The world of Pokémon TCG has been popular among collectors and players for two decades. But not all cards are equal. And some are too powerful or problematic for gameplay, resulting in their ban.
Banning Pokémon cards is important. It's because it maintains a balanced and enjoyable game environment. Cards that are too powerful can create an unfair playing field. It makes other cards irrelevant and detracts from the fun of the game. Problematic cards like those disrupting the game flow can also be in a ban. This is to improve the gameplay experience.
Our article on the top 25 banned Pokémon cards will provide a comprehensive list of cards in a ban. And we will explain why they are banned Pokémon cards. Whether you are a collector or a player doesn't matter. Understanding the reasons behind bans can enhance the game's appreciation and knowledge. Also, it can help you make informed decisions about which cards to include in a collection.
The Banned List
The list of banned Pokémon cards in the TCG is a list of cards illegal in official tournaments or events. This list is essential to maintaining a fair and balanced playing field. It's because certain cards can be too powerful and unbalance the game.
The importance of the banned list cannot be overstated. Without it, players would be able to use any card they wanted. They include those that are too powerful and could ruin the game for other players. The banned list ensures that everyone has an equal chance to win and that the game is fair. It also helps to keep the game fresh and interesting. It's done by preventing a dominant strategy from emerging.
Cards can get banned for various reasons. It can be too powerful or break the game's mechanics. For example, a card that allows a player to win the game instantly would be in a ban. It's because it would be unfair to other players. A card allowing a player to draw excessive cards or take many turns in a row would also be illegal. It could lead to a situation where the other player cannot win.
Top 25 Banned Pokémon Cards (2023)
Currently, the banned Pokémon cards list includes several cards. They have been too powerful or unbalanced for competitive play.
These include cards such as Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX, Mewtwo & Mew-GX, and Dedenne-GX. Each card on the list has a specific reason for being illegal. It can be too powerful, too disruptive to the game, or break the game's mechanics.
In this block, we will look at the most popular Pokémon cards that got into the ban list. Cards from our top give an unfair advantage during the game and break the balance.
1. Moo-Moo Milk
Moo-Moo Milk is a Pokémon Trainer card. It first appeared in the Neo Genesis expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The card's effect allows the player to heal 20 damage from one of their Pokémon. The player can use this effect as often as they want during their turn.
It was often used in decks that focused on stalling and healing. It allowed players to keep their Pokémon alive for longer periods. Also, the card's ability to heal many times in a turn made it useful for keeping up with the opponent's attacks.
But as the Pokémon TCG meta evolved, Moo-Moo Milk began to be too powerful. Its ability to heal many times in a turn made it too effective at stalling and keeping Pokémon alive. It made it difficult for opponents to defeat them. As a result, the Pokémon card was eventually banned from competitive play.
2. Grimer
Grimer is a Poison-type Pokémon that has been in the Pokémon Trading Card Game since its start in 1996. The Grimer card allows players to search their deck for another Grimer card and add it to their hands. The card also has an attack that damages the opponent's active Pokémon and poisons them.
The card's Poison Gas attack effectively wore down opponents' Pokémon. It made it difficult for them to attack effectively. Its ability made it too effective at winning battles. As a result, the card was eventually banned from competitive play to balance the game.
3. Sabrina's Gaze
This banned Pokémon card is a Trainer card first introduced in the Gym Heroes expansion. The card's effect allows the player to shuffle the opponent's hand into the deck.
Its ability to remove a key card from the opponent's hand and force them to shuffle it back into their deck gave players a significant advantage in battles. Its ability to disrupt opponents' strategies made it difficult for players to recover. As a result, the card was eventually banned from competitive play.
4. Jynx
This banned Pokémon card is an Ice/Psychic-type Pokémon. It has been in the Pokémon Trading Card Game since its start in 1996. The Jynx card allows players to put the opponent's active Pokémon to paralyze. It made it unable to attack during their next turn. The card also has an attack that deals damage and confuses the opponent's Pokémon.
The card was often used in stall-based decks. They focused on delaying the opponent's progress and wearing down their Pokémon over time.
But the card's ability made it too effective at disrupting opponents' strategies. As a result, the card is in ban now.
5. Misty's Tears
Misty's Tears is a Trainer banned Pokémon card. It was first introduced in the Gym Heroes expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The card's effect allows the player to discard 1 of the cards in hand. Then the player can draw 2 water energies.
