 2026, and covers how they differ on Pokémon TCG Live (PTCGL).
Three things shape the comparison in 2026. Standard lost the G regulation mark in April 2026. Expanded keeps every card from Black & White onward, so it still has the old engines Standard rotated away. And Mega Evolution came back in September 2025 with new rules, which means Expanded now has two different kinds of Mega Pokémon.
Pokemon TCG Standard vs Expanded at a Glance
| Feature | Standard Format | Expanded Format |
|---|---|---|
| Legal cards | H, I and J regulation marks (since 10 April 2026) | Black & White (2011) onward, minus the ban list |
| Rotation | Yearly; the oldest mark leaves | No rotation; balanced by bans |
| Ban list | No cards banned | 27 entries on pokemon.com |
| Main Rule Box Pokémon | Pokémon ex and Mega Evolution Pokémon ex | EX, GX, V, VSTAR, VMAX and ex |
| Example engines | Lillie's Determination, Judge, Ultra Ball, Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Poké Pad | Battle Compressor, VS Seeker, N, Colress, Professor's Research |
| On PTCGL | Fully supported | Expanded (Beta), with a limited card pool |
The Standard Format
Standard is the main format for Play! Pokémon events. Legality is set by the regulation mark, the letter in the bottom-left corner of each card.
Standard Since 10 April 2026 (H, I, J)
The 2026 rotation removed the G mark. It took effect on 26 March 2026 on PTCGL and on 10 April 2026 for in-person events.
| Mark | Starts With | Sets |
|---|---|---|
| H | Temporal Forces (2024) | Temporal Forces, Twilight Masquerade, Shrouded Fable, Stellar Crown, Surging Sparks, most of Prismatic Evolutions |
| I | Journey Together (28 March 2025) | Journey Together, Destined Rivals, Black Bolt, White Flare, Mega Evolution, Phantasmal Flames |
| J | Ascended Heroes (30 January 2026) | Ascended Heroes, Perfect Order, Chaos Rising, Pitch Black, 30th Celebration |
Mega Evolution Pokémon ex arrived with the Mega Evolution set on 26 September 2025, with the I mark.
What the G Rotation Removed
- Iono (Paldea Evolved): hand disruption based on Prize cards. No H, I or J print.
- Arven (Scarlet & Violet base set): searched for an Item and a Pokémon Tool. No H, I or J print.
- Nest Ball (Scarlet & Violet base set): Basic Pokémon search. No H, I or J print.
- Professor's Research: reprinted in Journey Together and Black Bolt, but with the G mark, so it rotated.
- Charizard ex (Obsidian Flames) and Gardevoir ex (Scarlet & Violet base set).
Boss's Orders, Ultra Ball and Rare Candy stayed legal through I-mark reprints in Mega Evolution, and Judge through a J-mark reprint in Perfect Order. See the rotation guide for the full list.
Basic Pokémon search after Nest Ball
Without Nest Ball, Standard decks use Buddy-Buddy Poffin (H: up to 2 Basic Pokémon with 70 HP or less onto your Bench), Poké Pad (J: any Pokémon without a Rule Box to your hand) or Ultra Ball (I: any Pokémon, but you discard 2 cards).
The Expanded Format
Expanded allows every card from the Black & White series (2011) to today, except for the cards on the ban list. Every card that rotates out of Standard stays legal in Expanded.
Older Engines Still Legal
Expanded keeps Trainer cards Standard hasn't seen in years:
- Battle Compressor (XY—Phantom Forces): discard up to 3 cards from your deck. This turns the discard pile into a resource for decks that use cards there.
- VS Seeker (an Item): put a Supporter from your discard pile into your hand.
- N and Colress: shuffle-and-draw Supporters. Colress draws based on the number of Benched Pokémon both players have.
- Professor's Research, Iono, Arven and Nest Ball all stay legal here.
An Example: Regidrago VSTAR
Regidrago VSTAR (Silver Tempest) shows how older cards change a deck. Its Apex Dragon attack uses an attack from a Dragon Pokémon in your discard pile. In Expanded, Battle Compressor can put Dragon Pokémon straight from your deck into the discard pile, and Double Dragon Energy (XY—Roaring Skies), which provides every type of Energy but only to Dragon Pokémon, makes it easier to pay attack costs.
Item Lock
Vileplume (XY—Ancient Origins) stops both players from playing Item cards with its Irritating Pollen Ability. In a format full of Items, that's a strong lock. The card that used to let it evolve on the first turn, Forest of Giant Plants, is now banned.
The Ban List
Because Expanded never rotates, the ban list is the main way to keep it in check. As of October 2026, pokemon.com lists 27 Expanded entries, covering 26 different card names (two different Lost Thunder Unown cards are banned). No cards are banned in Standard.
Examples from the list:
- Forest of Giant Plants (XY—Ancient Origins): let Grass Pokémon evolve on the first turn and on the turn they're played.
- Archeops (Noble Victories and Dark Explorers): its Ability stops each player from playing Pokémon from their hand to evolve.
- Also banned: Shaymin-EX (Roaring Skies), Island Challenge Amulet, Hex Maniac, Lysandre's Trump Card, Puzzle of Time, Reset Stamp, Red Card and others.
