The competitive scene of Pokemon Sword and Shield is getting a shakeup that is unprecedented for the VGC scene.
Yesterday they announced the rules for the Series 6 of ranked battles for the 2020 series. This VGC format will ban the top 10 used Pokemon in July from use
What are the Competitive Banned Pokemon For Series 6?
The banned Pokemon in question include Pokemon that are popular in both single and doubles format, and are entirely based on popular usage. The list of banned Pokemon include the following, in alphabetical order
- Cinderace
- Dragapult
- Excadrill
- Gyarados
- Hippowdon
- Incineroar
- Indeedee (Male and Female)
- Magnezone
- Mimikyu
- Porygon2
- Rillaboom
- Togekiss
- Torkoal
- Tyranitar
- Whimsicott
- Venusaur
All event legendary and mythical Pokemon, such as Mewtwo, Mew, and the recently released Zarude, have also been banned from the format. Other legendary monsters such as Urshifu, however, are still viable in the format.
This banlist marks the first time VGC is officially banning the top-used Pokémon in a competitive format. Previous series were often limited due to the in-game Pokedex, but VGC has never restricted the use of Pokemon in competitive play after they are allowed in competitive series.
Banning Pokemon, however, is not unusual for competitive formats. The fan-made singles format, Smogon, often introduces bans to Pokémon, move-sets, abilities and even whole strategies to competitive play. Some of the moves by Smogon are considered controversial, such as their 'complex' bans against Pokémon with specific abilities or moves, such as the use the Drizzle ability or the combination of the Speed Boost ability and the move Baton Pass.
The VGC format rules states that players will participate in a single or doubles-format with a 15 minute timer. All Pokemon that have the black Galar symbol or the battle-ready symbol in their summary screen are eligible for competition. Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing are also allowed in the format, although the usual bans on certain Gigantamax forms continues.
VGC Series Six is still a temporary format, and is currently scheduled to last from September 1st to September 31st.
What do you think of competitive Pokemon bans based on popularity? Do you think VGC Pokemon bans is a good thing? Let us know in the comments below!
