The Pokemon World Championships have been around in a modern format for around 8 years now but the event continues to change, particularly in regards to it’s qualification details. The year 2017 will be no different, with some major changes in event types, Championship Points needed to qualify and prize distribution. I’ll be listing all the newly announced details here and comparing them to last years with some brief commentary on the changes made and what that means for you if you’re interested in playing Pokemon at a competitive level this year.
From December 2017 the games that will be used in all sanctioned Pokemon events will swap over to the upcoming Nintendo 3DS games Pokemon Sun & Moon. The first event using these games will be an all new type of event, an International Challenge hosted in London, with several top players from around the world being invited to compete. Those who prefer TCG will get to use the XY Evolutions format when it releases later in the year. Let’s break down the types of events and how much CP will be rewarded for each one for both the Video Game Championships and Trading Card Game Championships. Sadly it looks like Pokken Tournament will not be returning to the championship circuit despite some very epic matches in the final sets.
A couple of quick notes. A best finish limit means that only that many of that event type will count toward your CP total. So for example a Regional has a best finish limit of 4 which means only you’re top 4 placings across those events will count. A kicker is the number of participants which have to be competing for that amount of points to be rewarded. For example if only 3 people show up to a Premier Challenge then only first place will be able to score points.
Video Game Events and Points Distribution
VGC Premier Challenge
Best Finish Limit (shared with VGC Premier Challenge (Elevated)): 2 per series
Play! Points: 1
Autumn Series: September 1–November 30, 2016
Winter Series: December 1, 2016–March 31, 2017
Spring Series: April 1–June 30, 2017
| Placement | Championship Points | Kicker (# of participants) |
| 1 | 20 | 0 |
| 2 | 14 | 4 |
| 3–4 | 10 | 8 |
| 5–8 | 6 | 16 |
| 9–16 | 2 | 32 |
VGC Premier Challenge (Elevated: 40 or more total players)
Best Finish Limit (shared with VGC Premier Challenge): 2 per series
Play! Points: 1
Autumn Series: September 1–November 30, 2016
Winter Series: December 1, 2016–March 31, 2017
Spring Series: April 1–June 30, 2017
| Placement | Championship Points | Kicker |
| 1 | 20 | 0 |
| 2 | 18 | 0 |
| 3–4 | 16 | 0 |
| 5–8 | 14 | 0 |
| 9-16 | 12 | 0 |
| 17–32 | 8 | 64 |
| 33–64 | 4 | 128 |
| 65–128 | 2 | 256 |
VGC Midseason Showdowns
Best Finish Limit: 4
Play! Points: 2
| Placement | Championship Points | Kicker |
| 1 | 50 | 0 |
| 2 | 45 | 0 |
| 3-4 | 40 | 0 |
| 5–8 | 35 | 0 |
| 9–16 | 30 | 0 |
| 17–32 | 18 | 64 |
| 33–64 | 12 | 128 |
| 65–128 | 6 | 256 |
| 129–256 | 1 | 512 |
Select Online Competitions
Best Finish Limit: no limit
Play! Points: 1
| Placement | Championship Points |
| 1 | 50 |
| 2 | 45 |
| 3–4 | 40 |
| 5–8 | 35 |
| 9–16 | 30 |
| 17–32 | 25 |
| 33–64 | 20 |
| 65–128 | 10 |
| 129–256 | 5 |
VGC Select Premier Events
Best Finish Limit: 4 (shared with Regionals)
Play! Points: 3
| Placement | Championship Points | Kicker |
| 1 | 130 | 0 |
| 2 | 105 | 0 |
| 3–4 | 80 | 0 |
| 5–8 | 65 | 32 |
| 9–16 | 50 | 64 |
| 17–32 | 35 | 128 |
| 33–64 | 20 | 256 |
| 65–128 | 10 | 512 |
| 129-256 | 5 | 1,024 |
VGC Regional Championships
Best Finish Limit: 4 (shared with Select Premier Events)
Play! Points: 3
| Placement | Championship Points | Kicker |
| 1 | 200 | 0 |
| 2 | 160 | 0 |
| 3–4 | 120 | 0 |
| 5–8 | 100 | 0 |
| 9–16 | 80 | 64 |
| 17–32 | 50 | 128 |
| 33–64 | 30 | 256 |
| 65–128 | 20 | 512 |
| 129-256 | 10 | 1,024 |
VGC International Championships
Best Finish Limit: 4
Play! Points: 5
| Placement | Championship Points | Kicker |
| 1 | 500 | 0 |
| 2 | 400 | 0 |
| 3–4 | 300 | 0 |
| 5–8 | 240 | 0 |
| 9–16 | 180 | 64 |
| 17–32 | 120 | 128 |
| 33–64 | 80 | 256 |
| 65–128 | 40 | 512 |
| 129-256 | 20 | 1,024 |
There are also special events that can be sanctioned under certain conditions. They will have the same Championship Point scale and are included in the same Best Finish Limit as the Championship Series tournament that best matches their anticipated attendance. Regionals will also have prize money for the top 16 competitors depending on attendance, with prize money ranging from $250 to $3000 in US Dollars, this applies to both VGC and the TCG. Up to 72 packs of boosters cards of the most recent TCG expansion will also be handed out to top 16 finishers across both formats.
