The Pokémon North America International Championships host a full schedule of side events that are open to all attendees who have an official event badge, regardless of whether the attendee is playing in the main event. Come battle for a variety of awesome prizes in smaller Pokémon TCG and video game competitions throughout the weekend. It’s a great opportunity to compete against players from around the world.
For detailed information on each event, please refer to the appropriate schedules and event details at the bottom of the page.
Pokémon Trading Card Game players looking for Sealed events may enjoy tournaments using Build & Battle Boxes, or Booster Battle events where they can build a 10-card deck to play lightning-fast games for a single Prize card. There will also be Standard format events for players looking to try out their own decks, a King of the Hill format where players attempt to remain undefeated for as long as possible, and our brand-new Team format where two players team up and face off in pairs against their rivals!
Pokkén Tournament DX side event pods will be in Team Battle mode, and we’ll be taking “team battle” to the next level with Sunday’s Crew Battle event. Sign up in groups of three, with each player controlling one Pokémon on the team, and face off against rival groups. When your Pokémon faints, your next teammate takes over the controller. There will also be a Basic Battle tournament on Friday.
Fans of Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon who have brought their own console and game can play events in the Ultra Series format as well as Battle Royal events with special rulesets.
Players who have their own Nintendo Switch console and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! game can participate in scheduled tournaments on each day of the Championships.
Finally, for those who prefer a smaller screen, we’ll offer Pokémon GO events throughout the weekend. Whether you enjoy battling other players or conducting field research, you’ll have a variety of chances to get involved.
Most side events require an entry fee. Side event registration opens at 10 a.m. Friday and as soon as the hall opens on Saturday and Sunday. Many on-demand side events are round-robin pods of 4 players. Larger scheduled events will use Swiss structures for most games and double-elimination brackets for Pokkén Tournament DX. Junior Division players will also find 4-player round-robin pods available for them each day at no cost.
Players will receive prize tickets based on their record. The prize wall closes early Sunday afternoon when the closing ceremony for the main event begins, and prize tickets must be redeemed by that time. See the side events area at the venue for more details.
All times EDT and subject to change.
Video Game Side Events
Friday, June 21
| 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Pickup Pods | $5 |
| 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Pickup Pods—Ultra Series (Juniors) | No cost |
| 3 p.m. | Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! Battle | $10 |
Saturday, June 22
| 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. | Pickup Pods | $5 |
| 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. | Pickup Pods—Ultra Series (Juniors) | No cost |
| 10 a.m. | Ultra Series Tournament | $10 |
| Noon | Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! Battle | $10 |
| 5 p.m. | Ultra Series Tournament | $10 |
Sunday, June 23
| 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Pickup Pods | $5 |
| 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Pickup Pods—Ultra Series (Juniors) | No cost |
| 10 a.m. | Ultra Series Tournament | $10 |
| 11 a.m. | Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! Battle | $10 |
Video Game Side Event Special Formats
Pickup pods will be available in multiple formats, including:
Battle Royal—players face off in a Battle Royal format event, with the following team composition restrictions:
Maximum 1 Ultra Beast per team
Maximum 1 Island Guardian per team
Only nondamaging Z-Moves may be used
Restricted Pokémon, Mythical Pokémon, and Ash-Greninja may not be used
Mega Stones, Red Orb, and Blue Orb may not be used
Surprise formats may be revealed on the day of the competition.
Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! Battle side events will be played using Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! for Nintendo Switch. Players must provide their own Nintendo Switch and game. Players compete in Single Battle format using the Normal Rules ruleset. Mewtwo, Mew, Meltan, and Melmetal are not permitted for use in these events.
