Making the wise decision to avoid in-person tournaments in favor of virtual events, the Pokemon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokemon Company in Japan, is doing its part to keep players entertained this summer, even with social distancing advisories in place.
The Play! Pokemon event is intended to replace live events such as the North American International Tournament and the Pokemon World Championships. It will be held from July through August using the Pokemon Trading Card Game Online.
Master's Division players will need to link their Trainer account to their Nintendo account in order to qualify. The top players will compete in one of three tournaments: Pokemon Sword and Shield, the Pokemon Trading Card Game, and Pokken Tournament DX. A double-elimination bracket based on rating zones (akin to Play! Pokemon's regions) will put players through their paces. The winner of each bracket will go on to compete in the final stage, to be held in August. The eventual champion will receive a Travel Award to participate in a future Pokemon International Championships game, which will be scheduled later.
Pokemon Video Game Championship competitors will have to maintain a high ranking in the June leaderboards in Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield to qualify for July's competition. Those participating in the Pokemon Trading Card Game event need only maintain a high rank in the June leaderboards. As for Pokkén Tournament DX competitors, they will be able to register directly at a future date for the first round of eliminations. Players are expected to follow rules laid out in the 2020 VGC format, announced March 1st, 2020.
This year, new Pokemon have been accepted to the roster, such as Galarian Slowpoke and Charizard with the Gigantamax Factor and the Hidden Ability Solar Power. Further details can be found in the official 2020 Pokemon Video Game Championships Format Rules.
In the time of social distancing, this is very good news. Although players will only be able to use cards they have acquired in the Pokemon TCG Online itself or who have code cards to redeem, and there are other requirements to qualify, competition is expected to be fierce and fun. The Pokemon Company has certainly set things up for a fun summer for trading card fans.
Collectors of physical Pokemon playing cards may be disappointed that in-person tournaments will not be available this year. Many are stressed from having to stay at home for much of the time, and Play! Pokemon is an outlet for socialization and networking within the larger Pokemon community. However, by choosing to make this tournament virtual, The Pokemon Company is putting players' health first.
Many areas are still attempting to keep social gatherings under a certain amount of people, which makes scheduling very difficult for Play! Pokemon organizers. Fans of the Pokemon Trading Card Game will simply have to wait until next year when the crisis has passed to take the packs out of storage.
Pokemon Trading Card Game Online, Pokemon Sword and Shield, and Pokken Tournament DX are available now.
Source: Pokemon