Questions Upon Returning to Competitive Play

[JadeEspeon]

Hey all! I am jumping back into the competitive ring after a 4 year hiatus and I gotta say, a lot has changed. I am currently experimenting with a few decks online before I go blowing too much money. I guess I have a few questions that through just my research have been unanswered :

-is there a Shaymin EX that is standard legal for the 2016 rotation?
- are all of my cards completely useless? (I had stopped playing after Boundaries Crossed)
- which deck/card is just completely decimating the game?
-what format is Regionals?

Thanks for your response!

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EDIT/NOTE TO ADMIN:
I just realized that I should have posted this in advice and I'm on mobile so I can't find a way to move it. Also, I don't want to double post, would an admin be so kind as to move it for me or tell me how to move it?

 

[bbninjas]

EDIT/NOTE TO ADMIN:
I just realized that I should have posted this in advice and I'm on mobile so I can't find a way to move it. Also, I don't want to double post, would an admin be so kind as to move it for me or tell me how to move it?

Moved to the TCG Help & Advice where, as you correctly identified, this thread should be located in. Also, unfortunately only moderators can move threads. If you ever need a thread moved, just use the report button and we can fix it up for you!

To answer your questions:

-is there a Shaymin EX that is standard legal for the 2016 rotation?

First off, if you haven't discovered this already, both Standard and Expanded are now used a lot in competitive play.

Anyways, you can find the current rotation list on the official site here. As Shaymin-EX is from the Roaring Skies expansion, it is definitely standard legal for 2016 play, and it would be very unlikely for it to be rotated out for next year.

- are all of my cards completely useless? (I had stopped playing after Boundaries Crossed)

Not necessarily! Since Expanded is such a big part of competitive play now, many of your older BW-on cards could be very useful. Furthermore, in Standard play, there have been many trainers from the BW-BCR eras that have been reprinted for Standard recently, including Level Ball, Heavy Ball, Float Stone and Super Rod.

- which deck/card is just completely decimating the game?

There's not really a deck that is decimating the metagame, as the format is quite balanced and spread. You can find a list of metagame decks here, categorised with tiers. You may also like to read up on some of our Articles, many of which give a good idea of what has been performing well. This one in particular by @Serperior would be a nice read.

-what format is Regionals?

Regionals are basically always Expanded. You can find more details on the official site here, under the VG section.

 

[JadeEspeon]

Moved to the TCG Help & Advice where, as you correctly identified, this thread should be located in. Also, unfortunately only moderators can move threads. If you ever need a thread moved, just use the report button and we can fix it up for you!

To answer your questions:


First off, if you haven't discovered this already, both Standard and Expanded are now used a lot in competitive play.

Anyways, you can find the current rotation list on the official site here. As Shaymin-EX is from the Roaring Skies expansion, it is definitely standard legal for 2016 play, and it would be very unlikely for it to be rotated out for next year.


Not necessarily! Since Expanded is such a big part of competitive play now, many of your older BW-on cards could be very useful. Furthermore, in Standard play, there have been many trainers from the BW-BCR eras that have been reprinted for Standard recently, including Level Ball, Heavy Ball, Float Stone and Super Rod.


There's not really a deck that is decimating the metagame, as the format is quite balanced and spread. You can find a list of metagame decks here, categorised with tiers. You may also like to read up on some of our Articles, many of which give a good idea of what has been performing well. This one in particular by @Serperior would be a nice read.


Regionals are basically always Expanded. You can find more details on the official site here, under the VG section.

THANK YOU! Super helpful. Coming back into the game I was a little lost. I thought Regionals were standard so I've been slowly getting rid of my old BW cards in PTCGO/IRL. Crap.

 

[Electricbluewolf]

-is there a Shaymin EX that is standard legal for the 2016 rotation?
Shaymin EX from Roaring Skies is currently the only Shaymin EX legal for Standard. For 2016 rotation it is highly unlikely it will be rotated out as it is played is most decks.
- are all of my cards completely useless? (I had stopped playing after Boundaries Crossed)
As mentioned a lot of cards in play are being used, and some people like the older card styles. Super-Scoops, Fisherman, Float Stone, Super Rod are all BW but can currently be used in Standard
- which deck/card is just completely decimating the game?
Currently is quite a mix of decks, some relying on Basic and some relying on EXs. There a lot of different tactics now (item/support/ability lock is now popular)
-what format is Regionals?
Regionals are usually Expanded, given the amount of people that go to them.

THANK YOU! Super helpful. Coming back into the game I was a little lost. I thought Regionals were standard so I've been slowly getting rid of my old BW cards in PTCGO/IRL. Crap.

Some stuff now played in Expanded wouldn't hold up to what it used to-such as Gabrador, even though it's still majorly popular in Expanded there are lots of decks (Night March, VespiQuen etc) that it won't affect-and with the introduction of Hex Maniac, it can give the non-Garb player a break for a turn.

 

[JadeEspeon]

First off, if you haven't discovered this already, both Standard and Expanded are now used a lot in competitive play.

I was thinking more about this and was wondering.... does this mean that from here on out a lot of tournaments/sanctioned events will be Expanded? Or is Winter Regionals just like the last "hoorah" for BW ?

Also, if it IS a "From here on out..." type thing does this mean that the competitors that play Expanded and competitors that play Standard are paired together or is there a separate bracket for each format?

 

[My Little Keldeo]

As of this season, all Regionals are Expanded, while most other events use the Standard format. League Challenges and City Championships have been left to the organizer's choice, though many at least in my area are favoring Standard. Both Winter and Spring Regionals will be Expanded format. We don't know if the Expanded format will continue to be Black and White on, have a rotation next season, or if it will be used at all. I would suggest holding onto your important Black and White cards until an official announcement is made, which will likely be sometime in July. States, Nationals, and Worlds are confirmed to be Standard.

Since Regionals are a major part of the Championship Point system, you will most likely be playing in both formats if you are working toward a Worlds invite. This year, the formats are not mixed. All events are either entirely Standard or entirely Expanded (compare this to last year where the first day of Regionals was Standard and the second day was Expanded, and players could switch decks for the second day). If you are playing in a Standard format, you won't be paired against someone with an Expanded deck or vice versa. I hope this helps!

 

[JadeEspeon]

As of this season, all Regionals are Expanded, while most other events use the Standard format. League Challenges and City Championships have been left to the organizer's choice, though many at least in my area are favoring Standard. Both Winter and Spring Regionals will be Expanded format. We don't know if the Expanded format will continue to be Black and White on, have a rotation next season, or if it will be used at all. I would suggest holding onto your important Black and White cards until an official announcement is made, which will likely be sometime in July. States, Nationals, and Worlds are confirmed to be Standard.

Since Regionals are a major part of the Championship Point system, you will most likely be playing in both formats if you are working toward a Worlds invite. This year, the formats are not mixed. All events are either entirely Standard or entirely Expanded (compare this to last year where the first day of Regionals was Standard and the second day was Expanded, and players could switch decks for the second day). If you are playing in a Standard format, you won't be paired against someone with an Expanded deck or vice versa. I hope this helps!

Indeed. It very specifically answered my questions. Thank you! =3