The latest Pokémon TCG Standard rotation which removed cards with the “F” regulation mark from the Pokémon TCG metagame while introducing those with the “I” regulation mark came into effect on 24 January 2025 in Japan. Internationally, the 2025-26 Standard rotation will take effect on 11 April.

With this in mind, many in the competitive Pokémon TCG community—both in Japan and abroad—were keeping close eyes on the Champions League Fukuoka tournament held over the weekend of 15-16 February. This was because Champions League Fukuoka was the first major tournament to be held under the new rotation.

While most expected the metagame to have experienced significant shifts—especially after the prior introduction of the meta-warping Budew card from Terastal Festival [SV8a]—almost no one could have foreseen what would take place that weekend in Kyūshū.

The New Powerhouse Deck

Hiromu Sasaki took home the title with a Feraligatr/Munkidori deck. While its two headliner cards had been around since Wild Force [SV5K] and Mask of Change [SV6] respectively, it wasn’t until recently that the meta had shifted enough for the deck to become a true powerhouse. The Pokémon TCG first took notice of the deck after a player used it to win a City League tournament in Kyoto on 29 January—and with this win, the deck has backed up its meteoric rise and proven that it’s here to stay.

A Shift Towards Defense

In general, the meta has shifted in favor of defense. Part of this was already known due to Budew’s impact; its Item-locking Itchy Pollen attack slows the pace of the game down—favoring more defensively-oriented decks. However, the true extent of the defensively-minded turn that the meta has taken was shown in Fukuoka when not only did two defensive decks (Blissey ex and Milotic ex/Farigiraf ex) finish in the top four; those two decks had never before even come close to that level in tournament play. In total, five players using defensive decks made the top 16—a result which would’ve been unheard of prior to rotation.

Further curbing offense are the weakening of draw engines assisted by many cards which have been rotated out as well as the removal of offense-aiding cards such as Canceling Cologne from Battle Region [S9a], Double Turbo Energy from Star Birth [S9], and Lost Abyss [S11] duo Lost City and Lost Vacuum. Evidence of this could be seen in the decline of two of the previous rotation’s strongest offensive decks—Raging Bolt ex and Gardevoir ex. Only one Raging Bolt ex player made the top 16 while no Gardevoir ex players did.

Once rotation takes effect outside Japan in April, expect similar outcomes to take place internationally as well.

In other TCG-related news, check out the Forest Seal Stone card from Paradigm Trigger [S12]. Alternatively, you can also head over to the SNKRDUNK App via the banner below and find the top trending and latest single cards and boxes.

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