Over the years, there have been many cards that have been banned from official Pokémon TCG settings such as official tournaments and other events. The first Pokémon TCG card ban was imposed in 1999; since then, the list of banned cards has grown significantly.

In more than a quarter of a century since the ban of Super Energy Removal (which you can buy here from the SNKRDUNK App) from tournaments in Japan, a total of 62 cards have been banned in some capacity. All sorts of cards have been banned over the years, spanning Commons to Special Art Rare (SAR) cards. All manner of Pokémon, as well as Supporter and Item cards (and even one Energy card), have been banned at some point from certain gameplay formats for a variety of reasons.

There are several different reasons why a Pokémon TCG card might find itself on the official blacklist. We’ll now discuss some of those reasons and provide examples of cards banned for those reasons.

Major Reasons for Pokémon Card Bans

1. Lack of Global Distribution

At most top-level Pokémon TCG tournaments, all cards that have not been distributed globally are prohibited from use. This is because such tournaments include players from all over the world—some of whom are more able to access these often region-locked cards than others. By banning these cards, The Pokémon Company (TPC) and The Pokémon Company International (TPCi) ensure that the playing field for the tournament is as close to even as possible since no one can have an unfair advantage by including cards that would be helpful for their deck but have not been made readily available to all players.

All the cards that have ever been banned due to lack of global distribution are promotional cards that have had some sort of distribution restriction.

Examples of banned Pokémon cards due to not being distributed globally include the following:

Galarian Obstagoon (SWSH Black Star Promos SWSH193)

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Pecharunt (SVP Black Star Promos 129)

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Tropical Beach P [BW28](Black & White “Promotional Card”)

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Special Delivery Bidoof (SWSH Black Star Promos SWSH177)

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Special Delivery Pikachu (SWSH Black Star Promos SWSH074)

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2. Difficulty of Rule Enforcement

Two Pokémon TCG cards have been banned from tournaments and other official settings because enforcing the rules around them has been deemed to be too cumbersome a process. The two cards in question are _____’s Pikachu and Ancient Mew; both are originally from the Unnumbered Promotional Cards.

_’s Pikachu: PROMO[S8a-P 007/025](Promo Card Pack 25th Anniversary Edition)

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Ancient Mew Late Revised ver. : Old Back/PROMO[PMCG-P](Promotional Cards “Pokemon the Movie: The Birth of Lugia” Nintendo Notation/ No Wizards Notation)

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_____’s Pikachu has the attack of Birthday Surprise which ordinarily inflicts 30 damage on the opposing Active Pokémon; however, if it’s the player’s birthday, the player has the chance to flip a coin for a shot at 50 more damage.

It should be evident as to how this would prove problematic in an official setting. Far too much time and effort on the part of those in charge would’ve been used to verify the documentation of players who chose to use the card. As such, allowing the use of _____’s Pikachu was understandably outlawed as soon as it was released in English (the Japanese version explicitly specifies that it’s not allowed to be used in tournament play while the English version doesn’t).

Ancient Mew is a card with all its text written in Runic. The only way for a game to proceed smoothly would be for the player to use the Ancient Mew card to supply a translation guide from Runic for verification of the card’s attack and the attack’s effects. Since not everyone had access to such a translation guide, Ancient Mew also received the banhammer from the powers that be.

3. Game-Breaking Power Levels

The most common reason for a Pokémon TCG card ban is a power level so excessive that it necessitates the card’s removal from official play for the sake of the metagame’s health. The first card to ever be banned for being excessively powerful was Super Energy Removal from the original Expansion Pack; the card was banned in 1999. That ban, however, was exclusive to tournaments and other events in Japan.

