The 2018 Pokémon Video Game World Championships will begin on Friday, August 24, for all age divisions. Players must in good standing with the Play! Pokémon program to participate, and they must have an active Play! Pokémon account with current and accurate information.

Qualifications

Pokémon video game players have qualified through competitions in the 2018 Championship Series season. Players earn invitations to this prestigious competition by performing at an exceptional level throughout the Championship Series season.

Top video game players from different rating zones will receive invitations based on their Championship Points standing at the end of the season. Players who reach a certain Championship Points (CP) standing receive an invitation to play in Day One on Friday. Invitations will be distributed based on the number of CP, as follows:

Championship Points Table

Some players will earn an invitation that allows them to advance directly to Day Two without playing in Friday’s rounds. These invitations will also include Travel Awards. Day Two invitations are divided by rating zone as follows:

The Top 8 players from the US and Canada rating zone
The Top 16 players from the Europe rating zone
The Top 8 players from the Latin America rating zone
The Top 8 players from the Oceania rating zone

Players in Japan and South Korea will be awarded both Friday invitations and Day Two invitations as determined by each country’s organized play system.

Players in Russia will be awarded Friday invitations as determined by their country’s organized play system.

Players with invitations from the 2017 World Championships will play on Friday unless they qualify for Day Two, based on Championship Points.

Competition Format

This competition will use the rules and format for the 2018 Championship Series season. Players must have the following things with them to participate in this tournament:

• A copy (physical or digital) of Pokémon Ultra Sun or Pokémon Ultra Moon for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems with the latest game update installed.

• A fully charged system in the Nintendo 3DS family.

• A team of tournament-legal Pokémon (see the Tournament Rules and check back regularly before the event for updated rules).

Players are strongly encouraged to bring a charger for their systems, as tournament staff will not have chargers available for loan.

Check-In, Battle Teams, and Team Sheets

Day One players must check in on Thursday at the Nashville Music City Center outside Halls C & D. If, due to unforeseen circumstances, such as flight delays or missed connections, a player becomes unable to check in on Thursday, they should report to the check-in desk as early as possible on Friday (during the check-in hours) and notify a staff member. Players must lock their Battle Teams and turn in team sheets during check-in. Players should be sure to write clearly on their team sheet—illegible writing on a team sheet may incur penalties. Players will also pick up their welcome kits at this time.

All Day One players are required to be checked in (with their Battle Teams locked, for VG players) and seated for their age division’s player meeting on Friday morning. Day One players who fail to lock a Battle Team during check-in on Thursday will not be allowed to participate in the World Championships.

Players who earned a Day Two invitation may check in any time Thursday evening at the Nashville Music City Center, or Friday during check-in open hours.

Player Meeting

A mandatory player meeting for all age divisions with a Day One invitation will start at the conclusion of the opening ceremonies, at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Friday, August 24 in the video game play area.

Players with a Day One invitation who do not attend the player meeting may be dropped from the main tournament. However, they will still receive their badges, lanyard, and welcome kit, and be permitted entry into the event space for the remainder of the competition.

All Pokémon video game age divisions will start their first round of play once the player meetings are over.

There is a mandatory player meeting on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. for all players who advance to Day Two, as well as all players who earned a Day Two invitation. Players who don’t attend this meeting will be dropped from the event. Battle Team locking will occur before the Day Two player meeting, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in the video game play area.

Tournament Schedule

The Pokémon Video Game World Championships is run in three phases over three days. The number of Swiss rounds will depend on total attendance at the event.

Friday: All players with Day One invitations will play Swiss rounds. Players who finish on Friday with two or fewer losses, and no ties, will advance to play on Saturday.

Saturday: Players who earned Day Two invitations and players who advanced from Friday will play in a new set of Swiss rounds. This will be treated as a new tournament: match records from Friday will not carry forward, and players are not required to use the same team as on Friday.

Battle Team locking and team sheet collection will take place from 8:00–8:30 a.m. on Saturday. All players are required to turn in a new team sheet and have their Battle Team locked, regardless of whether they changed their team after Day One.

As mentioned above, there is a mandatory player meeting on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. for all players who advance to Day Two, as well as all players who earned a Day Two invitation. Players who don't attend this meeting will be dropped from the event.

Players with two or fewer losses, and no ties, will advance to a single-elimination Top Cut that will begin on Saturday afternoon and play until two players remain Saturday night.

Sunday: Final rounds will be played for all age divisions.

The event structure is subject to change.