View source for VGC 2020 rules have been updated for Sword and Shield

{{Article|
type=news |
picture=Video Game Championships logo.png |
caption=The Pokémon Video Game Championships logo |
weekday=Thursday |
day=5 |
month=12 |
year=2019 |
time=21:12:41 |
discusstype=none |
discusslink= |
sourcetype=othersite |
sourcename=The official Pokémon website |
sourcelink=https://www.pokemon.com/uk/pokemon-news/2020-pokemon-video-game-championships-vgc-format-rules/ |
user=Water Max |
userlink=User:Water Max |
tagline=These new rules will be used from 4 January and will be updated again every few months to include certain Gigantamax Pokémon |
blurb=The official Play! Pokémon rules and formats for the 2019-2020 season of VGC tournaments have been updated by the official site. The VGC 2020 rules will be changing on January 4 so that everyone will be playing Pokémon Sword and Shield and the standard battle format style will be Double Battles. Players will be able to use Pokémon from the Galarian Pokédex except for certain Mythical and Legendary Pokémon. Players will be able to Dynamax their Pokémon but since players will be more likely to encounter certain Gigantamax Pokémon than others until early January then there will be a list of Gigantamax Pokémon that can be used although this list will be updated with other Gigantamax Pokémon every few months in the Play! Pokémon VG Tournament Rules and Formats document. }}
{{CategorizeIn|Games|12|19}} {{CategorizeIn|Events|12|19}}

[[File:Video Game Championships logo.png|thumb|right|The Pokémon Video Game Championships logo]]
The official Play! Pokémon rules and formats for the 2019-2020 season of Pokémon Video Game Championship (VGC) tournaments have been updated by the official site.

The VGC 2020 rules will be changing on January 4 so that everyone will be playing physical or digital versions of {{bp|Pokémon Sword and Shield}} on a {{bp|Nintendo Switch}} or {{bp|Nintendo Switch Lite}} and the standard battle format style will be Double Battles. Players will be able to use Pokémon from the Galarian Pokédex except for certain Mythical and Legendary Pokémon which are currently {{p|Mew}}, {{p|Zacian}}, {{p|Zamazenta}} and {{p|Eternatus}}. Players will be able to {{bp|Dynamax}} their Pokémon but since players will be more likely to encounter certain {{bp|Gigantamax}} Pokémon than others until early January then there will be a list of Gigantamax Pokémon that can be used although this list will be updated with other Gigantamax Pokémon every few months in the Play! Pokémon VG Tournament Rules and Formats document. The list of Gigantamax Pokémon that can be used from 4 January until it is updated is:

*{{p|Charizard}} (only with the {{bp|Ability}} {{bp|Blaze}})
*{{p|Butterfree}}
*{{p|Pikachu}}
*{{p|Meowth}}
*{{p|Eevee}}
*{{p|Snorlax}}
*{{p|Corviknight}}
*{{p|Drednaw}}
*{{p|Centiskorch}}
*{{p|Sandaconda}}

In addition to these rules every Pokémon in a party must also have a black Galar symbol in the Pokémon summary screen to show that they were obtained in Pokémon Sword or Shield. All battles will start with a 90-second Team Preview phase. Battles will be conducted using 7 minutes of Your Time, 45 seconds of Move Time and 15 minutes of Game Time in each battle. A player’s Your Time is a time limit that is only deducted while each player is making a decision on a Pokémon move or switching Pokémon during every 45 seconds of Move Time. Every Pokémon must hold a different item and more than one of the same Pokémon cannot be used. Pokémon that are below and above Level 50 will be auto-leveled up and down to 50 for the duration of battle.