The 2017 Pokémon TCG World Championships will begin on Friday, August 18, for all age divisions. Players must be in good standing with the Play! Pokémon program to participate, and they must have an active Play! Pokémon account with current and accurate information. If there’s an issue with your account, it must be reported to customer service before Friday, August 4, 2017.
Qualifications
Pokémon TCG players have qualified through competitions in the 2017 Championship Series season. Players earn invitations to this prestigious event by performing at an exceptional level throughout the Championship Series season.
Top Trading Card Game players from different rating zones receive invitations based on their Championship Points standing at the end of the season. Invitations will be divided into two tiers: players who reach a certain Championship Points total receive an invitation to play in Day One on Friday, and the best players in each zone automatically qualify for Day Two and also receive a Travel Award. Invitations will be distributed as follows:
| Masters Division | Senior Division | Junior Division | |
| US and Canada | 500 CP | 400 CP | 350 CP |
| Europe | 350 CP | 250 CP | 200 CP |
| Latin America | 350 CP | 250 CP | 200 CP |
| Oceania | 350 CP | 250 CP | 200 CP |
| South Africa | 250 CP | 150 CP | 150 CP |
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 16 players
from the US and Canada rating zone
The Top 22 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 with invitations from the 2016 World Championships will play on Friday unless they qualify for Day Two based on Championship Points.
Competition Format
This competition will use the rules for the 2017 Championship Series season Standard format. Players must bring their own tournament-legal 60-card deck. Players must adhere to the Tournament Rules.
Check-In
Day One players must check in on Thursday at the Anaheim Marriott. 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 at the Anaheim Convention Center) and notify a staff member. All Day One players are required to be checked in and seated for their age division’s players’ meeting on Friday morning.
All Pokémon TCG competitors with Day One invitations will need to turn in their pre-completed deck list during check-in on Thursday, August 17. Players should be sure to write clearly on their deck list—illegible writing on a deck list may incur penalties. Players are allowed to use cards from their home market in languages other than English.
Players who earned a Day Two invitation may check in anytime Thursday evening at the Anaheim Marriott, or Friday during check-in open hours at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Players’ Meeting
A mandatory players’ meeting for all age divisions will start inside the event space (Hall D at the Anaheim Convention Center) at the conclusion of the opening ceremony, at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Friday, August 18.
Players with a Day One invitation who do not attend the players’ meeting may be dropped from the main tournament. However, they will still receive their badges, lanyard, and welcome kit, and will be permitted entry into the event space for the remainder of the competition.
All Pokémon TCG age divisions will start their first round of play once the players’ meetings end.
Tournament Schedule
The Pokémon TCG World Championships is run in three phases over three days. The number of Swiss rounds will depend on total attendance at the event. Swiss rounds will use the best-of-three game format. The Standard format will be used throughout the entire World Championships.
Friday: All players with Day One invitations will play Swiss rounds. Players who reach the required number of match points during the Swiss rounds will advance to Day Two on Saturday. Day Two will feature about half as many players as Day One, combining the top players from Day One with the players who received Day Two invitations.
| Rounds | Required Match Points |
| 4 | 6 |
| 5 | 9 |
| 6 | 12 |
| 7 | 15 |
| 8 | 18 |
| 9 | 21 |
Match win = 3 match points
Match tie = 1 match point
Match loss = 0 match points
Saturday: All players, including those who earned Day Two invitations and those 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 deck they played on Friday.
There is a mandatory players’ meeting at 8:30 a.m. for all players. All players are required to turn in a new deck list, regardless of whether they changed their deck after Day One. Players who don’t attend this meeting will be dropped from the event.
Sunday: Final rounds will be played for all age divisions.
Event structure subject to change.
