Having alternative formats in a game is common. Players can get bored easily after a few months of using the same cards and decks, so that is why fan-made formats have become a thing. Perhaps the best example out there is Commander, from Magic The Gathering, which started as a way of playing between a group of friends and has eventually escalated until becoming the community choice. In fact, Commander precon decks are one of the top selling products from Wizards of the Cost. And to give you another reference, in Yu-gi-oh! there are some really interesting retro formats like Goat or Edison.

But what about Pokémon? Sure, some players like to host retro events out of nostalgia but what you might not know is that there is actually a format that gained popularity during the pandemic and is still a viable alternative for both casual and competitive players: GLC.

What is GLC? How did this start?

In Pokémon, two official formats exist: Standard and Expanded. Standard is basically the regular format we play and through which players can earn prizes and get their Worlds Invite. It normally involves cards from the last 2-3 years.

Expanded, on the other hand, was created many years ago and aimed to build an environment with a lot of historical cards, allowing you to play anything from 2012 onwards. Years ago, there were a reasonable number of official Expanded tournaments, but they eventually started to disappear. There are multiple theories as to why, which include the increasing price & scarcity of old cards and the constant banlist updates to try to stop sick combos from being created. I honestly don’t know exactly what is the deal right now with Expanded. If you go to the official Pokémon site, it is still there, like a ghost, waiting to wake up.  But when you actually try to play it, they are not official tournaments in the official Pokémon circuit, and the new online customer (Pokémon TCG Live) doesn’t offer you a chance to play the format (there is something called Expanded Beta that has been in, well, beta phase for almost two years and nobody understands what it is).

In any case, let me get back on track. During the pandemic, things were difficult for everyone, People were stuck in their houses and really wanted to do something different to keep them distracted. Pokémon influencer Andrew Mahone released a video explaining his proposal for a new type of format, something that would give players the possibility to play beyond Standard and have a lot of fun with their favorite pokémon: he called this format Gym Leader Challenge. Because Mahone is one of the biggest figures in the game, his suggestion gained a lot of traction, first from his fanbase and the American community but soon crossed the seas.

Gym Leader Challenge - Rules

So… how to define it? Gym Leader Challenge is a fan-made format that relies on building a deck around one specific pokémon type without using more than one copy of each card. In this case, it is more or less similar to a singleton format with the added layer of only being able to play one Pokémon type (Water, Fire, Fighting, Psychic, etc). It aims to bring back the spirit of close games and help trainers feel like they are actual gym leaders from the video games. In case you are not familiar with this mechanic in the videogames, you will find characters throughout the story who are masters of one specific type of Pokémon and will challenge you with their thematic team.

GLC is played by using the same rules as a normal, Standard game. For example, you play with the same amount of prize cards, draw as you would and all cards interact the same way. 

Things get a bit different when it comes to building the decks:

• You get to build a normal 60-card deck
• You can only include one copy of each card per deck except for basic energies, which don’t have a limit.
• Rule-box Pokémon are not allowed (cards with a rule-box description like multiple-prizers, Prism, or Radiant Pokémon)
• Ace Specs are not allowed
• You can include any card from Black and White onwards except for the ones in the following banlist.

Why do people play GLC?

I have to confess that I am a very casual GLC player myself, as I prefer to invest my free time playing Edison and Goat but the few times I have decided to join a group of friends and dive into Mahone’s format have been very fun and different. And I think that is the key. Here are my top 3 reasons why people really like this format:

The games are closer

Pokémon has evolved a lot since I started playing it and while it maintains most of its iconic mechanics it is true that the formats where one-prizers were dominating are long gone. In my opinion, GLC provides a whole different experience where the difference between two different decks is not so big as the one that exists between a tier S meta deck in standard and a more casual strategy.  

If you look at the rules explained above, the first thing that stands out is that there is no way to speed up the game by playing very powerful GX or ex Pokémon, which are the norm in the Standard format. With exceptions, players will be forced to take one prize per attack, which makes the games longer and harder.

Unique and evolving playing styles

When you build a GLC deck for the first time, the first thing you notice is how unique Lightning is versus Darkness. The fact that each type has access to different cards, pokemon and supporters makes it very interesting and rewarding to explore until you arrive at the one that better suits you as a player. For example, you can play control with some colorless builds.

