Pokemon VGC implements huge change to combat “genned” teams
The Pokemon CompanyPokemon Scarlet & Violet’s VGC has implemented a rule that requires competitors to enter Rental Team IDs beforehand to combat against “genned” or hacked teams.
The topic of “genned” Pokemon in the competitive video game community, often abbreviated to VGC, is a hot-button issue.
For those unfamiliar with the term, a “genned” Pokemon team uses one or more monsters that have been hacked into the game. While many take umbrage with using genned Pokemon to compete, there are those who support it thanks to the time and effort it saves when building competitive teams.
However, it seems The Pokemon Company is keen to combat the use of genned Pokemon in competitive play, as the organization has implemented a new rule to keep players’ teams in check.
Pokemon VGC implements mandatory Rental Team ID checks
This new rule was announced through the Play Pokemon X account, which said, “Attention, Trainers! Starting with the Utrecht Special Event on 3/2, competitors will be required to enter a Rental Team ID when registering their #PokemonVG teams. Please be prepared to provide this by registration deadlines as standard procedure.”
The post included a link to the official VG Rules, Formats, and Penalty Guidelines handbook.
Under section 4.2, Legality Check, section 4.2.3 stated, “Certain tournaments may require that each player submits a Rental Team ID that contains a Battle Team that matches their Team List. It is the player’s responsibility to ensure the Rental Team ID is correct.”
The issue surrounding genned teams has only grown in recent years, with more and more players getting reprimanded for using hacked Pokemon.
During the 2023 Pokemon World Championship prominent player Brady Smith was disqualified on Day 1 for using genned monsters.
Smith would later claim that around 85% of “top-level players” use modified Pokemon to compete. For Pokemon’s part, it’s no surprise the company would want to combat the use of hacked ‘mons in official tournaments.
According to the official post on X, the first competition this rule will take place in is the Utrecht Regional on March 2, 2024. For now, fans will just have to see how this new ruling affects the competitive season going forward.