As the years went on, more cards ended up being blacklisted because of game-breaking power levels as well. The vast majority of these bans were imposed in the Expanded format which, unlike the more common Standard format, includes cards that have been rotated out of tournament play for being too old. Some of the more notorious cards that have been banned from Expanded play over the years include the following:

Forest of Giant Plants :Mirror [XY 154/171](High Class Pack “The Best of XY”)

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Puzzle of Time :Mirror [XY 112/171](High Class Pack “The Best of XY”)

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Shiftry U :1ED [BW3 040/052](Expansion Pack “Psycho Drive”)

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Shaymin EX[XY-BEST 188/171](High Class Pack “The Best of XY”)

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Sableye U :1ED [BW4 043/069](Expansion Pack “Dark Rush”)

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Four banned cards in Pokémon TCG history go even beyond this: they were so outrageously overpowered that they were banned globally from official settings even before they were rotated out; as such, they are the only cards to ever be banned from the Standard format both in Japan and internationally.

These cards are as follows:

Sneasel : Old Back [neo1 No.215](Pokemon Card neo Expansion Pack “Gold Silver to a New World…”)

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Lysandre’s Trump Card SR :1ED [XY4 095/088](Expansion Pack “Phantom Gate”)

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Mismagius U [SM10 039/095](Expansion Pack “Double Blaze”)

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Bellelba & Brycen-Man SR[SM12a 194/173](High Class Pack”Tag Team GX Tag All Stars”)

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Some of the oldheads reading this might be thinking “Wait, what about Slowking?” Well, the Slowking card from Gold, Silver, to a New World… that you might have remembered was only banned internationally but not in Japan. This is because a translation error when the card was given its English version made it overpowering—specifically in its English form. In Japanese, Slowking remained a balanced card.

Interestingly, there’s even been a banned Energy card. Ever since June 2020, Double Colorless Energy—a card from the original Expansion Pack which has been reprinted many times since—has been banned from tournament play in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Why Banned Pokémon Cards Gain Value in the Collector’s Market

As a result of their status, many banned cards have accrued much value over the years and have become highly sought-after by countless collectors. This is understandable because:

1. When one owns a banned card, the card imparts an inherent feeling of “rebelling against the system” simply because the authorities have ruled against the card.

2. In addition, with players no longer being interested in banned cards, collectors and investors will be drawn to them—especially if the card in question already has a particularly rare version.

3. The story behind the card enhances its status, giving it a “lore” of sorts—a card so powerful that it had to be banished for the sake of serious players everywhere, or a card that could not be used for gameplay because there was something different about it which almost no other cards had.

4. Owning a banned Pokémon TCG card is like owning a piece of Pokémon TCG history as well. At some point, the card in question would’ve been the subject of much discussion and controversy within the community. Thus, the card isn’t “just a card”; it represents a moment in the storied history of the Pokémon TCG.

Without further ado, here’s the list of our top 10 cards that have ever been banned in any capacity currently being sold on the SNKRDUNK App:

Top 10 Banned Pokémon Cards Available on SNKRDUNK

(* denotes a ban specifically applicable to tournaments in Hong Kong and Taiwan)
(^ denotes a ban specifically applicable to the Expanded format but not the more commonly played Standard format)

Jessie & James SR[SM10b 062/054](Enhanced Expansion Pack “Sky Legend”) (^)

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Double Colorless Energy UR[SM1+ 067/051](Strength Expansion Pack “Sun & Moon”) (*)

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Maxie’s Hidden Ball Trick SR :1ED [XY5-G 078/070](Expansion Pack “Gaia Volcano”) (^)

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Ultra Ball UR[SM1S 071/060](Expansion Pack “Collection Sun”) (*)

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Delinquent[XY-BEST 184/171](High Class Pack “The Best of XY”) (^)

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Lusamine SR[SM4A 055/050](Expansion Pack “Ultradimensional Beasts”) (^)

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Shaymin EX[XY-BEST 188/171](High Class Pack “The Best of XY”) (^)

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Ancient Mew Late Revised ver. : Old Back/PROMO[PMCG-P](Promotional Cards “Pokemon the Movie: The Birth of Lugia” Nintendo Notation/ No Wizards Notation)

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Hex Maniac[XY-BEST 181/171](High Class Pack “The Best of XY”) (^)

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Acerola Extra Battle Day: PROMO[SM-P 395](SM-P Promotional cards) (*)

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Now that you’ve seen our list of banned cards, why not scroll back up and pick one which most impresses you? After all, we won’t ban you from buying them.

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