Pokemon.com has announced the 2011 Pokemon Video Game Championships. [Dates and locations here.]
While the Pokemon Trading Card Game gets all sorts of tournaments throughout the year, there is only one sanctioned event for the video game.
Last year, one of the regional events was held here in the San Francisco Bay Area and my daughter and I were able to go watch.
They have not yet announced where the regional events will be held this year. We will see if my daughter and I will get another chance to see the event.
Of course, last year the final championship was held in Kona, Hawaii. For 2011 the final round will be held in San Diego in August. Not as glamorous as Hawaii, but still a nice place to visit.
Of course, to push the new Pokemon release, only Pokemon from the Pokemon Black and White regional Pokedex, the 150 new Pokemon available with the game, will be eligible to participate.
The official announcement
Join players from around the world and get ready to compete in the 2011 Pokémon Video Game Championship series! The series starts this spring and consists of multiple events across the United States and Europe—events where anyone can compete. Top players from the National Championships will be invited to the Pokémon Video Game World Championships, taking place this August in San Diego, California!
Here’s a quick snapshot of the major changes you’ll see at the 2011 Pokémon Video Game Championship competitions.
All of the events will be played exclusively on Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version, which will launch in early March. Players will be limited to Pokémon from the Unova Pokédex only, and no two Pokémon on a player’s team can have the same Pokédex number.
Players will compete in one of three age divisions, based on their date 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
Each battle will use the Double Battle rules. Players may register 4–6 Pokémon at the beginning of the tournament. Before the start of each battle, players will select 4 Pokémon to use that round, with two Pokémon active at once.
During each battle, all Pokémon will be capped at Level 50. Any Pokémon that is Level 51 or higher will temporarily be reduced to Level 50 for the duration of each battle. Pokémon that are Level 49 or lower will not be raised to Level 50. Pokémon retain all moves they’ve learned, regardless of when they were learned.
Look out for more details after the release of Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version!
The Ancient Gaming Noob 
I most definitely going to enter this year Pokemon tournament, I maybe a bit old for it but so what. It seems fun. I’ve already pre-ordered my copy of Pokemon Black and White, so I’m looking forward on more information on this.
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this will be awsome maybe i will be this years winner ps. i have played pokemon for years and u all are going down
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Umm… they will probably use the new triple battle format…… i hope they use double battle though, Look out world… I’m gonna be the junior champ!
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this is stupid i dont want to use pokemon from the unova region they suck it takes too long to level up pokemon in every region i think i’ll just wait for the championship next year maybe i can use the national bunch of pokemon then
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This is kinda interesting for a new game, since they are to level up
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@death – Oh come on now, you can’t get six Pokemon to level 50 between now and June, which is about the earliest the regional championships will be held?
And if everybody has to use Pokemon from the Unova region, then at least it won’t be the same team combos people always put together out of the previous 493. People might actually have to think a bit about it rather than using what worked on the GameBoy Color.
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i might enter now but i still dont like it they better allow pokemon from the other regions next year
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I hope I’ll be able to go to the tournament that will be held around here if there is one(there should be one in Fl)hopefully I will be able to go and have it as my first tournament for pokemon and it will be my first(never went to a tcg for other tings nor a game tourny)well hopefully Iwill be able to go and good luck to those who do.
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When will they announce locations and dates for the tournaments? My 10 year old daughter is interested.
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Those announcements are always posted to Pokemon.com. I do not know when they will announce the locations, but I will help spread the word with a post here when they do.
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where are the video game championships, state, and rigional compitisions going to be held? (I really hope Ohio cause this would be awesome!)
thanks
please get back a.s.a.p.
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I think that making it only the Unova Region’s pokemon will add a new level of strategy to the tournament. By allowing all 649 pokemon, you would just see the same string of legendary pokemon over and over again. I went last year, and was beaten by a Lugia/Groudon combo, and it really made me feel jaded that an 11 year old beat me with a team he just threw together, rather than raised from scratch. I’m personally in favor for the lack of legendary use, because I feel that it’s a cop-out.
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well for me, this is my first year actually trying to enter into this contest i want to do this to see how this compitition is like. I’ve herd of it, but I’ve never been to it. I want to enter because I’ve even face my friends in an annual battle that we always have I beat him twice in Platnum and Soulsilver he only in dimond. With that type of score im sure i could win I’ve never lost to any one i could try to enter this and hopefully i could beat everyone there this would be cool
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My 8 year old son is thrilled to hear this news. We just heard about this Tournament thru a friend that attended last years Tournament in Hawaii. Both he and I definetly want to attend this year. Please please please update on Dates, Times, and Places or at least send links to info. We are from San Diego CA so the Tournament will be held in our own backyard. Thanks so much.
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Hi i gonna be joining this tournament but i got a question you guys might be able to answer.If you join does that mean you can only use the new pokemon they created like from the black and white pokedex only?
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@Steven – Yes, the tournament will only allow Pokemon from the Unova region Pokedex, which are the new Pokemon introduced with Black and White.
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I am so going to enter even if I can only use Unova Pokemon. The rule really sucks but i won’t let it bring me down. After all, I’ve been trainig for this event for for months now. Hopefully i won’t end up like my cousin who lost in the 1st battle last year (he sort of sucks). And Emily, I’m going to be the champion of the Junior Division.
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When can I sign up. I’m pumped
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are you allowed to use legendaries in the events because i really want to know
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@Jesse – It says in the text above, and on the official site linked in the post, Unova Pokedex only. If it is legendary and in the Unova Pokedex, you can use it. But if you want to use your Raikou or Dialga, you are out of luck.
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Personally, I like the rule restricting Pokemon to just non-legendaries from the Unova Pokedex (except for the fact that I raised Victini as my main Fire type…need to find another Pokemon…), and it shouldn’t be too difficult to put a team together and raise them to level 50. I did it without even trying too hard, and as you progress through the game, the levels of the wild Pokemon get near 40, so that takes most of the work out for you, you lazy bums.
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Oh wow, I’m in the young end of the Masters Division, so I’m expecting to be battling a bunch of super-nerd middle-aged guys. I might be in trouble…
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@Wilhelm-Thankyou because people are telling me you can’t use them. They keep saying you can’t use victini because he is from a wi-fi event and they said you can’t use another legend like zekrom.
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Is there a date when they annouce the dates and locations are do they always randomly post it one day?
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The link in the post is the only information I have about the event. The earthquake in Japan is likely holding things up some. The tournament, if it goes like last year, runs in parallel in the US, EU, and Japan, and champions for each area meet for the final championship. Since things in Japan are still bad, they will probably delay the start of the series.
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I spoke too soon I guess. Dates and Locations available here.
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what if you only attend one match and dont go anywhere, do you still attend the nationals?
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@Emily if you didn’t know, pokemon will be auto-leveled. That means that if you have a pokemon higher then level 50, that pokemon’s level will be adjusted to level 50.
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Newbie here, can any of you guys give me a list of the pokemon allowed at the tournament please? biomundo@yahoo.com please that would be very helpful
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when will the next one be and how do you enetr. I’m sorry, but do you have to register or are you chosen or do you just show up. if you need to be chosen, do you get invitations? Could someone please just tell me how to go to the tourney for 2012? Thank you,
Awesome
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@Awesome – These are yearly events. The prelims usually start in May/June and the finals are in August. Details for the whole thing are usually announce a couple of months in advance of the start, so you will have to wait until then for the “how to.” Just go to Pokemon.com once in a while and you’ll see the announcement.
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thanks
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