Misty's Tears was a popular card in the early days of the Pokémon TCG meta. Its ability helped players to cycle through their decks more quickly.
But as the Pokémon TCG meta evolved, Misty's Tears began to be too powerful. Its ability to cycle through decks more quickly made it easier for players to execute their strategies and win battles. As a result, the card was eventually banned from play.
6. Arcade Game
This banned Pokémon card is a Trainer card from the Sword & Shield: Rebel Clash expansion. Its effect allows the player to shuffle the deck and reveal 3 cards of it. Then the player can put these cards into the hand.
Arcade Games quickly became popular among players. It's due to its ability to help players cycle through their decks more quickly and find the cards. This card was particularly useful for decks that relied heavily on specific cards. This allows players to discard unwanted cards and draw more useful ones quickly. Its versatility made it an attractive addition to many decks.
But the rapid cycling through decks made possible by Arcade Game was too powerful. And it led to its ban on competitive play. This card allowed players to execute their strategies much faster. It gave them an unfair advantage over their opponents. Also, some players abused the card by using it with other cards.
7. Magmortar
The next Pokémon TCG in our banlist is a Fire-type Pokémon. It was first introduced in the fourth generation of the Pokémon series. In the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Magmortar has a powerful card known as Magmortar. This card has 120 HP. It features an ability called Flamethrower. It allows players to deal 90 damage points. And Flame Screen allows it to deal 40 points of damage.
This Pokémon banned card was in the TCG meta as a strong option for Fire-type decks. It could deal significant damage. But it was ultimately banned from official Pokémon tournaments. It's due to its overwhelming power. The ability to quickly deal more damage made it too dominant and disrupted the game's balance. Despite its ban, Magmortar remains a popular card in the casual scene.
8. Archeops
This is another dual-type Rock/Flying monster in our Pokémon TCG banlist. It was in the fifth generation of the Pokémon series. In the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG), Archeops has a card known as Archeops NVI. This card has 130 HP. And it features an ability called Ancient Power. It allows players to block evolving Pokémon from the hand. Its attack, Rock Slide, deals 60 damage. And it allows players to deal 10 damage to 2 benched Pokemon of your opponent.
This Pokémon banned card was a strong option for decks to disrupt the opponent's strategy. Those decks used limit the ability to use Evolution cards. Its ability effectively negated the Evolution of Basic Pokémon. It made it difficult for the opponent to progress their game plan. But the card was in a ban. You can’t use it in official tournaments due to its oppressive power. It made it difficult for opponents to respond and disrupted the game's balance.
9. Chip-Chip Ice Axe
Chip-Chip Ice Axe is another Pokémon Trained banned card. It was first introduced in the Sword & Shield set. This Item card has a unique effect. It allows you to look at the top 3 cards of the opponent's deck and choose 1 of them. Then opponents should shuffle the other cards into their deck. And you can put the card you choose on top of their deck.
Chip-Chip Ice Axe was a powerful disruption card. It could quickly remove key cards from the deck and disrupt the opponent's strategy.
But due to its overwhelming ability to swing the game heavily in favor of the player who used it, Pokémon card was eventually banned from official tournaments. The card disrupted the balance of the game. And it made it difficult for opponents to respond, leading to its ban.
10. Delinquent
Delinquent is another banned Pokémon Trainer banned card from the Pokémon TCG. It was first introduced in the BREAKpoint set. This Supporter card has a unique effect. That allows players to discard all Stadium cards (both their own and their opponent's). And then, it forces the opponent to discard 3 cards from their hand.
Delinquent was a powerful disruption card. It could quickly disrupt the opponent's strategy by removing Stadium cards. And it forced them to discard valuable resources from their hand. Its ability also made it a strong option against decks that relied on these cards.
But Delinquent was eventually banned from official tournaments. The card disrupted the balance of the game. And it made it difficult for opponents to respond, leading to its ban.
11. Flabébé
Basic Flabébé is a Fairy-type Pokémon banned card. It was in the sixth generation of the Pokémon series. It has low HP and lacks powerful attacks, making it an unimpressive card for competitive play. But it can evolve into several powerful forms. They are Floette and Florges, which are popular choices in Fairy-type decks.
In the TCG meta, Basic Flabébé is not commonly used. It lacks the necessary power to compete with other popular Pokémon cards. Its only attack, Razor Leaf, deals minimal damage and has a low accuracy rate. Despite its limitations, Basic Flabébé can still be in budget decks. And it can be a starting point for players who want to build a Fairy-type deck. Basic Flabébé has never been in official tournaments, as it is not powerful enough for the game.
