Pokemon - Gym Leader Challenge

After reading an post by an ex-store regular Chris (who has now moved from the area) I have been looking at a format that he recommend.

The format is Gym Leader Challenge (GLC), here is the overview of the format from the website...

"GLC is a singleton Pokémon Trading Card Game format that is ripe with possibilities and strategies to explore. The rules of Gym Leader Challenge are simple:

• Only one of each card with the same name per deck (except Basic Energy)
• No Rule Box cards or ACE SPEC cards
• Only one type (color) of Pokémon per deck
• Cards printed from Black & White–on
• No cards on the Ban List

However, mastering the format is no easy task. In GLC, resources are limited, which makes deck building and skillful in-game decisions critical to victory. Gym Leader Challenge is a rewarding gameplay experience that will have you wanting to refine your deck and battle again and again!

Unlike Standard Format, the largest barrier to entry for Gym Leader Challenge isn’t the cost of the deck. In fact, most Gym Leader Challenge decks can be obtained for less money than an Elite Trainer Box! (No, seriously). The biggest barrier to entry for GLC is card knowledge. The legal card pool for GLC includes all cards from 2011’s Black and White through the most recent Pokémon TCG expansions! That’s thousands of cards to consider! "

Thank you Chris for introducing me to this format, I look forward to some games when he is next down.

We will be running some events for this format in the coming months, so look out for more details soon.

2023 Pokémon TCG Standard Format Rotation

The Standard format rotation for the 2023 Pokémon TCG Championship Series season will go into effect on April 14, 2023.

During every Championship Series season, Pokémon Organized Play removes older expansions from competition in the Standard format with the goal of maintaining a healthy competitive environment. This rotation challenges existing players to create new strategies and enables new players to get involved in Play! Pokémon events using the most recent releases.

The Standard Format for 2023

From this rotation onwards card legality will be linked to regulation mark rather than expansion release. Starting with the Sword & Shield Series, cards have a letter on the bottom of the card (the regulation mark) that signifies whether or not a card is legal for tournament play. Note that not all cards from the same expansion will necessarily have the same regulation mark.

In April 2021, cards with the “D” regulation mark will no longer be legal for play in the 2023 Standard format. Cards with “E” and “F” regulation marks will be legal to use (as will any future regulation marks that may be released). A card’s legality status is no longer based on which expansion it’s from. Even if a card is from a recently released expansion, players will need to refer to the regulation mark on the bottom of the card to see whether that card is legal for play. New cards still must follow the appropriate waiting period to become tournament legal, which is typically two weeks after their release.

For in-person Play! Pokémon events, the Standard format rotation will go into effect on April 14, 2023. For digital play on Pokémon TCG Live, the Standard format rotation will go into effect on March 30, 2023. This will give players an official platform to test out the new Standard format before participating in any in-person events.

Older versions of cards that don’t have a regulation mark can still be used if the card is currently legal for play. For example, the card Rare Candy from the Sun & Moon expansion can still be used because the card Rare Candy from the Pokémon TCG: Pokémon GO expansion has an “F” regulation mark. And even though the card Boss’s Orders (Giovanni) from the Sword & Shield—Rebel Clash expansion has a “D” regulation mark (which is rotating out of the Standard format), it can still be used because the card Boss’s Orders (Cyrus) from the Sword & Shield—Brilliant Stars expansion has an “F” regulation mark. Be sure to check the Play! Pokémon Tournament Rules Handbook for further clarification on which reprints are OK to use.

The Expanded Format for 2023

The Expanded format will remain unchanged, maintaining the Black & White Series and forward. Players should double-check what format is being used before choosing a deck to bring to their events. Just like the Standard format, new expansions become legal for tournament play two weeks after release.

Please note that several cards are currently banned from the Expanded format. You can find the list of banned cards here.

White Dwarf - February Edition

White Dwarf is Games Workshop's premium Warhammer magazine, packed with amazing content every month – including new rules and background, short stories, regular columns, special guests, and more.

Here’s what you can look forward to in the February issue:

- Contact!
Letters and painted models from our readers.

- Worlds of Warhammer
Lights, cameras, action! How do you go about setting the scene for your battles? Phil Kelly talks to us about how to get the most immersive experience possible on the tabletop.

- Inside the Studio
Check out the games we’ve played and the models we’ve painted this month.

WARHAMMER 40,000
- Flashpoint – Herald of Misery: Rhalion’s Quest
The Blood Angels join forces with the Tome Keepers to investigate the Arks of Omen.

- Opportunistic Obliteration
Warsmith Czagra of the Iron Warriors begins a new quest in this short story.

