Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Ranked Battle Regulation H ruleset, explained

Regulation H was just announced for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Ranked Battles, and in a shocking twist, it will not expand the pool of Pokémon to choose from.

Since the beginning of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Ranked Battles, more Pokémon have been gradually added to the meta with each regulation. For example, Regulation B gave us Paradox ‘mons like Flutter Mane and Iron Hands, while Reg G threw in restricted Legendaries like Miraidon and Calyrex. Regulation H, however, does not follow this trend and instead does something very unexpected to shake up the meta.

Here’s everything you need to know about Regulation H in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

What is Regulation H in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet VGC?

Regulation H removes Legendary Pokémon and Paradox Pokémon from Ranked Battles, according to Serebii, including the VGC format. This includes restricted Legendaries just added in Reg G, as well as several other dominant Legendaries like Urshifu, Ogerpon, and the four Treasures of Ruin—Chi-Yu, Chien-Pao, Wo-Chien, and Ting-Lu.

In terms of Paradox Pokémon, we’re losing Flutter Mane and Iron Hands, who’ve been staples of the VGC meta since their debut in Reg B. The newer Paradox ‘mons introduced in The Indigo Disk DLC will also be pulled from competitive play, with the biggest loss being Raging Bolt.

Overall, this format change is a pleasant surprise and a nice way to drastically shift the meta. Even though a ton of strong Pokémon are being removed rather than added, this actually makes room for other ‘mons to emerge. Without the likes of Rapid Strike Urshifu and Wellspring Mask Ogerpon, for example, other physical Water-type ‘mons like Palafin may have a place in the meta again. It’ll be interesting to see which Pokémon rise up to become key players in Reg H now that Legendaries and Paradox ‘mons are out of the picture.

When does Regulation H start in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Regulation H will be the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Ranked Battle ruleset from Sept. 1 to Jan. 5, 2025, according to Serebii. In other words, it’ll be the format for the first batch of regionals and special events in 2025, as well as the Latin America International Championships (Nov. 15 to 17). This gives players four months to play in this Legendary-less and Paradox-less format, so who knows what the meta will look like.