VGC 2025 Regulation H — Doubles Format Reference
Reg H is the SV VGC format that deliberately narrowed the dex. No Restricted Legendaries. No Paradox Pokémon. No Mythicals. The most restrictive VGC format of the gen — and a meta that surfaced bulkier compositions Reg G's offensive ceiling had buried.
Cartridge
Scarlet & Violet
Type
4v4 Doubles
Restricted
BANNED
Paradox
BANNED
Take Calyrex-Shadow off every team. Take Iron Hands and Flutter Mane off every team. What you have left is what Reg H actually plays.
At a glance
Reg H is the deliberate counter-design to Reg G's power ceiling. Removing Restricted Legendaries, Paradox Pokémon, and Mythicals stripped the format's top-tier offensive engines and forced players to build around the next layer of threats.
The format ran for early-mid 2025. Replaced by Reg I (which re-allowed Paradox) in late 2025. Reg H is one of the most-discussed VGC formats for its design philosophy — many players consider it the healthiest SV VGC ruleset.
- Format type4v4 Doubles, brought 4 from a 6
- CartridgePokémon Scarlet & Violet
- Restricted slotBANNED — no Restricted Legendaries permitted
- ParadoxBANNED — no Ancient or Future Paradox Pokémon
- MythicalsBANNED — Mew, Magearna, etc. ineligible
- MechanicsTera legal, no Megas / Z-Moves / Dynamax
- StatusFrozen — replaced by Reg I in late 2025
- Where it's playedLive data: /sv/vgc2025regh.
Format rules
Reg H applies the standard VGC ruleset with a deliberately narrowed dex. The eligibility cuts are the format's defining feature.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Battle type | 4v4 Doubles, brought 4 from a 6 |
| Team preview | Yes — both sides see all 6 before lead choice |
| Level | All Pokémon set to level 50 |
| Species Clause | Each team can only carry one of any given species |
| Item Clause | Each held item can only appear once on the team |
| Restricted slot | ZERO — no Restricted Legendaries permitted |
| Paradox Pokémon | BANNED — Ancient and Future Paradox excluded |
| Mythicals | BANNED — full Mythical list ineligible |
| Tera | LEGAL — once per team, per battle |
| Best of | Best-of-3 in tournament play |
Eligible Pokémon
Reg H runs on the SV Paldea + DLC dex with three full categorical exclusions. The remaining roster is what the format actually plays.
Banned categories
- All Restricted Legendaries — Calyrex forms, Miraidon, Koraidon, Terapagos, Zacian, Zamazenta, Lunala, Solgaleo, Necrozma fusions, Sinnoh trio, Unova trio, Hoenn primal pair, Johto trio, Kyurem, all banned.
- All Paradox Pokémon — Great Tusk, Iron Hands, Flutter Mane, Roaring Moon, Iron Valiant, Iron Bundle, all 16+ Paradox Pokémon banned.
- All Mythicals — Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin, Arceus, Victini, Keldeo, Meloetta, Genesect, Diancie, Hoopa, Volcanion, Magearna, Marshadow, Zeraora, Meltan / Melmetal, Zarude, Pecharunt all banned.
What stays — the Reg H roster
Standard non-Restricted Pokémon from the Paldea + DLC dex. Notable Reg H staples: Incineroar, Rillaboom, Tornadus (Therian + Incarnate), Pelipper, Volcarona, Garchomp, Dragonite, Annihilape (until banned), Sinistcha, Archaludon, Ogerpon (all four masks), Ursaluna-Bloodmoon.
The narrowed-dex design
Reg H is the only mainline VGC format that bans Restricted, Paradox, AND Mythicals simultaneously. The cuts are categorical, not Pokémon-by-Pokémon — every entire category was removed by design.
Why the design works
- Removes the offensive ceiling — without Calyrex-Shadow, Miraidon, or any 165+ SpA threat, the offensive bar drops dramatically.
- Removes Paradox snowballs — Booster Energy + Quark Drive / Protosynthesis produced Pokémon with effective stats well above their species line. Their absence shifts the meta toward more naturally-balanced threats.
- Surfaces bulkier compositions — without quick KO threats, defensive Pokémon (Pelipper, Sinistcha, Archaludon) can hold the field longer. Trick Room teams benefit; rain teams benefit.
- Tera centralisation — with raw stats lower across the board, Tera Type flips become the primary tool for breaking through defensive walls. The Tera slot is more deliberate than in Reg G.
Archetypes
Reg H archetypes lean defensive and weather-driven. Without Restricted to anchor offensive cores, teams build around weather, terrain, or speed-control engines.