12. Forest Of Giant Plants
Forest of Giant Plants is a Stadium card from the Pokémon Trading Card Game. It was first introduced in the Ancient Origins expansion. The effect allows players to evolve their Grass-type Pokémon on the same turn that they play. This helps bypass the usual one-evolution-per-turn rule. This makes it a powerful card for decks that rely on quick evolution strategies.
This illegal Pokémon card created devastatingly fast and powerful Grass-type decks. Those could quickly overwhelm opponents. The card was particularly popular in combination with Pokémon, such as:
- Vileplume;
- Shiftry.
They could evolve into their final forms on the same turn they're used. But the card's power led to a ban.
13. Ghetsis
Ghetsis is a Supporter card from the Pokémon Trading Card Game. It was first introduced in the Plasma Freeze expansion. The card's effect allows players to shuffle their opponent's items into their deck. And then, you draw the same number of cards as their opponent shuffled.
This illegal Pokémon card was a powerful tool to disrupt opponents' strategies and limit their options. It was particularly effective against decks that relied on Item cards. Players could force opponents to discard their hands. It prevented them from playing Item cards. And players could gain the upper hand. And they could control the flow of the game.
But the card's power led to a ban in official tournaments. It created a significant disadvantage for opponents. And it made it difficult for them to recover.
14. Hex Maniac
Hex Maniac is a Supporter card from the Pokémon Trading Card Game. It was first introduced in the BREAKthrough expansion. The effect allows players to prevent their opponent's Pokémon from using any Abilities. This makes it a powerful tool for disrupting opponents' strategies.
But the card's power led to a ban. It created a significant disadvantage for opponents. Its ability to disrupt opponents' strategies was too strong, leading to its ban.
15. Island Challenge Amulet
Island Challenge Amulet is an illegal Pokémon Tool card from the Pokémon TCG. It was first introduced in the Sun & Moon expansion. The card's effect gives -100 HP to the Pokémon it is attached to. And the opponent should take 1 fewer prize card after winning your Pokémon.
It allowed players to take control of the game quickly. But the card's power led to its ban. It created an unfair advantage for players who played against it.
16. Jessie & James
Jessie & James is a Supporter card from the Pokémon Trading Card Game. It was first introduced in the Team Rocket expansion. The card's effect allows players to make their opponent discard two cards. It potentially disrupted their strategy and limited their options.
This illegal Pokémon card was a tool for disrupting opponents' hands and limiting their options. Its ability made it effective when used in combination with other disruption cards. Those can be N and Judge. But the card's power led to a ban in official tournaments.
17. Maxie's Hidden Ball Trick
Maxie's Hidden Ball Trick is a Supporter card from the Pokémon Trading Card Game. It was first introduced in the Primal Clash expansion. The card's effect allows players to use it only when it's the last card in their hand. And also it allows you to bring powerful Pokémon back into play from the pile.
Maxie's Hidden Ball Trick was a powerful tool for returning powerful Pokémon. Its ability to bypass the limitations on bringing Pokémon back made it effective. And disbalance occurs when it's used with cards to fill discard piles. But the card's power led to a ban in official tournaments.
18. Marshadow
Among all banned Pokémon cards, there is Marshadow. This is a Fighting-type Mythical Pokémon card. It's introduced in the Sun and Moon expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Its unique ability, Let Loose, allows players to make opponents shuffle hands into the deck. Then they should take 4 cards.
But the card's power led to a ban in official tournaments. Its ability to use an opponent's attacks was unfair and created an imbalanced field.
19. Milotic
Milotic is a Water-type Pokémon card among all banned Pokémon cards. It's introduced in the Ruby & Sapphire expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. It is popular for its elegant appearance and powerful abilities. This makes it a popular choice among players.
The Milotic card has 100 hit points and features two attacks: Waterfall and Energy Grace. Waterfall deals 60 damage. Meanwhile, Energy Grace makes the player knock out this Pokémon. Then they should attack 3 basic Energy to 1 of Pokémon.
It could easily KO even the strongest attacking Pokémon in the game. As a result, Milotic is in ban now.
20. Mismagius
Mismagius is another Ghost-type Pokémon card among all banned Pokemon cards. It's introduced in the Diamond & Pearl expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. It is popular for its ability to manipulate the opponent's hand and deck. It makes it a popular choice among players who favor disruption strategies.