These are the amount of points needed to qualify per age group and region and information on how to qualify for a day two invite.
| Rating Zone | Masters Division | Senior Division | Junior Division |
| US and Canada | 500 CP | 450 CP | 350 CP |
| Europe | 500 CP | 400 CP | 200 CP |
| Latin America | 400 CP | 300 CP | 200 CP |
| Asia Pacific | 400 CP | 300 CP | 200 CP |
| South Africa | 300 CP | 300 CP | 300 CP |
Day Two Invitations
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 Asia Pacific rating zone
As someone from the Asia Pacific region that attended the World Championships this year, it is clear that it will be much harder to obtain an invite to the 2017 World Championships. Not only has the CP requirement doubled from 200 to 400 CP for the Masters division, but events will be giving out much less CP on average for smaller events. It seems traveling has become essential, because unless you do extraordinary well at each tournament you attend you may not have enough events in your area to get you the required CP over the course of a season. The higher best finish limits seem to support the theory that The Pokemon Company wants people to travel and attend more events. It is important to note that players are free to compete in any tournament all over the world, regardless of where they reside.
Saying all this, the 2016 World Championships was perhaps too easy to get an invite too which lead to a very large number of attendants. This new structure is more balanced across the world and will ensure that only the best of the best will make it to the prestigious World event. Australia saw roughly 16 competitors attend the World Championships this year and I expect that number to half under this new points format.
Trading Card Game Events and Point Distribution
League Challenge
Best Finish Limit: 2 per quarter, shared with League Cup*
Play! Points: 1
| Placement | Points | Kicker (# of participants) |
| 1 | 15 | 0 |
| 2 | 12 | 4 |
| 3–4 | 10 | 8 |
| 5–8 | 6 | 32 |
| 9–16 | 4 | 64 |
| 17–32 | 2 | 128 |
League Cup
Best Finish Limit: 2 per quarter, shared with League Challenge*
Play! Points: 2
| Placement | Points | Kicker (# of participants) |
| 1 | 50 | 0 |
| 2 | 40 | 4 |
| 3–4 | 30 | 8 |
| 5–8 | 20 | 32 |
| 9–16 | 10 | 64 |
| 17–32 | 8 | 128 |
| 33–64 | 6 | 256 |
*League Challenge and League Cup share a Best Finish Limit of two events per quarter. The quarters are:
- July 11, 2016, through October 2016
- November 2016 through January 2017
- February 2017 through April 2017
- May 2017 through the end of the tournament season
Special Events
Best Finish Limit: 8, shared with Regional Championships
Play! Points: 3
| Placement | Points | Kicker (# of participants) |
| 1 | 130 | 0 |
| 2 | 105 | 4 |
| 3–4 | 80 | 8 |
| 5–8 | 55 | 32 |
| 9–16 | 30 | 64 |
| 17–32 | 20 | 128 |
| 33–64 | 15 | 256 |
| 65–128 | 10 | 512 |
| 129–256 | 5 | 1,024 |
Regional Championships
Best Finish Limit: 8, shared with Special Events
Play! Points: 3
| Placement | Points | Kicker (# of participants) |
| 1 | 200 | 0 |
| 2 | 160 | 4 |
| 3–4 | 120 | 8 |
| 5–8 | 80 | 32 |
| 9–16 | 40 | 64 |
| 17–32 | 32 | 128 |
| 33–64 | 24 | 256 |
| 65–128 | 16 | 512 |
| 129–256 | 8 | 1,024 |
International Championships
Best Finish Limit: 4, shared with the 2016 World Championships
Play! Points: 5
| Placement | Points | Kicker (# of participants) |
| 1 | 500 | 0 |
| 2 | 400 | 4 |
| 3–4 | 300 | 8 |
| 5–8 | 200 | 32 |
| 9–16 | 100 | 64 |
| 17–32 | 80 | 128 |
| 33–64 | 60 | 256 |
| 65–128 | 40 | 512 |
| 129–256 | 20 | 1,024 |
The amount of points needed to qualify for the World Championships TCG 2017 and how day two invites will be handled.
| Rating Zone | Masters Division | Senior Division | Junior Division |
| US and Canada | 500 CP | 500 CP | 400 CP |
| Europe | 500 CP | 500 CP | 400 CP |
| Latin America | 350 CP | 250 CP | 200 CP |
| Asia Pacific | 350 CP | 250 CP | 200 CP |
| South Africa | 350 CP | 250 CP | 200 CP |
Day Two Invitations
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 Asia Pacific rating zone
Will you be fighting to compete for a place at the 2017 World Championships in Anaheim California? Hopefully all this information helps you plan your season in what is an exciting time for Pokemon players all over the world. Please be aware that this information is subject to change and that is a real possibility as several changes were made already prior to the publishing of this article.
