Pokémon TCG
The Pokémon Expanded Format
Expanded allows every Pokémon card from the Black & White series (2011) onward, minus a banned list of 27 cards, and it doesn't rotate. Here is the full card pool as of October 2026, what it brings back that Standard doesn't have, and how to play it.
The short answer
Expanded is the Pokémon TCG's second sanctioned Constructed format, with a much larger card pool than Standard. These are its rules as of October 24, 2026, from the Play! Pokémon TCG Tournament Handbook (last revised September 1, 2026).
The card pool
The handbook lists Expanded by series for the cards printed before regulation marks, and by mark after. Everything legal in Standard is legal in Expanded too.
Anything printed before Black & White, from Base Set in 1999 through the HeartGold & SoulSilver era and Call of Legends, is out of Expanded unless the same card has a legal reprint. Those cards are legal in Unlimited. Every Pokémon TCG format →
What Expanded adds
The difference from Standard is not only more cards. Whole kinds of card that Standard has rotated out are still legal in Expanded, and decks are built around them.
Computer Search
Boundaries Crossed #137
Boundaries Crossed, 2012. An original ACE SPEC, legal in Expanded.
Shaymin-EX
Roaring Skies #77
Roaring Skies. A Pokémon-EX, and one of Expanded's banned cards.
With cards from five series able to sit in one deck, Expanded allows far more combinations than Standard. It also means a collection of older cards is worth building with, since a card that left Standard in 2024 or 2025 is still playable here. ACE SPEC cards → Radiant Pokémon → Prism Star cards →
The banned list
Expanded needs a banned list because it does not rotate. As of October 2026 it names 27 cards under 26 names, including Shaymin-EX, Hex Maniac, Puzzle of Time, Reset Stamp and Medicham V, and the October 22, 2026 Delta Reign announcement left it unchanged. The handbook says Expanded "will be aggressively monitored" because of how many cards and combinations it allows, so bans can come with any set.
Our banned and legal cards page lists every banned card with the printings each ban covers. Check The Pokémon Company International's own list before an event, since it is the one that counts. The Expanded banned list →
Reprints
Expanded uses the same reprint rule as Standard: any printing of a card is legal if the name is identical and the text is functionally identical. A card from before Black & White can be played if it was reprinted in a legal set with the same effect. For a Pokémon, a shared name is not enough; the attacks and Abilities have to match too.
A ban covers every reprint of the banned card as well, so a new printing of a banned card is not a way back in. Reprints in Standard →
Deck rules
An Expanded deck follows the same base rules as Standard: exactly 60 cards, no more than four of a card by English name except Basic Energy, and six Prize cards. The one-of limits matter more here, because more of the cards they cover are legal: one ACE SPEC per deck, one Radiant Pokémon per deck, and one Prism Star card of each name. How to build a Pokémon deck →
Where to play it
Play! Pokémon sanctions Expanded, but Standard is the format of most events, so check an event's listing before you build. Expanded is also a good fit for a home group whose collections reach back past the last few years.
Pokémon TCG Live has an Expanded format, but it does not support every Expanded card. The January 2026 rotation announcement said more would be added in phases later in 2026, so check the game's own notes for the current pool before you build a list there.
Checking a deck
The TurnZero HQ deck builder checks a Pokémon deck against Standard or Expanded. For Expanded it reads each card's Expanded legality from the card data. A ban can take effect before card data catches up, so check the official list before a tournament too.
Frequently asked questions
What sets are legal in Pokémon Expanded?
Every set from Black & White (2011) onward: the Black & White, XY and Sun & Moon series, every card with regulation mark D through J, the Trainer Kits and McDonald's Collections from 2011 on, and Black Star promos from BW01, XY01 and SM158. The 2026 rotation did not change it.
What is the difference between Expanded and Standard?
Expanded's card pool is more than a decade of sets and does not rotate, while Standard allows only regulation marks H, I and J as of October 2026. That brings back Pokémon-EX, Pokémon-GX, Pokémon V, VMAX and VSTAR, BREAK, Radiant Pokémon, Prism Star cards and the original ACE SPEC cards. Expanded has a banned list; Standard has none. The deck rules are the same.
How many cards are banned in Expanded?
Twenty-seven cards under 26 names as of October 2026, since two different Unown cards are on the list. The October 22, 2026 Delta Reign announcement made no changes. The full list, by printing, is on our banned and legal cards page.
Does Expanded rotate?
No. Expanded starts at the Black & White series and has stayed there; the 2026 rotation announcement said it would remain unchanged. Cards that rotate out of Standard each April join the cards already legal in Expanded.
Can I play Expanded on Pokémon TCG Live?
Partly. Pokémon TCG Live has an Expanded format, but the January 2026 rotation announcement said the game does not support every Expanded card and that more would be added in phases later in 2026. Check the game's own notes for which sets it covers now.
Build an Expanded deck with the limits checked.
TurnZero HQ checks a Pokémon deck against Standard or Expanded and compares it with the cards you own. Free to start.
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