The Mismagius card has 80 hit points and features two attacks: Ominous Wind and Perish Song. Ominous Wind deals 20 damage. Meanwhile, Perish Song forces both players to shuffle their Pokémon into their decks. But it's only in case they have not already fainted within three turns. But Mismagius's disruption abilities were too powerful. This led to its ban in certain formats.
21. Oranguru
Oranguru is a Normal-type banned Pokémon card. It's introduced in the Sun and Moon expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Its unique Instruct ability allows players to draw cards until they have 3 cards.
Oranguru was in the TCG meta as a powerful card for drawing extra cards and gaining an advantage. Its ability allowed players to quickly fill their hands and gain an advantage in battle.
But the card's power led to its ban in official tournaments. Its ability to draw cards at a rapid pace was unfair and created an imbalanced playing field.
22. Puzzle Of Time
Puzzle of Time is a Trainer card that was first introduced in the XY expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Its ability allowed players to retrieve two Item cards from their discard pile.
Puzzle of Time quickly became a staple in many competitive decks. It allowed players to retrieve key Item cards that had been discarded earlier in the game. This made it a powerful tool for setting up combos and gaining an advantage in battle. But, the card's power led to its ban from official tournaments. Its ability was too powerful.
Despite being banned Pokémon cards, Puzzle of Time remains valuable in casual play. And it's a powerful tool for players looking to retrieve important Item cards.
23. Red Card
Red Card is a Trainer card that was first introduced in the XY expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Its ability can force an opponent to switch their Active Pokémon with one from their Bench. It made it a valuable tool for disrupting opponent's strategies. But its ability led to the ban.
24. Sableye
Sableye is a Dark-type Pokémon. It was first introduced in the third generation of Pokémon games. The most notable is the Sableye card from the Diamond and Pearl expansion.
The Sableye card is a basic Pokémon card with 70 hit points and two attacks. Its first attack, Junk Hunt. It allows the player to retrieve two Trainer cards from their discard pile and add them to their hand. Its second attack is Feint Attack. It deals 30 damage to the opponent's active Pokémon.
This banned Pokémon card was primarily in the TCG meta with Trick Shovel. With a Junk Hunt attack, players could repeatedly add Trick Shovel to their hands.
But the Sableye card was eventually banned from the Expanded format of the TCG. It can repeatedly reuse powerful Trainer cards, making it too dominant in the meta.
25. Reset Stamp
Reset Stamp is a Trainer card in the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG). It was first introduced in the Unbroken Bonds expansion. The card's effect allows players to shuffle their opponent's hand back into their deck. And then, they can force them to draw a new hand of just one card for each of their remaining Prize cards. This can be a devastating blow to the opponent's strategy. It can force them to discard important resources and lose their momentum in the game.
Reset Stamp quickly became a staple in many competitive decks. It was a powerful disruption card that could swing the game in the player's favor. It was often used in combination with other disruption cards. Great examples are Marnie and Crushing Hammer.
But Reset Stamp's dominance in the meta led to its ban in the TCG Standard format in 2020.
Conclusion
As a result, there are many banned cards for official Pokémon tournaments today. All of them got a ban for various reasons. But they have in common their ability to create unbalanced situations. This is what leads to the ban of some Pokémon cards. Use our Pokémon TCG banlist to keep up-to-date information on banned Pokémon cards and stay on trend.
FAQ
Can Banned PokémonCards Be In Casual Play?
Yes, banned Pokémon cards can be in casual play if all players agree to use them. But playing with banned cards can create an unbalanced or unfair playing field. And some players may lose interest in playing.
Can Banned Pokémon Cards Ever Be Unbanned?
Yes, but this is usually a rare occurrence. And it is typically based on changes in the game's balance or mechanics. For example, if a card's power level is no longer a problem. Or if new cards make the before-banned card less dominant.
Why Do Certain Pokémon Cards Get Ban And Not Others?
Cards get ban for a variety of reasons. But usually, it's because they create a problematic or unfun game environment. Some common reasons for banning cards include:
- Power level;
- Consistency;
- Speed;
- Unfun interactions.
How Can I Keep Track Of The Current Pokémon Banned List?
The banned list is typically maintained by the game's official organization or publisher. You can usually find the current banned list on the game's official website. Some fan-made websites and forums may also provide information. But verifying the information with official sources is important to ensure accuracy.