Pokémon Sword and Shield Ranked Battle Series 4 ruleset has been released

Not much has changed for players who are used to the rules.
Screengrab via [Pokemon](https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DpbTzwRhrzgM&psig=AOvVaw1XIM-No_yzKYieJiJrRB-s&ust=1583448242424000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCPDujsbygegCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD)

The ruleset for the Pokémon Sword and Shield Ranked Battle Series 4 has officially been unveiled. Players who have been competing in the International Challenge April won’t need to adjust much, though.

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Starting on May 1 and running until June 30, players from around the world can battle it out in Single and Double battle sets to try to reach Master Ball Tier in the competitive scene. 

The new ruleset is basically identical to the widely-used competitive set for the International Challenge and VGC tournaments, with only a few alterations made between them. The biggest new addition is the inclusion of Gigantimax Copperajah and Duraladon in the usable Pokémon pool, while the banned Pokémon pool remains the same. 

The full list of rules is also available. This includes all of the Gigantimax Pokémon available for use, the list of banned Pokémon, and the basic layout for the format, which is basically just the standard VGC rules as per usual. 

Rules

  • Region: International
  • Battle Format: Single and Double Battles
  • Battle Limits: No Battle Limits per day
  • 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 (new)
  • Duraludon (new)

Banned Pokémon 

  • Zacian
  • Zamazenta
  • Eternatus
  • Mewtwo
  • Celebi
  • Jirachi
  • Cobalion
  • Terrakion
  • Virizion
  • Reshiram
  • Zekrom
  • Kyurem
  • Kyruem-Black and Kyurem-White are also banned
  • Keldeo
  • Cosmog
  • Cosmoem
  • Solgaleo
  • Lunala
  • Necrozma
  • Marshadow
  • Zeraora
  • Meltan
  • Melmetal

Rewards and other details about the event will be given out when it starts on May 1. Get ready to grind up the tier lists if you want to become the best and get the Master Ball Tier rewards.


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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.