And contrary to closed retro formats that can change but no new cards are ever added to the card pool, GLC is constantly evolving because new sets are always printed. This might sound a bit daunting to some because it would mean that you need to always keep investing in new cards but the reality is that the cards that are usually good at GLC are not always powerful in Standard and their price is literally… cents. Which leads me to the last point…

There is only one exception to this. Because Pokémon decided to completely remove the Fairy type from the TCG a couple of years ago, that is the only type that will not receive any updates. This means you can play your Fairy deck in GLC but will never be able to add more Pokémon… unless The International Pokémon Company surprises us and starts printing them again!

Low budgets are the norm

In addition to that, every deck is extremely cheap to build, as you will imagine. The only expensive Pokémon cards (generally speaking) are very powerful V or EX Pokémon, which are not allowed at GLC. So I would dare to say that you can buy almost whatever deck you want for less than 30 USD. I don’t think money is the most important factor here, but I have seen friends investing entire salaries in Commander decks so having a format that is very budget-friendly is always positive.

What are the best decks in GLC?

That is a very difficult question to answer because the metagame is always evolving. The good thing is that, regardless of your favorite pokémon type, you will be able to find a solid and consistent deck. Last time I played, my favorite deck was water for its consistency and power (and also because it happens to be my top Pokémon type!) but I am leaving you here a link to see all the different options in action (please note this decks are from July 2024):

Grass: This is a very popular pick. Cherrim and/or Rillaboom provide a lot of energy acceleration, which is key in this type of formats, and from there, the options are almost endless. You can decide to tank some hits with bulky Pokémon or invest a bit more resources into building your own draw support engine with Beautifly. This archetype contains one of the most expensive cards in the entire format, Roserade, so be mindful if you opt to go this way!        

Water: I know I am biased but this deck is really strong. The idea is to set up Baxcalibur or Frosslass as soon as possible to have access to unlimited energies and then you can really leverage a lot of different Pokémon that can provide you with search and draw, like Octillery and Inteleon. Once you are ready, Wailord and Wishiwashi can literally wipe every other Pokémon off the field while resisting most of the attacks.

Lightning: There are honestly different ways you can go about building this deck, focusing on spreading a ton of damage and taking all the prizes in one turn or just going for a more straightforward approach. While I am a bigger fan of an aggro strategy (which leverages Zapdos’ speed), this Electivire build is so fun that I needed to include it here! Be prepared to end the game in just one attack!

Fire: Even if everyone’s favorite Pokémon is Charizard, Fire is a bit difficult to build. If you compare it to other decks (Water, Grass), fire has some limitations when it comes to powering up their attackers in an efficient way, let alone drawing cards. In any case, Entei and Arcanine can deal with a lot of opponents’ Pokemon as soon as Charizard hits the field, multiplying the amount of energy you have in your board.

Darkness: This is one of the most powerful decks you can play. While it doesn’t have a lot of draw power (except for Liepard), being able to shut abilities down with Weezing is game-changing. Weavile, Hoopa, and Moltres are exceptional attackers who can deal a ton of damage depending on the board state and the turn you are in. And don’t sleep over Guzzlord, who can take multiple prizes out of the blue. .

Psychic: Psychic is also a very popular play. Perhaps its only drawback is that it has some limitations when you compare it with water or grass but Wobbuffet is a very efficient starting Pokémon that can slow things down until the moment you set up Malamar and your Gallade engine. From that moment onwards it is as easy as to keep spamming your attackers and spreading damage counters.

Of course, you can build as many decks as you want. If you want to check all these strategies in more detail, I really encourage you to go and check the official GLC page, run by Mahome. You will be able to easily find tournaments, leagues, discord groups, and much more.

Where can I play GLC?

That is a great question! I have some good and bad news at the time I am writing this article.

The bad news (because I always like to start with the bad ones) is that there is no current way of playing it online. Unless you use some cam tournaments, you can’t play GLC in the official Pokémon Live server, as I explained at the beginning. And being very honest, the online client is currently facing so many challenges that I doubt that they will make GLC a priority.

The good news? That players really love to play the format. This means that a lot of stores host GLC tournaments regularly and in case you are playing a Regional or an International Championship, you will be able to play GLC games in side-events as a way to win exclusive prizes.

I don’t really think GLC can become an official format anytime soon (Pokémon needs to first figure out what they want to do with Expanded) but you never know what can happen in the future…

For those that want to build multiple decks at the same time, Arkhives are the best way to archive your strategies and access them in a very easy way.

Conclusion

GLC is a very fun format that can offer players a whole new experience. While it has some limitations, it is a very interesting environment that has conquered players’ hearts all over the world. If you are about to play a Regional Championship, don’t forget to pack your GLC decks because you will meet a lot of people who will be willing to play against you to prove who is the most powerful Pokémon trainer.

Thanks for reading!