Pokemon Scarlet and Violet VGC Regulation G Restricted Pokemon tier list (January 2025)

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Regulation G has returned to live servers after a hiatus in favor of Regulation H, which banned all Legendary Pokemon from participating. Now, Regulation G reintroduces Legendary Pokemon to competitive play — bringing special "restricted" Pokemon back to the ruleset.

These "box-art" Legendaries, often the mascots of a region, title, or expansion, are limited to one per team. As a result, trainers will want to make their choice count. That said, here is a tier list of the best-restricted creatures in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's VGC Regulation G.

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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet VGC Regulation G Restricted Tier List

D-Tier

Powercreep has bullied many older Legendaries out of the meta (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Many Legendary Pokemon inhabit Regulation G's D-Tier, primarily due to the lack of synergies these older choices have with newer strategies like Electric Terrain, Sandstorms, and Sun. Here is every restricted Pokemon in the D-Tier:

• Necrozma (all forms)
• Giratina (all forms)
• Altered Dialga
• Altered Palkia
• Calyrex
• Kyurem
• Solgaleo

Solgaleo, Kyurem, and Calyrex are not surprising to be so low on this list, given that they are parts of greater fusion forms. With Necrozma's alternate form being a fusion with Solgaleo, the creature's overall presence is hindered by its weakness to Ground and Fire-type attacks.

As for the Sinnoh Legends, they are simply not in their prime anymore, especially after the release of the new Origin Dialga and Palkia.

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C-Tier

Many picks in the C-Tier have potential but lack the power or consistency offered by other selections (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The C-Tier is full of creatures that can somewhat stand on their own but do not perform as consistently as other choices in higher tiers. These Legendaries often get spotlighted by YouTubers as "underrated," but in reality, they are really good in some match-ups when controlled by an experienced user.

Here is every restricted Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Regulation G:

• Origin Dialga
• Origin Palkia
• White Kyurem
• Black Kyurem
• Reshiram
• Zekrom
• Lugia

Every creature in this tier has a common problem,i.e., they do not impact the battlefield, outside of just doing a large amount of damage. Modern Legendaries possess a trait that changes the battlefield, like weather, terrain, synergy with the conditions, or a better offensive typing.

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B-Tier

Many B-Tier picks have some synergies with battlefield conditions but are outclassed by better choices in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Creatures in the B-Tier have great potential when used by the right player. Unlike the C-Tier, B-Tier creatures play better in common conditions like Sun and Trick Room. Here are Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's B-Tier restricted picks:

• Ho-oh
• Eternatus
• Koraidon
• Lunala
• Groudon

Creatures in this tier are also lacking important utility options, making them less adaptable compared to modern choices. However, Groudon and Koraidon are great for setting the sun, Lunala is a popular choice for Trick Room teams, Eternatus can sustain itself incredibly well in Grassy Terrain, and Ho-oh can deal hefty amounts of damage in sunny weather.

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A-Tier

A-Tier Legendaries offer great combo potential but need some set-up to be effective (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Creatures in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's VGC A-Tier are great battlers capable of wiping out teams, but they require some set-up to get things going. This can come in the form of terrain, Tailwind, or Trick Room. Here are the picks that make up the A-Tier:

• Calyrex-Ice
• Calyrex-Ghost
• Zamazenta
• Mewtwo
• Rayquaza

Calyrex's two alternate forms perform incredibly well with proper speed support, with Ice working with Trick Room, and Ghost working with Tailwind. Mewtwo can deal devastating damage when paired with Female Indeedee's Psychic Terrain. Zamazenta works great with Iron Defense and Body Press, and Rayquaza can cancel out opposing weather conditions, while also having access to the notorious Swords Dance/Extreme Speed combo.

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S-Tier

Creatures in the S-Tier offer the best support, deal solid damage, and are typically self-sufficient

Picks in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's VGC S-Tier are the best possible options, being crucial for certain strategies due to the support they offer. These creatures can also support themselves with helpful abilities or potent signature attacks. Here are the restricted creatures in the S-Tier:

• Miraidon
• Kyogre
• Terapagos
• Zacian

Kyogre and Miraidon provide helpful battlefield conditions through their abilities, with Kyogre having Water Spout and Miraidon having Electro Drift to deal significant damage. Zacian can support itself well with Swords Dance and the free attack boost it receives the first time it enters combat. Terapagos is a great counter for Terastallized creatures and has access to powerful spread moves.