Double-check your decks for the Expanded format, fellas! Here is a definitive list of all banned Pokemon cards that you should know!
The process of designing Pokemon cards is a lengthy process, with The Pokemon Company employing an entire team to analyze the mechanics of new cards and how they will affect the overall balance of the trading card game.
Throughout Pokemon TCG’s history, there have been rare instances where a card slipped through all the quality checks, breaking the game’s balance and ultimately getting banned in certain formats.
As of writing, there are no banned cards in the Standard Format. Apparently, Pokemon TCG became much more wary of potentially powerful cards in the recent sets, which is why all Standard cards are literally legal for tournaments.
The following list are the banned cards that you must never play in an Extended Format tournament. This format includes all the cards all the way from the Black and White sets, except for these banned cards, of course.
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All Banned Cards in Pokemon TCG (Extended Format Only)
| Name | Set | Why It Was Banned |
|---|---|---|
Archeops | Noble Victories and Dark Explorers (Black and White) | Ancient Power ability prevents the opposing player from evolving any of their Pokemon. |
Chip-Chip Ice Axe | Unbroken Bonds (Sun and Moon) | Can be spammed to prevent the opposing player from drawing ideal cards. |
Delinquent | BREAKpoint (X and Y) | Can be used in the first few turns to give a big disadvantage to the opposing player. |
Duskull | Cosmic Eclipse (Sun and Moon) | Spiritborne Evolution can be used in the initial turns to evolve Duskull and KO the opposing Active Pokemon, which might lead to instant victory at times. |
Flabébé | Forbidden Light (Sun and Moon) | Evolutionary Advantage is literally an unfair advantage, as Flabébé can evolve into a Florges right away given that it meets the requirement. |
Forest of Giant Plants | Ancient Origins (X and Y) | Allows a first-turn evolution for Grass-type Pokemon, which might be unfair against non-Grass-type decks. |
Ghetsis | Plasma Freeze (Black and White) | Can allow its user to draw a large quantity of cards from the deck, especially when playing against Item-oriented decks. |
Hex Maniac | Ancient Origins (X and Y) | Can easily turn the tide of the game to the user’s favor, especially if the opponent wants to close out the game by triggering Pokemon abilities. |
Island Challenge Amulet | Cosmic Eclipse (Sun and Moon) | Makes powerful Pokemon GX and EX less risky to play. |
Jessie & James | Hidden Fates (Sun and Moon) | Can be used by the player taking the first turn to potentially remove all the cards of their opponent right away. |
Lt. Surge’s Strategy | Unbroken Bonds and Hidden Fates (Sun and Moon) | Using more than one Supporter card in a turn could instantly give an unfair advantage to the user. |
Lysandre’s Trump Card | Phantom Forces (X and Y) | Can be used to reuse powerful Trainer cards and make the game unnecessarily long. |
Marshadow | Shining Legends (Sun and Moon) and Black Star Promo | Let Loose Ability can be used on the game’s first turn to prevent the opponent from getting new Basic Pokemon, which might lead to an early victory. |
Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick | Primal Clash (X and Y) | The requirement for triggering this card’s effects isn’t that hard to meet. |
Milotic | Flashfire (X and Y) | Energy Grace ability can be used with other cards to power up other Pokemon early in the game, creating an unfair advantage. |
Mismagius | Unbroken Bonds (Sun and Moon) | Mysterious Message ability can be used in disruptive combos, especially with cards that are more effective the fewer Prize Cards the opponent has. |
Oranguru | Ultra Prism (Sun and Moon) | Resource Management can be used with other cards with shuffling mechanics to play discarded cards again. |
Puzzle of Time | BREAKpoint (X and Y) | Both of this card’s effects are quite powerful, regardless if you play one or two copies in a turn. |
Red Card | X and Y Base Set and Generations (X and Y) | Another powerful hand-disrupting card that takes away the joy in the game. |
Reset Stamp | Unified Minds (Sun and Moon) | Might create an unfair advantage against an opponent who is about to win the game. |
Sableye | Dark Explorers (Black and White) | Junk Hut is a cheap move that can be used every turn for reusing discarded Item cards. |
Scoop Up Net | Rebel Clash (Sword and Shield) | Can be used to save low-HP Pokemon ex, especially those with abilities that only trigger when they come into play, like Iron Valiant ex. |
Shaymin-EX | Roaring Skies (X and Y) | Sky Return move can be used to spam its Set Up ability, which is a poor excuse for drawing extra cards every other turn. |
Unown | Lost Thunder (Sun and Moon) | All you need is to meet the requirement of this Pokemon’s ability, and you can win the game. |
Unown | Lost Thunder (Sun and Moon) | Same case as the other Unown card, but with a much easier requirement. |
What Are the Most Broken Banned Pokemon Cards?
The answer to this question is quite vague, as everyone can have their own preferences. But if you ask us, it would be a close fight between Shaymin-EX, Archeops, and Chip-Chip Ice Axe.
These three cards are powerful enough that they take the fun out of playing on the end of the opponent instead of just getting very aggressive and winning the game immediately. However, this is just our opinion, and any other banned cards are valid choices.
Final Thoughts
These banned Pokemon cards are so powerful and a bit annoying, aren’t they? If you want to play Expanded games with your friends, keep in mind the list above so you won’t get demolished right away.
Just like the Standard Format, the Unlimited Format doesn’t have any banned cards, which makes Unlimited the most unrestricted format and the ideal way to play Pokemon cards if you want a total bloodbath among the most OP of decks.
We hope this list helped you to become a better Pokemon TCG player! For more content like this one, check out more of our posts here at PokeCardHQ.
