Pokémon VGC: All the changes to competitive Pokémon in Series 2

Paradox Pokémon will be allowed in ranked battles for the first time

From Wednesday, February 1, 2023, Pokémon’s competitive play will enter Series 2, bringing a number of changes to the best meta teams. For the first time, Paradox Pokémon will be allowed, and we are likely to see a number of them used in matches. They all have 570 base stat total, making them almost as powerful as Legendaries, and they have a range of types that can be useful. Here’s the breakdown of how the metagame will change.

Pokémon VGC: List of unbanned Pokémon

Both sets of Paradox Pokémon from Scarlet and Violet are now available for use in competitive ranked matches. The full list includes:

• Great Tusk
• Scream Tail
• Brute Bonnet
• Flutter Mane
• Slither Wing
• Sandy Shocks
• Roaring Moon
• Iron Treads
• Iron Bundle
• Iron Valiant
• Iron Hands
• Iron Moth
• Iron Thorns
• Iron Jugulis

Players are already using Pokémon Showdown, and friendly battles to test out the best teams for the new series. We think we’ll see a lot of Iron Bundle and Flutter Mane this season, which can nullify currently strong Pokémon like Meowscrada.

Pokémon VGC: List of banned Pokémon

The Pokémon Company / Nintendo

A number of Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet are still banned from competitive play. The most obviously the legendary Pokémon. These include:

• Wo Chien
• Chien Pao
• Ting Lu
• Chi Yu
• Koraidon
• Miraidon

Pokémon that are available legally in Scarlet and Violet but that are not part of Paldean Dex are also banned from competitive play. This includes:

• Johtonian Wooper
• Quagsire
• Galarian Meowth
• Perrserker
• Charmander
• Charmeleon
• Charizard
• Scorbunny
• Raboot
• Cinderace
• Froakie
• Frogadier
• Greninja

While not banned by the ruleset, some local competitions also choose to ban Ditto from certain tournaments.

The upcoming Series ruleset will run for two months until Friday, March 31, 2023, when we will see changes to the number of usable Pokémon. Banned Pokémon apply to both singles and doubles matches, but any Pokémon are still allowed to be used in friendly matches.