Trainers, it’s time to brush up on your Pokédex! All-new competitive events have been announced for the 2017 Play! Pokémon season, including the introduction of two International Championships that will have players competing across the globe.
The Pokémon Championship Series will serve as the backdrop for the season, consisting of ongoing Pokémon TCG and video game events where players can earn Championship Points toward a potential Travel Award to the Pokémon World Championships, taking place August 2017 in Anaheim, California. Players will also compete for a piece of a cumulative prize pool worth more than $5 million across all Pokémon Championship Series events.
New in 2017 are two International Championships that are open to players around the world and award prizes and Championship Points. The European leg of the International Championships will take place 9-11 December 2016 at ExCeL London and last for three days, giving gamers their first chance to officially battle with Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon (launching 23 November). Pokémon TCG players will also have their first chance to battle with the Pokémon TCG: XY—Evolutions expansion launching later this year.
The Pokémon Regional Championships begin this October with a full schedule of events in cities throughout North America and Europe. As with the International Championships, Regional Championships are open to video game and TCG players regardless of their country of origin and will feature larger prize pools and more Championship Points at each tournament.
The 2017 season will offer local events as well, giving players opportunities to join in the fun no matter where they are. Pokémon video game players will have the Premier Challenge and Midseason Showdown events. Premier Challenges will provide gamers with frequent opportunities to play at local events and to try out new strategies at smaller events. Midseason Showdowns are larger events that will give gamers the opportunity to compete for a greater number of Championship Points in their local area. Pokémon TCG players can also look forward to more local events coming to participating hobby shops around the world, including League Cup events, which are great opportunities for TCG newbies to hone their skills and prepare for larger events throughout the year.
Don’t be a Snorlax and be sure to visit Pokemon.co.uk/Play often for more details throughout the 2017 season. New players interested in competing in the 2017 Pokémon Championship Series will need to create a free Pokémon Trainer Club account at Pokemon.co.uk. If you’d rather watch the competitions from home, select tournaments will be streamed live at Pokemon.com/Live, with streaming dates and times to be announced.