- The Void Siege
As sprawling as the Arks of Omen themself, enjoy a mighty 20 pages of new rules for Boarding Actions, with all-new rules for Iron Warriors Boarding Patrols!

Includes rules for Boarding Pods and Void Siege games and six Void Siege Missions – and it wouldn't be a siege without the IV Legion, so this article also provides bespoke rules for Bronzewrought Iron Warriors Boarding Patrols, providing two unique Enhancements and six Boarding Actions Stratagems.

- Ground Truth
A quick tactical overview and analysis of the Strongrooms Mission from Arks of Omen: Angron

- Echoes From the Warp
Duncan Waugh assembles his very own Tempestus Scions Boarding Patrol…

- Battle Report: Jailbreak
… which he uses in a battle against Rich Butler, who commands a force of World Eaters led by Khârn the Betrayer.

WARHAMMER AGE OF SIGMAR
- Flashpoint Rondhol: Land of Living Peaks
New background as The Great Stomp marches into Lendu, where even the land can eat you!

- The Great Stomp Part 4
Introducing rules for playing Warcry games as part of The Great Stomp campaign, including a great swathe of new Territories for use in the campaign.

- Gods and Monsters
A gallery of beautifully painted heroes, villains and gods and monsters from across the Mortal Realms, sent in by you, our readers.

- Rules of Engagement
Sam Pearson takes a closer look at the charm of two-player campaigns.

WARCRY
- Da Killin' Moon
New rules for using the Gloomspite Gitz in your games of Warcry. Caution: includes squigs.
Includes rules for The Bad Moon, two bespoke Quests, a Quest Battleplan, and Location and Background Tables.

- Knights of the Stinkhorn
Grinkrak’s Looncourt also receive Warcry rules! It’s a good day to be a gobbo!

WARHAMMER UNDERWORLDS
- Glory Points
Nyle Ajina delves into all the flavours of Warhammer Underworlds, with Rivals, Nemesis, and Relic – how do you prefer to play your Warhammer Underworlds?

NECROMUNDA
- The Aranthian Succession
The Specialist Design Studio kicks off a new Necromunda campaign as civil unrest grips Cinderak City.

BLACK LIBRARY
- Guilliman's Own
Black Library investigate, with the help of an Indomitus Crusade Personnel Dossier, just who exactly Vitiran Messinius is.

- Grombrindal: Ancestor’s Burden – Rat-tail
The first part of a new Grombrindal serial by Chris Thursten.

SPECIAL FEATURE
- A Tale of 44 Warlords
Dating back to the ancient past of 1998, we visit the hall of honour, scour the many highlights and delve into the history of the A Tale of Four Warlords series.

Each physical copy of issue 485 comes with six double-sided Void Siege tiles for Boarding Actions games, a White Dwarf Paint Recipe card, eight Grinkrak's Looncourt Fighter and Ability Cards for Warcry, and a new Achievements card for the Great Stomp campaign.

Our top ten board game sellers of last year - Number 8!

Last year we had one of the best years for board games sales, but what were our top ten sellers? For the next few weeks we will take the time to look at each one and give you a brief overview of the rules.

Continuing today with a great game of bluff...

Number 8

• Skull is the quintessential bluffing game
• To win you’ll need nerves of steel and a little luck
• This quick and easy card game is great fun to play with friends and family.
• Can you read your family and friends and raise the bets? In this competitive game, you win by outwitting other players by either being the last player standing, or bidding the correct numbers of flowers twice.
• Take this game anywhere and teach new players in seconds.

Our top ten board game sellers of last year - Number 9!

Last year we had one of the best years for board games sales, but what were our top ten sellers? For the next few days we will take the time to look at each one and give you a brief overview of the rules.

Continuing today with a real blast from the past and Christmas classic game...

Number 9

This very portable game comes as a pocket travel case containing 2 pig dice, two pencils and a scoring booklet that also includes the scoring table. The pigs are actual pig miniatures, with a dot on their right flanks.

The object is to be the first to score 100 points using "pigs" as dice. On your turn, you throw the pigs and hope they end up in a scoring position such as a "snouter," "trotter," or "leaning jowler" (ranging in value from 1 to 60 points); if they do, you decide whether to "cash" the points (pass the pigs to the next player) or to roll again. If you roll a non-scorer ("pig out" - one pig on the right flank, the other on the left flank; a fairly frequent result), you lose any as-yet-uncashed points. If you throw an "oinker" (both pigs touching each other), you lose your entire accumulated score. If you throw a "piggyback" (one pig on top of the other), you're altogether eliminated!