Expanded on Pokémon TCG Live
On PTCGL, Expanded is labelled Expanded (Beta). At the start of 2026 it only allowed cards from Sun & Moon onward. Black & White and XY cards could be collected, but only those reprinted in later series could be played. Support for older cards was announced to arrive in waves during 2026.
| Feature | Paper Expanded | PTCGL Expanded (Beta), early 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Legal sets | Black & White (2011) onward | Sun & Moon (2017) onward, plus later reprints of older cards |
| Battle Compressor (Item) | Legal | Not available |
| VS Seeker (Item) | Legal | Not available |
| Double Dragon Energy | Legal | Not available |
Testing for paper Expanded
While PTCGL's Expanded card pool is limited, decks that need Black & White or XY cards can't be tested there. Check which cards the client currently supports before relying on it to practise for a paper event.
Mega Evolution: Old and New
Mega Evolution came back in the Mega Evolution set (26 September 2025) with different rules from the XY era. Both versions are legal in Expanded.
Old Mega Evolution (XY Era, Expanded Only)
- Ends your turn: Mega Evolving a Pokémon-EX (for example into Mega Rayquaza-EX) ended your turn.
- Spirit Links: attaching the matching Spirit Link Tool prevented that.
- 2 Prize cards: like other Pokémon-EX.
- Evolved from a Basic Pokémon-EX.
New Mega Evolution (Standard and Expanded)
- Doesn't end your turn: you can Mega Evolve and attack in the same turn.
- 3 Prize cards: when a Mega Evolution Pokémon ex is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 3 Prize cards.
- High HP: Mega Lucario ex has 340 HP, Mega Gardevoir ex 360 and Mega Venusaur ex 380.
- Normal evolution lines: Mega Lucario ex evolves from Riolu, and Mega Gardevoir ex is a Stage 2 that evolves from Kirlia.
How They Interact in Expanded
- Pokémon-EX vs Pokémon ex: cards that refer to "Pokémon-EX", such as Hoopa-EX's Scoundrel Ring or Choice Band, don't affect Pokémon ex.
- Spirit Links don't matter for the new Mega ex cards, since they never ended your turn.
Standard in October 2026
Some cards worth knowing in the current Standard pool:
Dragapult ex (Twilight Masquerade, H): a 320 HP Stage 2. Phantom Dive does 200 damage and puts 6 damage counters on your opponent's Benched Pokémon.
Mega Gardevoir ex (Mega Evolution, I): 360 HP Stage 2. Overflowing Wishes attaches a Basic Psychic Energy from your deck to each of your Benched Pokémon, and Mega Symphonia does 50 damage for each Psychic Energy on all your Pokémon. Its line uses the I-mark Kirlia, whose Call Sign attack searches your deck for up to 3 Pokémon. The old Refinement Kirlia (Silver Tempest) has the F mark and left Standard in 2025.
Gholdengo ex is no longer in Standard. Its prints are G (Paradox Rift and the Prismatic Evolutions reprint), so it rotated in April 2026.
Staples Compared
Draw
Standard: Professor's Research rotated. Lillie's Determination (Mega Evolution, I) shuffles your hand into your deck and draws 6, or 8 if you have exactly 6 Prize cards left. Judge (Perfect Order, J) is the hand disruption option.
Expanded: Professor's Research and the older Supporters with the same effect (Professor Juniper, Professor Sycamore), plus N, Iono and Colress.
Gusting
Standard: Boss's Orders (I-mark reprint in Mega Evolution) and the ACE SPEC Prime Catcher.
Expanded: Boss's Orders and Guzma (Sun & Moon—Burning Shadows). Guzma switches both players' Active Pokémon, so it also works as a Switch for you.
Item Search
Standard: Arven rotated, and there is no direct replacement.
Expanded: Arven is still legal, along with older ACE SPECs like Computer Search (search for any card) and Dowsing Machine (put a Trainer card from your discard pile into your hand), and Battle Compressor.
Conclusion
Standard (October 2026): H, I and J only. The G rotation removed many shared staples, and the format now relies on reprints like Boss's Orders, Ultra Ball, Rare Candy and Judge, plus newer cards like Poké Pad and Lillie's Determination. Mega Evolution Pokémon ex add 3-Prize targets.
Expanded: everything from Black & White onward, minus 27 ban list entries. It keeps the engines Standard rotated away, which makes it faster and more combo-driven.
On PTCGL: treat Expanded (Beta) as its own format until it supports the full Black & White-onward card pool.
Related Guides:
- Pokemon TCG Beginner Guide Research: Complete Strategic Analysis for Q1 2026 - Beginner's guide covering Mega Evolution and rotation impact
- Pokemon TCG Rotation Guide: The 2026 Standard Rotation - What left Standard on 10 April 2026
- How to Build a Pokemon TCG Deck: Complete Competitive Guide - Deck construction principles for Standard format
Frequently Asked Questions
🔗 Related Resources
More Reviews:
Related Articles
Pokémon TCG Beginner Guide: Rules, Mega Evolution and What to Buy (2026)
A Pokémon TCG beginner guide for October 2026: how a game works, how Mega Evolution ex works, what the April 2026 rotation changed, and which beginner products are worth buying now.
How to Build a Pokemon TCG Deck: Competitive Guide for the 2026 Standard Format
Learn how to build a Pokemon TCG deck for Standard as of October 2026: deck ratios, Mega Evolution ex rules, draw engines, Trainer staples, and three real Regional decklists checked card by card.
Pokemon TCG Rotation Guide: The 2026 Standard Rotation and the End of the G Era
The 2026 Pokémon TCG Standard rotation explained: G regulation mark cards left Standard on 10 April 2026. Which cards rotated, which survived through reprints, and what replaced them.