2009 Pokemon Video Game Championship Series

Courtesy of Nintendo

It is time to step up and prove that you are a true Pokemon master. Regional Championships will start next month, in May, and will continue through the summer. Participants from all over the world will meet up at the invite-only World Championship event in San Diego on August 14 to duke it out to determine who the true Pokemon champion is.

Fighting Grounds

If you live in or near the United States, Japan, Germany, France, or United Kingdom, you have a chance of participating in this grand scale tournament. Here are the dates and locations of the qualifiers. You must pass the qualifiers to get invited to the World Championship.

Special Rules

32 winners from the US Qualifiers and 12 winners from the European Qualifiers will join up against the 16 Japanese winners in the World Championships. There are two divisions: a Junior Division for people born in 1997 and afterwards and a Senior Division for people born in or before 1996.

Interested participants are asked to arrive early on the day of the event to register. Only 128 players will be able to play in each division. If there are more than 128 registrations, then the players will be randomly selected.

US Players must be using Pokemon Platinum while European players can use either Diamond or Pearl. Battles will be done in a 2-on-2 format with Pokemon that are Level 50 or lower. You cannot have two of the same pokemon, nor can you have two pokemon hold the same item. You cannot have two pokemon with the same nickname, nor can you use pokemon with a nickname of another pokmon, like a Snorlax named Abra.

Certain moves and pokemon are not allowed. You can only use moves that a pokemon learns by leveling up, through TM or HM, as an egg move, or from a Move Tutor. Pokemons received from official Nintendo events, such as the Surfing Pikachu, are allowed, as are Smeargle moves learned through Sketch. The following pokemon are NOT allowed:

What You Are Fighting For

Those that win the qualifiers will get a trip for two to San Diego in order to compete in the World Champsionships. The trip includes round-trip flight and three nights stay at a hotel.

The winners of the World Championships will get to take their family on a trip to either Japan, New York, or Hawaii. The trip includes round-trip flight, one week's stay at a hotel, a custom Nintendo DSi, and a Pokemon Prize Pack that is filled with goodies.
Second place winners will also get a custom Nintendo DSi and a Pokemon Prize Pack worth over $1000.
Third place winners will also get a custom Nintendo DSi and a Pokemon Prize Pack worth over $500.
Fourth place winners will also get a custom Nintendo DSi and a Pokemon Prize Pack worth over $250.

Full details on rules, times and locations can be found on the Official Website. Be sure to keep an eye on Kidzworld's Cheat Street for Pokemon Platinum articles on how to trade, build, and train a strong pokemon battle team!

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