Limited format (TCG)

The Limited format is an official Pokémon Trading Card Game format used in Play! Pokémon events. It is used at Prerelease Tournaments and often appears as a side activity during large Premier Events.

Limited format games are played using booster packs and Basic Energy cards provided by a tournament organizer, which are opened and constructed into a deck for play. The booster packs are typically all from the same expansion, though this is not necessarily a hard rule. Players cannot bring cards from outside sources.

Decks in the Limited format follow different rules compared to other formats:^[1]

• Decks must contain exactly 40 cards
• There is no limit to the amount of cards with the same name that can be included in the deck, except for cards with a restriction on the card text itself (such as ACE SPEC cards)
• Matches are played with 4 Prize cards

Play! Pokémon divides the Limited format into three sub-formats: Sealed, Booster Draft, and Build & Battle Draft.^[1] The Alternative Play Handbook includes an additional ruleset called Ditto Draft.^[2]

Sealed event

Main article: Sealed format (TCG)

In Sealed events, players receive either a Build & Battle Box or 4-6 booster packs and construct a deck using the cards pulled and provided Basic Energy. Players cannot exchange cards with other players, and they are given 30 minutes to construct their deck.

Booster Draft event

In Booster Draft events, players receive 4-6 booster packs and are split into equal-sized groups consisting of no more than eight players. Upon being seated in a circle, the group begins drafting cards as follows:

• Each player opens one booster pack and selects one card from it, keeping both the contents of the pack and their selection secret from the others.
• The unselected cards are passed to the player on their left, who selects another card. The process repeats until there are no cards remaining in the pack.
• Everyone opens another pack, repeating the process again, but passing unselected cards to their right. Each booster pack is passed in the opposite direction of the last until no packs remain.

Players are then given 30 minutes to construct a deck using their drafted cards and any Basic Energy provided by the organizer.

Build & Battle Draft event

In Build & Battle Draft events, players receive a Build & Battle Box and are split into groups of four. Players open the 40-card deck included in the box, and then begin drafting the included booster packs in the same manner as a Booster Draft event. Players are given a minute after each booster pack to review their cards. Once each pack is fully opened, players are given 20 minutes to construct a deck by combining the Build & Battle Box's preconstructed deck with any drafted cards and provided Basic Energy.

Ditto Draft format

The Ditto Draft format is a modification to the Booster Draft and Build & Battle Draft events that allows cards to evolve in nonstandard ways. After drafting cards, players are given 20 minutes to build a deck and are given Ditto Markers. Once per turn, a Ditto Marker can be placed on a Basic Pokémon without a Rule Box to give it the Evolutionary Advantage Ability. This version of Evolutionary Advantage has a different effect than that typically seen in the TCG.

References

See also

This article is part of Project TCG, a Bulbapedia project that aims to report on every aspect of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.