Weather
Pelipper Rain
Pelipper Drizzle + Swift Swim partners (now Paradox-free, so Greninja-like options) + Archaludon Stamina rain abuser. Rain-boosted Hurricane / Hydro Pump.
Trick Room
Sinistcha / TR
Sinistcha Hospitality + Trick Room + slow physical attackers. Ursaluna-Bloodmoon 50 Speed sits cleanly in TR bracket.
Bulky Offense
Annihilape Wincon
Pre-ban: Annihilape Bulk Up + Rage Fist scaling + Drain Punch. Defining Reg H wallbreaker until Smogon Tour-equivalent suspect resolution.
Tailwind
Tornadus Tailwind
Tornadus Prankster Tailwind + offensive Doubles support. The format's defining speed-control engine; Whimsicott alternative.
Setup
Volcarona Quiver Dance
Volcarona Quiver Dance + Heat Wave spread + Tera Fairy / Ground. Fragile but high offensive ceiling.
Mask Sweep
Ogerpon Cores
All four Ogerpon masks viable — Teal (offense), Wellspring (Water), Hearthflame (physical Fire/Grass), Cornerstone (Rock/Grass). Embody Aspect on Tera produces a built-in stat boost.
VGC team roles
Reg H's team roles inherit the standard VGC framework, with the Restricted slot replaced by a Tera-tunable wallbreaker.
Without Restricted, teams pick a Tera-tunable wallbreaker as the cornerstone. Common choices: Volcarona Quiver Dance, Annihilape Bulk Up (until ban), Archaludon Stamina, Ursaluna-Bloodmoon Blood Moon.
Incineroar Intimidate + Fake Out is the format's primary Fake Out user. Other options: Whimsicott Prankster Fake Tears, Mienshao Inner Focus.
Tornadus Prankster Tailwind + 4-turn team Speed double. Whimsicott alternative. Trick Room less central than in Reg G/I (no Calyrex-Ice).
Reg H spread movers: Heat Wave, Earthquake (with allied immunity), Make It Rain (Tinkaton variants), Hyper Voice (Sylveon Pixilate).
Tornadus-Therian Regenerator + U-turn (when Therian forme legal). Incineroar Parting Shot.
Indeedee-Female with Psychic Surge + Follow Me. Amoonguss Regenerator + Rage Powder + Spore.
What makes Reg H different
Reg H is the only mainline VGC format with categorical bans of Restricted, Paradox, AND Mythicals. The cuts produced a structurally bulkier meta than any other SV ruleset.
✗
Restricted
Banned — no top-tier offensive engine
✗
Paradox
Banned — no Booster Energy snowballs
↓
Power ceiling
Lowest of any SV VGC ruleset
- Categorical bans — most VGC formats ban Pokémon individually. Reg H bans whole categories. The result is a more uniform, more predictable competitive surface.
- Bulky offense becomes viable — without Calyrex-Shadow Astral Barrage 4-tap KOs, defensive Pokémon (Pelipper, Sinistcha, Archaludon) can hold the field for multiple turns.
- Annihilape ban mid-format — Annihilape was banned to a tier above Reg H mid-cycle for Bulk Up + Rage Fist scaling. The ban was the format's only major mid-cycle action.
- Tera centralisation — with raw stats lower, the Tera flip becomes the primary tool for breaking defensive walls. Most teams ran Tera on a wallbreaker.
How to get started
Reg H is now a frozen retro VGC format. The narrowed dex makes it more approachable for newcomers — fewer Pokémon to learn, tighter team-building decisions.
- Pick a weather or speed-control engine — Pelipper Rain, Tornadus Tailwind, or Sinistcha Trick Room are the format's structural starting points.
- Build the support core — Incineroar Fake Out + Amoonguss Rage Powder + your weather setter / speed-control Pokémon.
- Pick your Tera target — usually a wallbreaker. Tera Fairy Volcarona, Tera Steel Garchomp, Tera Water Pelipper for rain.
- Copy a sample team from VGC tournaments — Reg H's tournament archive is well-documented; top-cut teams from Worlds-equivalents are the canonical learning resource.
- Ladder Pokémon Showdown — Reg H has an active retro VGC ladder.
Where to go from here
The above is the static reference for VGC 2025 Reg H. Live frozen-format data lives in the rest of Pokékipe.
- Live format data — /sv/vgc2025regh for Reg H usage and tournament results.
- Mechanics — Gen 9 — Scarlet & Violet covers Tera, abilities, and items.
- Adjacent VGC formats — Reg G (the previous Restricted-allowed era), Reg I (Paradox returns), Reg M-A (Champions current).
- Workflow — VGC Teambuilding guide. Tournament Preparation guide.