Unofficial Pokemon TCG Formats You Need to Try
Standard and Expanded are great, but they're not the only way to play. These five alternative formats will breathe new life into your Pokemon cards, whether you're hosting a game night, hanging out at a card show, or looking for something different at your local game store.
1. Pack Battles
This is the simplest alternative format and probably the best place to start. All you need is one booster pack per player and a pile of basic Energy cards. That's it. You can be playing in under five minutes.
What You Need
- 1 booster pack per player
- An assortment of basic Energy cards (at least 10 per player)
How to Set Up
- Each player opens one booster pack and reviews the cards inside
- Each player chooses 10 basic Energy cards in any combination to add to their pack, forming a small deck
- Shuffle up and play!
Special Rules
- Only 2 Prize cards at the start of the game (instead of the usual 6)
- No deck-out loss. If you can't draw a card, play just continues. Nobody loses for running out of cards.
- The Ditto Evolution rule applies (see below)
The Ditto Evolution Rule
Once during your turn (before you attack), you may place a Ditto Marker on one of your Basic Pokemon that doesn't have a Rule Box. That Pokemon gains the Evolutionary Advantage Ability: once during your turn, you may put any Stage 1 or Stage 2 card from your hand onto this Pokemon to evolve it. You can't use this Ability during your first turn or the turn this Pokemon was put into play. If you put a Stage 2 card onto this Pokemon, your turn ends immediately. Each Pokemon can only use one Evolutionary Advantage Ability per game.
Great For
- Opening packs with friends (make a game out of it!)
- Card show meetups where everyone grabs a pack from the vendor
- Quick games between tournament rounds
- Introducing new players who don't have decks yet
Read the Full Pack Battles Guide →
Step-by-step setup, strategy tips, the Ditto Evolution rule explained with examples, and fun variations.
2. Ditto Draft
Think of this as Pack Battles with more firepower. Instead of one pack, each player opens several packs (usually 3 to 6) and builds a 40-card deck: 30 cards from the packs you opened, plus 10 basic Energy cards of your choice.
How It Works
- Each player opens 3-6 booster packs
- Build a 40-card deck: 30 cards from your packs + 10 basic Energy
- The same Ditto Evolution rule from Pack Battles applies here
The extra packs make this way more strategic than a basic Pack Battle. You actually have choices to make when building your deck: which types to focus on, which evolution lines to keep, and which cards to leave on the bench. It's the perfect format for a draft night at your local game store or with a group of friends who all want to crack some packs.
Pro Tip
Everyone should open packs from the same set for a more balanced experience. Mixing sets works too, but you'll get wilder results. Some groups do this on purpose for the chaos factor.
Read the Full Ditto Draft Guide →
Complete draft process, deck building ratios, strategy tips, the Ditto rule explained with examples, and how to run your own event.
3. Draft Cubes
This is the most involved alternative format, but it's also the most rewarding. A cube is a curated collection of cards (usually 360 to 720 cards) that players draft from. Nobody owns the cards being drafted. One person builds and maintains the cube, and everyone gets to play with it.
The Draft Process
- The cube owner shuffles all cards and deals them into "packs" of 15 cards each
- Each player gets 3 packs
- Players open one pack, pick a card, and pass the remaining cards to the left
- Repeat until all cards from all 3 packs are drafted
- Build a 40-card deck from your drafted cards + basic energy
- Play a mini tournament with your drafted decks
Every draft plays out differently because the card combinations change each time. It's the closest Pokemon TCG gets to Magic: The Gathering style drafting, and it's endlessly replayable. If you've ever wanted a board game night but with Pokemon cards, this is it.
Why Cubes Are Amazing
- No one needs to bring their own cards
- The cube owner can balance the format however they want
- You can include cards from any era of Pokemon
- Every single draft is a unique experience
- Cards go back into the cube after the event, so nothing gets used up
Learn More & Build Your Own
- Official Pokemon Cube Guide . The official guide to building and drafting a cube
- CubeKoga . Community cube builder tool for designing your own cube
Read the Full Draft Cubes Guide →
How to build a cube, card selection, balancing, hosting draft nights, and online tools like CubeKoga.
