2017 Format Rotation Announced!

I anticipated PCL-On, and here it is... This new format might make playing the game fun again, but I also see that the notorius tactics that are good now will still be good in this rotation:

-First turn Item Lock in Vileplume still lives to taunt us - and with Giratina-EX and Jolteon-EX, it can still make this lock prominant. At least Vespiquen will be less so, given we'll have no compressors.
-Ability Lock we're aware of will also be heavily played, due to Garbodor. Watch it get several new partners, given how OP Greninja BREAK and Volcanion-EX are.
-Dark Decks will still be strong, given that most of them don't lose much other than Malamar-EX and Compressors (Gallade will be hard to get out now).
-The "Explosive" first turn damage we all know about in Night March still lives in Mega Rayquaza. Watch it roar back into the format somehow, given how easy it can deal 240 damage first turn. :/

If anything, I hope that Fairy Decks can again come back to life somehow in this Rotation...
 
Whelp, Infernape won't be viable in Standard, with such important discard tools gone.

Expanded format it is.
 
I'm all for this change, both as a new format's beginning and as a sign to get into expanded.
 
Welcome back King Garb.
Yeah unless we get a tool removal card in an upcoming set the King of the Garbage will be more of a bane as even the original had Tool Scrapper printed in the same set we're losing both the Megaphone and Science.

We're also losing the other good Pyroar with Flare Command leaving the upcoming Break without a good stage one.
 
hmm looking at the list of the big rotated cards Yog posted

I'm not sure how many of these are key cards, but most fill a spot in some archetype one way or another.

Delphox (Mystical Fire)
Pyroar (Intimidating Mane)
Greninja (Water Shuriken)
Trevenant (Forest Curse)
Aromatisse (Fairy Transfer)
Miltank
Dedenne
Mienshao
Hawlucha (Shining Spirit)
Noivern (Echolocation)
Eevee (Energy Evolution)
Joltik-Lampent-Pumpkaboo (Night March)
Crobat (Surprise Bite)
Bronzong (Metal Links)

EXs:
Toxicroak
Kangaskhan
Seismitoad
Lucario
Dragonite
Manectric/MegaMan
Gengar
Malamar
Dialga
Aegislash
Florges

Cassius
Blacksmith
Korrina
Az
Xerosic

Hard Charm
Muscle Band
Focus Sash
Trick Coin
Protection Cube
Head Ringer

Startling Megaphone
Fiery Torch
Super Scoop-Up
Battle Compressor
Robo Sub
Target Whistle

Shadow Circle
Fighting Stadium
Training Center
Dimension Valley
Steel Shelter

Herbal Energy
Mystery Energy

which big meta decks survive the rotation mostly intact, lets take a look at some in no particular order.
greninja break: only loses greninja xy which was a 1-2 card tech minor lose.
night march: rotated no way to recovery except reprint/new night marchers appear.
genesect/bronzong: metal links bronzong rotated breaks the main recovery part of the engine unlikely to recover also aegislash secondary attacker gone.
vespiquen: loss of battle compressor slows it waaaayyyy down still playable but so slow it'll drop down a tier or two most likely.
trevenant break: loss of item lock, ability lock, and dimensional valley, could survive but will likely drop tier in meta.
darkrai/yveltal/dark type variants: will slow a bit but key cards survive rotation.
water toolbox: loses seismitoad and aegislash should drop tier unless a good replacement for seismitoad is found.
giratina variant: about the same loses some options such as seismitoad but most of deck should stay about the same.
manectric variants: rotated.
crobat variants: mostly rotated.
m rayquaza: loses the metal engine, could return in slower format or if new energy engine appears
rainbow road xerneas: will likely go up with return of dual type poke.
fairy toolbox: loses most of the fairy engine, likely to drop tier.

so only a couple seems to survive mostly intact and overall most seem slower which is good cause the game has gotten somewhat too fast and preventing lower tier decks a chance to shine.
 
I'm not sure how many of these are key cards, but most fill a spot in some archetype one way or another.

Delphox (Mystical Fire)
Pyroar (Intimidating Mane)
Greninja (Water Shuriken)
Trevenant (Forest Curse)
Aromatisse (Fairy Transfer)
Miltank
Dedenne
Mienshao
Hawlucha (Shining Spirit)
Noivern (Echolocation)
Eevee (Energy Evolution)
Joltik-Lampent-Pumpkaboo (Night March)
Crobat (Surprise Bite)
Bronzong (Metal Links)

EXs:
Toxicroak
Kangaskhan
Seismitoad
Lucario
Dragonite
Manectric/MegaMan
Gengar
Malamar
Dialga
Aegislash
Florges

Cassius
Blacksmith
Korrina
Az
Xerosic

Hard Charm
Muscle Band
Focus Sash
Trick Coin
Protection Cube
Head Ringer

Startling Megaphone
Fiery Torch
Super Scoop-Up
Battle Compressor
Robo Sub
Target Whistle

Shadow Circle
Fighting Stadium
Training Center
Dimension Valley
Steel Shelter

Herbal Energy
Mystery Energy


Well dang,now I'm going to have to restructure my mega ttar/bats deck since AZ,hard charm,battle compressor & shadow circle are rotated out :(
 
With this (higly predictable) rotation, Trevenant will be dead (it's real power was the item lock), Genesect is dead too without Bronzong, Night March is gone... and I can't say I'm not happy ;)
 
I love being right. So predictable on what was going out...
 
