2023 Pokémon North America International Championships Side Events

The 2023 Pokémon North America International Championships will host a full schedule of side events 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 competitions throughout the weekend. It’s a great opportunity to compete against players from around the world!

Registration for side events can be done on-site at the North America International Championships. Please look for the on-site registration area for more information on registering for side events. Most side events require an entry fee.

Fans who have brought their own Nintendo Switch system and Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet game can play events in a variety of competitive formats.

Pokémon TCG players can participate in Sealed events that are run using Build & Battle Boxes. Trainers with their own decks looking for other formats can battle in a number of different ways, including Raid Format events and the two-on-two Team Format. Many of the alternate formats for Pokémon events are in the Pokémon TCG Alternate Play Handbook.

For those who prefer a smaller screen, there will be Pokémon GO events throughout the weekend. Noncompetitive events—such as collector periods, art sessions, and other fun activities—will be available throughout the weekend.

For more information on the side event formats that will be offered, please refer to the details below.

Prizes

The prize wall closes early Sunday afternoon when the closing ceremonies start. Prizes must be redeemed by that time. See the side events area at the venue for more details.

Many side events are on-demand pods of four or eight players in which everyone gets to play multiple matches. There are also scheduled side events throughout the weekend.

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet side events

VG standard eight-player pod	An eight-player tournament using the current ruleset. Play will begin as soon as eight players are ready.
Malamar	A tournament using the current ruleset. Nintendo Switch systems and controllers must be inverted 180 degrees so that the game is played upside down.
Catch Cup	Players are given a route and 30 minutes to catch and train the Pokémon they will use in a three-round tournament.
Juniors four-player pod (free)	No entry fee. A tournament using the current ruleset. Junior Division–aged players only. Play will begin as soon as four players are ready.
Chaos Cup	Players are given a random rental team code to use each round of the tournament.

Pokémon TCG side events

Four-person pickup	Standard format tournament. Play will begin as soon as four players are ready.
Build & Battle	Prerelease-style format using provided Build & Battle Boxes. The list of eligible expansions will be posted at the event.
Ditto Draft—six-booster	Ditto Draft format using six packs.
Ditto Draft—single-booster	Pack battles with a single booster pack, using the Ditto Draft format. Play will begin as soon as eight players are ready.
Raid Format	Fully cooperative game in which up to eight players battle together against an oversize Raid Boss Pokémon. Each player must have a legal 60-card deck.
Gym Leader Challenge	Expanded format. Each deck may include only one type of Pokémon and only a single copy of any card other than Basic Energy.
Team Format	A 2v2 event. Teams of two compete to be the first to take nine of the 12 Prize cards across three lanes of play.
Juniors four-player pod (free)	No entry fee. Standard format tournament. Junior Division-aged players only. Play will begin as soon as four players are ready.
Parent Tourney	Tournament with shifting rules. Players will need a Standard format deck. Open to anyone, made for parents.

Pokémon GO side events

Scavenger Hunt	Players will take part in a number of challenging tasks in Pokémon GO for the chance to earn prizes.
Catch Cup	Players are given 30 minutes to catch and train the team they will use for the tournament.
Great League	A tournament played using Great League rules.
Learn to Play	Learn to play Pokémon GO!
Little Cup	A tournament where Pokémon may not have more than 500 CP and may not be an evolved form.
Trade Hour	Trainers can meet up with each other to trade Pokémon.

Other competitive side events

Pokémon Puzzle League leaderboard	Pokémon Puzzle League games held in the retro console lounge. Top scores will be recorded on a leaderboard, with the top three earning prizes at the end of the day.
Pokémon UNITE First Step	Learn to play Pokémon UNITE!
Pokkén Tournament King of the Hill	Two players battle, and the winner of the battle remains seated to face their next challenger. Points are earned for each win, and there’s a bonus for those who manage to reach the maximum win streak.
Mega Construx speed build	Choosing from a set list, players will build a Pokémon as fast as they can. Speeds will be recorded on a leaderboard, with the top three earning prizes at the end of each day.
Pokémon Stadium four-player	Playing Pokémon Stadium, players will have the Pokémon they’ll battle with and the minigames they’ll play determined randomly. Scores will be recorded at the end of the time limit and then go on a leaderboard. The top three earn prizes at the end of each day.

Collector periods

Trade Hour	Bring your Pokémon TCG binders and meet up with other collectors to trade! Each hour will have a theme to help folks find certain cards. Judges will have cards to trade as well.
Pin trading	Trade Pokémon pins collected from events, promotions, and products with other pin collectors.
Coin trading	Attendees will flip over the opportunity to trade their Pokémon coins with other Trainers and collectors.
Dice trading	Make your collection count by trading dice with other collectors during this period.

Art activities

Coloring corner	Fans of all ages can stop by the coloring corner to color in Pokémon-themed line art.
Create-a-card drawing	Design your own card art using oversize Pokémon TCG templates.
Binder decorating	Add flair to a Pokémon TCG card binder using provided stickers and paint pens. Blank binders with a single 3 × 3 card collection sheet will be provided.