League Rules
General Rules
Teams and battle format
Battles are done with teams of 6 Pokémon. The challenged gym leader will determine the battle format (e.g. Single Battle, Double Battle, etc) and any special format rules.
Legality
All Pokémon must have legally available moves, items, and abilities available through normal game mechanics. As examples, Flareon can not learn Fly, the Fire Gem is not available in-game, and Magikarp can not have the Wonder Guard ability.
Pokémon clause
No repeat Pokémon on the same team. Alolan and Galarian forms are considered different than their non-alolan counterparts.
Item clause
Multiple Pokémon cannot be holding the same exact item. Two Pokémon with leftovers is not acceptable, but two with different types of berry is acceptable.
Sleep clause
You cannot use a sleep-inducing move if you have already put an opposing Pokémon to sleep, and it is still asleep.
No 1-Hit KO moves
You cannot have Guillotine, Fissure, Sheer Cold, or Horn Drill.
Evasion clause
No direct evasion increasing moves can be used, which only applies to Minimize and Double Team. Indirect effects are allowed, such as certain abilities such as Moody, items such as bright powder, or the random chance of Acupuncture.
Banned Pokémon
All Pokémon used must be obtainable through offline gameplay of the most recent version of Sword and/or Shield. The following Pokémon are additionally not allowed:
Gym Trainer Rules
A challenger may decide to represent a gym leader or type and earn points for that type by challenging other leaders. All general rules still apply to these matches, but with the following caveats:
Typing
All Pokémon used must be of your gym's typing as it enters the field, without the use of an item.
Points and Badges
You can use a Gym Trainer team that follows the above rules to earn a badge and a gym point in one battle; or you can use a different team to earn the badge but not the gym point.
Challengers' Tournament Rules
For the finale of a season, a tournament between league challengers takes place. The tournament will take place in the Sword and Shield games. During this tournament, all General Rules must be followed. The tournament is single-elimination, 6 vs 6 single battles. Placement within the bracket is determined by number of badges earned, and at least one badge is required to enter. Each challenger must use a single team through the entire tournament.