Without any tool removal for at least 2-3 months until a new set comes after Steam Siege, Garbodor will run rampant all over the place.

EDIT: Also we lose any card to lift up a Pokemon (AZ, Scoope Up, Cassius) so putting dow the same Shaymin 2-3 times in a turn or remove a damage pokemon to safety will be impossible
 
Mega Ray is going to be worse than what night march was, the only thing keeping ray in check was night march, Manetric and lock downs, and without weakness its basically impossible too one shot mega ray that isn't excessive, because of this circle circuit will be a thing again but even then ray has Altaria. Metal links isn't much of a loss at all because mega turbo is a thing, and the new Talonflame and Skyla will help with getting any missing pieces you need, turbo/spiritlink/dce/skyfield if your 4 Shaymans didn't already do that for you. Hoopa is all you will ever need to power up mega ray. With Bronzong gone it frees up a ton of space for mons that add consistency, I personly loved using unknowns in my ray deck, they lower your hand count for shaymans, add a body to power up mega ray, and when you don't need the extra power or need that extra space to play your last shayman you can ditch it for an extra card, and when you manage to pull it off it works exceedingly well with gallade, which in a pinch can be used as a decent attacker itself.
 
Mega Ray is going to be worse than what night march was, the only thing keeping ray in check was night march, Manetric and lock downs, and without weakness its basically impossible too one shot mega ray that isn't excessive, because of this circle circuit will be a thing again but even then ray has Altaria. Metal links isn't much of a loss at all because mega turbo is a thing, and the new Talonflame and Skyla will help with getting any missing pieces you need, turbo/spiritlink/dce/skyfield if your 4 Shaymans didn't already do that for you. Hoopa is all you will ever need to power up mega ray. With Bronzong gone it frees up a ton of space for mons that add consistency, I personly loved using unknowns in my ray deck, they lower your hand count for shaymans, add a body to power up mega ray, and when you don't need the extra power or need that extra space to play your last shayman you can ditch it for an extra card, and when you manage to pull it off it works exceedingly well with gallade, which in a pinch can be used as a decent attacker itself.

It will be a mix of who start first and luck, because you can have a turn one Garbodor thanks to Wally or use a Silent Lab (hoping the opponent doesn't have a Sky Field in hand), even a Wobbufett can help if they can't drop the Shaymins.
 
Trainer List i typed up of stuff that seems to be rotating, feel free to correct me, also hiya im new here.

Items:
Battle Compressor
Enhanced Hammer
Fiery Torch
Full Heal
Hand Scope
Jaw Fossil
Pal Pad
Robo Substitute
Roller Skates
Sacred Ash
Sail Fossil
Startling Megaphone
Super Potion
Super Scoop Up
Target Whistle
Tool Retriever
Trick Shovel

Tools:
Aerodactyl Spirit Link
Focus Sash
Gengar Spirit Link
Hard Charm
Head Ringer
Jamming Net
Manectric Spirit Link
Mawile Spirit Link
Muscle Band
Protection Cube
Spakling Robe
Trick Coin

Supporters:
AZ
Battle Reporter
Blacksmith
Cassius
Fossil Researcher
Korrina
Lysandres Trump Card
Trevor
Xeroxic

Stadiums:
Dimension Valley
Fighting Stadium
Magnetic Storm
Mountain Ring
Shadow Circle
Steel Shelter
Training Center
 
It will be a mix of who start first and luck, because you can have a turn one Garbodor thanks to Wally or use a Silent Lab (hoping the opponent doesn't have a Sky Field in hand), even a Wobbufett can help if they can't drop the Shaymins.

all things that could have stopped night march and vespiquen aswell but they were still running rampant. Mega ray is also far easier to power up than those two decks, and getting the Talonflame start basicaly negates most lockdowns, the nature of lockdown decks are slow outside the fact of getting the lockdown out quick, or setting up before you lock down like vespiquen does and item lockdown hurt far more than abilities. Wobbufett can hurt in say a Alakazam deck as its abilitiy lockdown doesn't slow him down, but it also means you can still use Hoopa, infact I would even consider running a garabador myself in a mega ray deck, much like how vespiquen does with vileplume.
 
Back
Top