Pokémon TCG Side Events
Friday, June 21
| 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Pickup Pods | $5 |
| 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. | King of the Hill | $5 |
| 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Pickup Pods—Standard (Juniors) | No cost |
Saturday, June 22
| 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. | Pickup Pods | $5 |
| 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. | Pickup Pods—Standard (Juniors) | No cost |
| 10 a.m. | Standard Tournament | $10 |
Sunday, June 23
| 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Pickup Pods | $5 |
| 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Pickup Pods—Standard (Juniors) | No cost |
| 9 a.m. | Standard Tournament | $10 |
| 9 a.m. | Team Format | $5 per player |
| 10 a.m. | Team Format | $5 per player |
| 11 a.m. | Team Format | $5 per player |
Pokémon TCG Side Event Special Formats
Unless specified by the special format rules, players must provide their own legal deck. Pickup pods will be available in multiple formats, including:
Build & Battle—A Prerelease-style format using provided Build & Battle Boxes. The list of available expansions will be posted at the event.
Booster Battle—Each player will receive a booster pack and build a 10-card deck using the cards from their booster and additional Energy cards. Mutant Evolution rules are in play. Players compete against each other in games for a single Prize card, and players who cannot draw a card at the start of their turn will not immediately lose the game.
Anyone who wishes to stand out as one of the strongest players in the event hall should test their skills in our King of the Hill events. Two players battle, and the winner of the battle remains seated to face the next challenger. Points are earned for each win, and there’s even a bonus for those who manage to reach the maximum win streak.
We also invite players to team up and join our Team format event! Any two players with Standard format decks can take part in a game with a twist.
Games will be played in three lanes—each team will have three Active Pokémon, three Benches, three sets of four Prize cards, etc.
Players take their turns as a team. Each player can access the lane on their side, and both players have access to the center lane. (For example, the player who’s sitting on the left can play their cards into the left or center lane.)
Each card played and each attack performed affects only the lane it is played into. The standard rules that govern number of actions performed and card types played in a turn apply separately to each lane. (For example, a player can play one Supporter card into their own lane and one into the center lane in the same turn, but if they do so, their teammate cannot also play a Supporter card into the center lane. The teammate could, however, play a Supporter card into their own lane.)
The team chooses attacks in all three lanes at the same time. Attacking ends the turn, as usual.
A team wins by being the first to take eight of their combined 12 Prize cards.
The cards Pheromosa-GX and Dialga-GX may not be used. For more in-depth details and rulings, inquire at the venue!
Pokkén Tournament DX Side Events
Friday, June 21
| 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Pickup Pods | $5 |
| 1 p.m. | Basic Battle Tournament | $10 |
Saturday, June 22
| 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. | Pickup Pods | $5 |
Sunday, June 23
| 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Pickup Pods | $5 |
| 10 a.m. | Crew Battle | $10/player |
Pokkén Tournament DX Side Event Special Formats
Players are not required to bring their own Pokkén Tournament DX game or Nintendo Switch system to participate in any of these events.
Pickup Pods played in Team Battle mode, in which 8 players participate in a single-elimination bracket, will be available all weekend.
The Basic Battle Tournament will use a double-elimination format.
Crew Battle side events are played as a double-elimination bracket in teams of 3 players participating together as a unit. Battles take place in the Team Battle format, with each crew member playing 1 Pokémon from the team. When that Pokémon is knocked out, the next player substitutes in, until all 3 players and Pokémon from one team are knocked out.
Pokémon GO Side Events
Friday, June 21
| 11 a.m. | Morning League | $5 |
| 2 p.m. | Afternoon League | $5 |
| 5 p.m. | Evening League | $5 |
Saturday, June 22
| 11 a.m. | Morning League | $5 |
| 2 p.m. | Afternoon League | $5 |
| 5 p.m. | Evening League | $5 |
Sunday, June 23
| 11 a.m. | Morning League | $5 |
| 1 p.m. | Afternoon League | $5 |
Pokémon GO Side Event Special Formats
Each League will be played in the Great League. Players bring a team of 6 Pokémon, from which they choose 3 to use in each battle. Players may not have two Pokémon with the same Pokédex number on their team.
In addition to tournaments, there will also be Pokémon GO challenges to undertake, such as finding people from all over the world to trade with and catching particular species of Pokémon that have been sighted near the convention center. Keep your eyes peeled for more details at the venue!
