From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia.
Gym Leader Challenge logo
The Gym Leader Challenge format of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, sometimes abbreviated as "GLC", is a recognized alternative format for playing the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The format name is a reference to how Gym Leaders in the Pokémon games often specialize in just one Pokémon type.
The format was originally created by Pokémon TCG player and online content creator Andrew Mahone on July 14, 2021.[1] Mahone was inspired by the prominence of Pokémon with a Rule Box, which tend to have higher HP and powerful attacks. It is also envisioned by Mahone as a "singleton" format, i.e. a deck can only have one copy of any card (except for Basic Energy cards).[1]
The Gym Leader Challenge format has been acknowledged in official Pokémon materials and events. It is included in the official Pokémon TCG Alternative Play Handbook,[2] and has been featured as a side event in tournaments such as the 2022 World Championships and the 2023 Europe International Championships.[3][4] Some TCG-related posts on Pokémon.com promote cards that can work well in GLC.[5][6][7]
Rules
The Gym Leader Challenge format is mainly derived from the Expanded format (i.e. cards from the Black & White expansion onward are legal), with the following rules:[8]
- A deck can contain only one type of Pokémon.
- Only one copy of each card with the same name can be put in a deck, except for Basic Energy cards, which a deck can have multiple copies of. Any type of Basic Energy cards are allowed regardless of the Pokémon's type.[9]
- A deck may not contain any of these cards:
Upon inception of this format, Pokémon with Ancient Traits were not allowed. This was until November 16, 2021, when those Pokémon were allowed, and the first bans took place: Oranguru and Lysandre's Trump Card.[11]
Alternative Play Handbook
As written, the GLC rules in the Alternative Play Handbook are slightly off from the community held rules. In specific, those rules only prevent the play of Pokémon with Rule Boxes, leaving Prism Star Trainers and Energy allowed.
