Trainers, get ready for an expanded format for the upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield Ranked Series 5. Game Freak is opening the gates to a lot of new Pokémon coming in from Pokémon Home and the Isle of Armor expansion.
Not every Pokémon will be legal, but the pool of Pokémon that can be used has grown significantly thanks to the introduction of the “Battle Ready Mark.”
This new mark will work similarly to the Galar Mark, which confirms to the online system that a Pokémon was created in Sword and Shield and is viable to use competitively. The Battle Ready Mark will take Pokémon transferred in from Home or that are found on the Isle of Armor and make them viable by cleansing them of illegal moves.
Other than that, things have remained relatively the same. Many of the banned Pokémon and other rules have been carried over from the last ranked series.
Rules
- 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
- Pokémon Restrictions: Available National Pokédex
- 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.
For a more detailed list of the rules and any other intricacies, you can view the official Play Pokémon page on the main Pokémon website.
Allowed Gigantimax Pokémon
- Charizard
- Butterfree
- Pikachu
- Meowth
- Kingler
- Lapras
- Eevee
- Snorlax
- Corviknight
- Orbeetle
- Drednaw
- Flapple
- Appletun
- Sandaconda
- Toxtricity
- Centiskorch
- Hetterene
- Grimmsnarl
- Copperajah
- Duraludon
- Urshifu (new)
Restricted Pokémon
These Pokémon can be used but only if they are Battle Ready and meet all requirements.
- Cobalion
- Terrakion
- Virizion
- Rowlet
- Dartrix
- Decidueye
- Litten
- Torracat
- Incineroar
- Popplio
- Brionne
- Primarina
Banned Pokémon
The Ranked Series 5 ban list has not been confirmed yet, but it’s likely to follow the same pattern as the previous events with the removal of Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion being the only changes.
- Zacian
- Zamazenta
- Eternatus
- Mewtwo
- Celebi
- Jirachi
- Reshiram
- Zekrom
- Kyurem
- Kyruem-Black and Kyurem-White are also banned
- Keldeo
- Cosmog
- Cosmoem
- Solgaleo
- Lunala
- Necrozma
- Marshadow
- Zeraora
- Meltan
- Melmetal
Ranked Series 5 will begin sometime in July, with more details to come as we get closer to sign-ups.
