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Category:
Pokémon

Pokémon Sword and Shield Ranked Battle Series ruleset revealed, bans Dynamax mechanic and brings back Legendary Pokémon

For the first time, players will be competing without Sword and Shield's main mechanic.
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Cale Michael
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Published: Jul 1, 2021 02:15 am

Game Freak isn’t playing around with the rulesets for the Pokémon Sword and Shield Ranked Battle Series for Series 10.

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The Dynamax mechanic is banned from Ranked for Sword and Shield‘s next season. This means players won’t be able to use the core battle mechanic introduced in Sword and Shield during matches, essentially flipping the game’s meta on its head and forcing players to brainstorm entirely new strategies. 

While Series 10 will be removing Dynamaxing as an option, it will also rollback the biggest change from the currently ongoing Series 9 competition, allowing players to use one Pokémon from the Restricted Pokémon list per team. This does not include Mythical Pokémon like Mew and Melmetal, which remain banned.

Series 10 will run from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31, encompassing multiple Play! Pokémon events. It will also be used in the upcoming Global Exhibition event that will take place in October, featuring the best players from the Pokémon Japan Championships 2021, Players Cup IV, and the Pokémon Trainer Club 2021 competition in South Korea. 

Here’s the full list of rules for Ranked Series 10, including the updated ban list.

  • Region: International
  • Battle Format: Single and Double Battles
  • Battle Limits: No Battle Limits per day
  • Battle Time: 20 minutes
  • Your Time: Seven minutes
  • Team Preview: 90 Seconds
  • Turn Time: 45 Seconds
  • Restricted Pokémon: One of the following per team: Mewtwo, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, Cosmog, Cosmoem, Solgaleo, Lunala, Necrozma, Zacian, Zamazenta, Eternatus, Calyrex
  • Banned Pokémon: Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Victini, Keldeo, Genesect, Diancie, Volcanion, Magearna, Marshadow, Zeraora, Meltan, Melmetal, Zarude
  • All Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing is banned for Series 10
  • Pokémon Limits: 
    • For Singles: Team of three to six Pokémon from Level one to Level 100. All Pokémon then set to Level 50.
    • For Doubles: Team of four to six Pokémon from Level one to Level 100. All Pokémon then set to Level 50.
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Author
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Cale Michael
Lead Staff Writer for Dota 2, the FGC, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and more who has been writing for Dot Esports since 2018. Graduated with a degree in Journalism from Oklahoma Christian University and also previously covered the NBA. You can usually find him writing, reading, or watching an FGC tournament.
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