Competitors at the 2024 Pokémon VGC North America International Championships will be competing for Championship Points and prizes. Competitors will battle with the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games for the Nintendo Switch system. All participants will receive 5 Play! Points and a Pokémon International Championships promo card (while supplies last) just for playing!

Masters Division competitors will begin on Friday, June 7, while the Junior and Senior Division competitors will begin on Saturday, June 8. All age divisions will conclude on Sunday, June 9.

Competitors must comply with the Tournament Rules.

Tournament Format and Structure

The number of Swiss rounds will be determined by attendance, with Masters Division play split between a maximum of two days. Information on the number of expected rounds can be found in our Tournament Rules and Resources, Page 24.

Each round, you will be paired against another competitor to play your match. You will be able to find your table number through your RK9 Competitor Tournament Dashboard. Ensure you get to your table on time. Being late to a match can result in penalties.

After day one, Masters Division competitors with 19 or more match points will advance to day two of Swiss rounds.

Junior and Senior Division competitors will play one day of Swiss rounds before determining a Top 8.

After all Swiss rounds are completed, the Top 8 competitors will advance to a single-elimination bracket to determine the winner of each event.

Junior and Senior Division competitors will have one meal break per day. Exact timing for each event’s meal break will be announced on-site for each event. There is no scheduled meal break for competitors in the Masters Division.

What to Bring

When you show up at a Pokémon video game tournament, there are some things you must have with you:

• A Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet game (physical or digital) updated to the most recent software version.

• A fully charged system from the Nintendo Switch family of systems (Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch - OLED Model, or Nintendo Switch Lite) with a working USB-C port, the latest system updates installed, and wired internet settings set to automatic

• A Nintendo Switch Online membership, active for the duration of the event

• A team of tournament-legal Pokémon for the current format at the time of the event (see the VG Tournament Rules and check back regularly before the event for updates)

• A charger for your system; it is the competitor’s responsibility that their console remains operational throughout the tournament

Proof of age may be requested, and failure to provide proof of age may result in the competitor being denied participation in the tournament (at the organizer’s discretion).

Registration

All attendees, both spectators and competitors, will need to log in to the event registration portal with their Google account. First-time registrants will be prompted to create a profile and prior registrants will be able to edit their profile information.

Users can preemptively create or edit their account in advance of registration. When registration opens on April 25th, attendees will need to log in, register, and pay to secure a pass. Online registration is required to participate in the event and only a limited number of passes are available.

Registration will be divided into two waves at the times below.

• Wave 1: April 25, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. PDT / 7:00 p.m. CDT

• Wave 2: April 26, 2024, at 7:00 a.m. PDT / 9:00 a.m. CDT

Notes:

• Registration for this event is open to all competitors in good standing with the Play! Pokémon program. Competitors must have an active Play! Pokémon account with current and accurate information.

• After registering on the event registration portal, competitors will need to finalize their tournament registration on RK9.gg. Team lists will need to be submitted on RK9.gg at the appropriate time.

• Competitor registration will close on Thursday, May 30, 2024, at 9:59 p.m. PDT (11:59 p.m. CDT) or when passes sell out.

• Competitors with Travel Awards and Travel Stipends will receive separate information about early registration.

• All team lists must be submitted by 8:00 a.m. CDT (6:00 a.m. PDT) on the competitor’s first day of play. You can resubmit your team list as many times as you want prior to the submission deadline; however, you must play the final team you submit.

Your team must be saved in the Team 1 slot. You must ensure that your other Battle Teams are empty and that your Current Party does not contain the same six species of Pokémon you are using in the event. A Rental Team ID for the Battle Team you will be using is required during team list submission and may also be requested by judges after the event begins.

Failing to submit a team list before the deadline may result in a loss for Round 1. For information on how to submit your team list for the event, see RK9’s support article for Pokémon VGC team lists.

Your birth date is required to make sure you play in the correct age division for the event you are attempting to register for. Without the ability to confirm your birth date, you cannot register online for any event.

Check-In and Badge Pickup

Badges for this event can be picked up onsite at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in the Hall H-J Lobby (enter via Hall I-1) or at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) at the Info Desk on Level 1, between doors 3 and 4. All attendees are strongly encouraged to pick up their badges on Wednesday, June 5, or Thursday, June 6.

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport Pickup Times

• Wednesday, June 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

• Thursday, June 6, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Pickup Times

• Thursday, June 6, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

• Friday, June 7, from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

• Saturday, June 8, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

• Sunday, June 9, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Connecting to a Battle

At the beginning of the tournament, you will be seated for the competitor meeting or Round 1 pairings, depending upon the event. After connecting to your opponent and seeing “Preparations Complete” in-game, you and your opponent will exchange official “opponent view” team sheets. Be sure to keep a close eye on your sheet, as you must show it to your opponent during each tournament round. You should check that the information on your team sheet is correct. If there are any errors, contact a Judge immediately to assist you.

Each round, you will connect your Nintendo Switch system to a dock at the table number you are assigned to. Your system should be set to airplane mode when playing tournament matches.

Battles will be held via the Union Circle in the Poké Portal.

1. Competitor 1 will form a group using the Union Circle and share the unique code with competitor 2 so that they can join.

2. Once in the Union Circle, both competitors will select Link Battle to match up.

3. Competitors must select Double Battle and Official Rules 1 for their match.

4. Each competitor should confirm that they are connected to the correct opponent prior to beginning their match.

5. After completing their match, competitors must keep their Nintendo Switch systems docked until they’ve disbanded their group or exited the Union Circle.

Please change the Show Nicknames setting in-game to Don’t show, and turn off all system friend notifications. Make sure your system’s Date and Time settings are set to Synchronize Clock via Internet.

Prizes

Prizes will be awarded to the top competitors in each of the three age divisions. Competitors must have an account with a Player ID attached and must have opted in to the Play! Pokémon program to earn points and awards. The final Championship Point payout will be determined by the number of competitors per age division.

Championship Points

Championship Points values subject to change.

Prize Award Information

The format of each prize is dependent on the age of the recipient. Here are the International Championships prizes for the 2024 Play! Pokémon Championship Series season.

18 years of age and older:

• Awards of $5,000 or more: choice of scholarship or cash

• Awards under $5,000: cash

Under 18 years of age:

• Awards of $5,000 or more: choice of scholarship or Pokémon Visa® prepaid card

• Awards under $5,000: Pokémon Visa® prepaid card

Prizes are based on attendance per age division. Unless otherwise specified, all prizes are paid in US dollars and subject to applicable tax withholding. Prize winners should consult a qualified tax professional regarding their tax obligations.

Award Values

Prizes and prize distribution may be subject to change.