4. Raid Battles
One player controls a Raid Boss: a single, massively overpowered Pokemon with 500+ HP and devastating attacks. The other 2 to 4 players team up to try to take it down. If you've ever done a raid in a Pokemon video game, this is the card game version of that experience.
How It Works
- The Raid Boss uses a special pre-built deck with a single incredibly powerful Pokemon (usually 500+ HP)
- The Challengers each build standard 60-card decks and work together as a team
- Simultaneous turns. Challengers take their turns at the same time, then the Raid Boss follows a scripted attack pattern
- Cooperative gameplay. This is a team effort, which makes it perfect for groups where not everyone is at the same skill level
Raid Battles are fantastic for game nights because experienced players can coach newer ones, and everyone is working toward the same goal. There's no feel-bad moment of getting crushed by someone with a better deck. You're all in it together.
Raid Battle Resources
- How to Play . Full rules and setup guide
- Raid Boss Decks . Pre-built boss decks ready to play
- Raid Boss Pokemon . Browse all available boss Pokemon
- Raid Damage Calculator . Our built-in calculator for tracking Full Contributions
Read the Full Raid Battles Guide →
Complete rules for Standard and Giovanni Format, Full Contribution mechanic, Raid Deck building, strategy tips, and the boss proxy printer.
5. Team Format (2v2)
This is the most complex alternative format, but also one of the most exciting. Two teams of two players face off simultaneously. It adds a whole layer of coordination and strategy that you just don't get in regular 1v1 games.
Key Rules
- Teams of 2. Each player brings their own 60-card deck. Everyone must use different sleeves so you can tell cards apart.
- 3 Lanes. The play area has Player A's lane, Player B's lane, and a shared Center Lane.
- 6 Prize cards each. 3 go in your lane and 3 go in the center.
- Simultaneous turns. Both teammates take their turns at the same time.
- Lane-locked effects. Cards only affect the lane they're played in. A Supporter in your lane only affects your lane.
- Center lane sharing. Either player can play in the center, but only 1 Supporter per turn in center.
Win Conditions & Additional Rules
- First to 9 Prizes wins. The first team to take 9 of their combined 12 Prize cards wins the game.
- Player elimination. If a player can't draw, they're eliminated, but their center lane cards stay in play.
- One Energy per lane per turn. You can attach one Energy in your lane and one in center each turn.
- One Supporter per lane per turn. Same limit applies to Supporters in each lane.
- Simultaneous attacks. Attacks in all three lanes resolve at the same time.
- Empty lane bonus. If a lane is empty and you attack it for 10+ damage, you take a Prize card.
Team Format is a blast at game store events and convention side events. The coordination between teammates, the lane management, and the shared center area create a completely different dynamic from standard play. If you have four players who want a deep, competitive experience, this is the format for you.
Read the Full Team Format Guide →
Complete three-lane rules, simultaneous turns, center lane mechanics, prize cards, banned cards, and strategy tips.
6. Which Format Should You Try First?
Not sure where to start? Here's a quick cheat sheet based on your situation.
Just want something quick?
Pack Battles. One pack per person, 5 to 15 minutes, zero prep. Grab a pack from the counter and start playing.
Planning a draft night?
Draft Cube if someone has one built. Ditto Draft if you just want to crack packs and play. Both are great, but cubes are endlessly replayable.
Have a group of mixed skill levels?
Raid Battles. The cooperative nature means experienced players can help newer ones. Nobody gets stomped, and everyone has fun.
Want something competitive with 4 players?
Team Format. It's the deepest alternative format and rewards coordination between teammates. Bring your best deck and a partner you trust.
Build a Deck for Your Next Game Night
Whether you're building a 40-card draft deck or a full 60-card team deck, our deck builder can help you plan it out before game night.
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