Core Rules

  1. Cards must have a Regulation Mark (Sword & Shield onwards).
  2. All Pokémon V and Pokémon ex are banned.
  3. You may only run 2 copies of each card in your deck.
  4. Each evolution line in your deck must be a different type.
  5. (IRL play only) At the start of the game, each player may view their prize cards and exchange a card from their hand.

(Optional) Exceptions & Exemptions

Some cards don't function unless paired with other printed cards. These exemptions can be used to increase deck diversity in the format without overpowering decks that play by the standard rules.

  1. If a card specifically requires another card of the same type to function properly, you may run 1 copy of each card.
  2. If a card references itself, you may run up to 4 copies of that card provided no other printings are used.

Example 1: Plusle (Fusion Strike) has an attack that requires Minun. You may run 1 Plusle and 1 Minun rather than 2 Plusle in your deck.

Example 2: Finneon (Lost Origin) accelerates Energy to Pokémon with the Swim Freely attack. You may run 1 "Swim Freely" Seadra and the Horsea needed to evolve into it, but may not include Kingdra. You may also include 1 "Swim Freely" Dewgong and Seaking.

Example 3: Kirlia (Chilling Reign) has Mirage Step, allowing you to Bench 3 additional Kirlia from your deck. You may run up to 4 Mirage Step Kirlia, but may not run any Refinement Kirlia if more than 1 Mirage Step Kirlia is in the deck.

Even Further Beyond: Veteran Showdown

Young Ace Trainers are called Rising Stars, and older ones are known as Veterans. If you want to take Ace Trainer Showdown even further, try out this unofficial variant of our unofficial format. Take on any number of the additional deckbuilding restrictions below to earn Trainer Stars. Each star grants access to an additional ACE SPEC in deck (each Ace Spec must be of a different type--Item, Tool, Stadium, Energy) and allows the player to swap an additional prize card at the start of the game. Veterans are experienced and can use the Sun & Moon block. The cards from this block actually have Regulation Marks in Japan!