Series one of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet’s Ranked Battle mode has only just ended, but players are eagerly awaiting the start of the next season after a meta-changing update to the format has been announced. Series two singles and doubles battles will now allow paradox Pokémon, past and future versions of familiar Pokémon from Paldea.
Previously, this mode has been limited to the basic Paldea Pokédex only, meaning that builds using Maushold, Murkrow, and Tatsugiri have been popular. The ruling to add paradox Pokémon will add a total of 14 new Pokémon to the legal pool, significantly changing the metagame.
Some fans have already expressed their concern around this on competitive forums, as many of the paradox Pokémon (though not all) have pseudo-legendary level stats, making them too powerful for the format. We won’t know for sure what effects these Pokémon will have on the meta until the season starts on February 1.
Even with these new additions, not all Pokémon that you can find in Paldea are legal for competitive play. For example, legendaries like Koraidon and Miraidon are still banned, as are Pokémon from outside the Paldean Pokédex, like the Charizard and Cinderace evolution lines.
That’s all we know about season two of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s Ranked Battle mode. To prepare for the change in meta, make sure to check out our guide to all the paradox Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet.