The year 2022 has officially come and gone, and we are already on our way to the new year 2023. This means that this 2023 there will be new Pokemon rules for the Video Game Championship Series (VGC). There are other rules that will remain the same. the same thing, of course — the Pokemon VGC age limit will remain the same throughout this year’s scene, as far as we’ve been told.
As mentioned in the introduction to Pokemon VGC, the set of rules changes every year as patches become available, and the new generation of Pokemon that appear in games usually shake up the meta and the landscape of competitive fights. The latest rules, formats and recommendations for video games were announced on December 5, 2022 by Play! Pokemon. This officially states the Pokemon Rules in VGC.
New VGC rules for 2023
The rules of Pokemon VGC 2023 are quite simple, not many changes have been made, with the exception of the following:
- Legendary Pokemon and paradoxical Pokemon are prohibited; any other Pokemon with the Paldea Pokedex number is allowed
- Matches are exclusively double battles in which players choose four of the six Pokemon in their group.
- Each Pokemon in the team must be unique; you cannot have Pokemon of the same kind even with different variations (for example, Oricorio in the style of Pom Pom and Oricorio in the style of Sensu)
- None of you Pokemon can own the same item
- Pokemon below level 50 remain untouched and remain at the same level, but Pokemon above level 50 return back to level 50.
- Battles are limited to 20 minutes, including a 90-second team preview and 7 minutes per player.
- Players have 45 seconds each turn to choose a move or attack.
According to the current VGC Pokemon 2023 rules, Miraydon. Koraidon, along with other Paradox Pokemon, are banned from competitive play on the VGC stage. These bans are actually justified, as they are a bit suppressed at the moment, and they will definitely be too difficult to fight. If you’re having trouble with which holdables to consider for the Pokemon VGC scene in 2023, you might consider checking out our list of holdables, but it looks like holdables like Lum Berries, Super Sitrus Berries, Focus Sash, Eviolite, Leftovers, items of choice (specs, armband, scarf, etc.) and protection items such as Clear Amulet and Utility Umbrella, as well as Pokemon switching items such as the Eject button, are still the best options for professional trainers.
Current age division
In addition to the Pokemon VGC set of rules mentioned earlier, the Pokemon VGC age limit remains the same and looks like this:
- Junior Division: coaches born in 2010 and younger.
- Senior Division: Coaches born in 2006, 2007, 2008 or 2009
- Master Division: Coaches born in 2005 or younger.
If your division changes to the next one this year, the Pokemon VGC age limit will change your division next year. Thus, those who will move from Junior to Senior or Senior to Master will appear next year if they are older for their age category.
The Pokemon VGC 2023 season officially began on January 2, 2023. If you haven’t started yet, this may be the best time for you to get your team together and work on your best strategies on the competitive stage. There will be more news, updates and the latest developments on the VGC scene, so don’t forget to check out ClutchPoints Gaming from time to time. Good luck, Coaches!
