Heya Guys,
A couple of days ago, The Pokémon Company International announced the European and American Locations/Dates of the national qualifiers for this year's Pokémon Video Game Championships finals in San Diego, America from 12th-14th August.
The European leg begins on 4th June and goes through until 2nd July in the following locations:
4th June - Birmingham, United Kingdom National Exhibition Centre, Hall 8
11th June - Rome, ItalyFiera Roma, Hall 12, Ingresso Nord
18th June - Madrid, SpainIFEMA, Hall 1, Feria de Madrid
25th June - Paris, FranceEspace Grande Arche, Parvis de La Défense
2nd July - Cologne, GermanyEXPO XXI Köln GmbH, Gladbacher Wall 5
Unlike previous events, this year's qualifiers are divided into three age divisions - Juniors (born 2000 or earlier), Seniors (born 1996-1999) and Masters (Born 1995 or before).
The Junior and Senior Divisions each have a cap of 256 players, with registration being open from 8:00am until 8:30am. Masters Division has a cap of 512 players, with registration opening at 12:30pm and closing at 1pm.
The list of prizes are:
1st Place:
A National Championships 1st Place Medal
A Nintendo 3DS system
An invitation to compete at the Pokémon Video Game World
Championships in San Diego, California, U.S.A., on August 13th & 14th, 2011
Airfare and 6-day/5-night hotel accommodations for the winner (including parent or legal guardian for players under 18) to attend the Pokémon Video Game World Championships
2nd Place:
A National Championships 2nd Place Medal
A Nintendo 3DS system
An invitation to compete at the Pokémon Video Game World
Championships in San Diego, California, U.S.A., on August 13th & 14th, 2011
Airfare and 6-day/5-night hotel accommodations for the winner (including parent or legal guardian for players under 18) to attend the Pokémon Video Game World Championships
3rd through 8th Place:
An invitation to compete at the Pokémon Video Game World Championships in San Diego, California, U.S.A., on August 13th & 14th, 2011
And the full list of rules and regulations:
Participation:The 2011 Pokémon Video Game Championships will be played exclusively using legitimate Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version Game Cards.
- Players at European events may only use European versions
- Players at United States events may only use North American versions
- Players at the World Championships may use any version
Players will compete in one of three age divisions, based on their dates of birth.
- Junior Division: Born in 2000 or later
- Senior Division: Born in 1996, 1997, 1998 or 1999
- Masters Division: Born in 1995 or earlier
Tournament matches will take place via Infrared Connection. Players must provide their own Nintendo DS systems and Pokémon Black Version or Pokémon White Version Game Cards and cannot share systems or Game Cards with another player at the event.
It is strongly recommended that players bring chargers for their Nintendo DS systems, as the tourament staff will not have chargers available for loan. Power outlets will be provided in the game play area.
All event registration will be handled on-site the day of each event. Players will be permitted to register on a first come, first served basis. Players in line are not guaranteed a competitor slot until they have completed registration.
To hasten the registration process, players must prepare their team prior to reaching the registration desk.
- Each player must place 4–6 Pokémon in his or her Battle Box
- See the Pokémon Restrictions section below for more information on which Pokémon are eligible for the tournament
- Each Pokémon may hold no more than one item, which cannot be changed after registration
The tournament regulations that players will receive during registration will automatically enforce the following rules:
- Prior to the start of the battle, the Pokémon on each player's team will be displayed to his or her opponent briefly. Moves and held items are not displayed
- While viewing the Pokémon on his or her opponent's team, each player selects four Pokémon to use during the battle, and sends out two Pokémon at a time. The Pokémon that a player selects and the order of those Pokémon remains a secret until they are revealed during battle.
- A 15-minute time limit for each match will automatically be enforced in-game, beginning at the start of each battle. If the outcome has not been determined by the end of the time limit, the game will automatically apply tiebreakers to determine a winner.
- At the beginning of each turn, players will have 1 minute to select moves for both Pokémon, or change their Active Pokémon. If a player has not made his or her selections at the end of this period, the game will automatically make selections for the player.
Players may use Pokémon found in the Pokémon Black Version or Pokémon White Version Unova Pokédex, from No. 001—148, and No. 151, that are caught in the game, or received by an official event or distribution. Pokémon from the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, or Sinnoh Pokédex cannot be used.
All Pokémon that are Level 51 or higher will have their level reduced to 50 for the duration of the battle with the following parameters:
- Each Pokémon retains all of the moves that it knew before being auto-leveled
- Pokémon that evolve after Level 50 do not devolve when auto-leveled
- Pokémon below Level 50 remain at their actual level rather than being auto-leveled up to Level 50 for the battle
- The Pokémon's stats are adjusted to what its Level 50 stats would be
- A player's team may not contain two Pokémon with the same Unova Pokédex number
- Each Pokémon on a player's team may use held items, though no two Pokémon may hold the same item during battle
Pokémon may only use moves that have been learned through one of the following methods:
- By leveling up
- By TM or HM
- As an Egg move, through breeding
- From a character in the game
- Already learned by a Pokémon that was received at an official Pokémon event or promotion
- Pokémon cannot use the move Sky Drop during battle
The use of external devices to alter the Pokémon in a player's party is expressly forbidden. Random checks will be performed throughout the tournament to determine whether or not an external device has been used to modify a player's party. Players found to have Pokémon that have been tampered with will be disqualified from the event, regardless of whether the player tampered with his or her game or received a Pokémon or item that was tampered with by someone other than the player. It is the player's responsibility to have legal Pokémon. Event officials have the final determination regarding the legality of a Pokémon.
A player should notify the staff immediately if he or she believes that there is a problem with an opponent's Pokémon. At the end of the round, all match results become final. Issues that go unreported until after the round has completed will not change the result of that match, regardless of whether there is a problem with an opponent's Pokémon.
Players and spectators are expected to demonstrate proper sportsmanship over the course of the event. A player may be disqualified from the event based on actions taken by friends or relatives who disrupt the operation of the tournament.
Although the website mentions that the tournament will be using Infa-Red it does not specify whether or not the Wonder Launcher will be on, despite it being on in normal IR battles, however, with the Battle Competition software, apparently TPCi can choose to opt out of said options. I have emailed TPCi for clarification, and will hopefully have an answer soon.
The Worlds Breakdown for this year is:
- The 1st and 2nd place finishers from the 2010 World Championships
- The top 8 players at the US National Championships
- The top 8 players at the UK National Championships
- The top 8 players at the German National Championships
- The top 8 players at the French National Championships
- The top 8 players at the Italian National Championships
- The top 8 players at the Spanish National Championships
- The top player at each of 2 Korean Regional Championships
- The top 8 players at the World Championships Last Chance Qualifier
So hopefully us Europeans will be able to have a stronger presence than previous years!
