Regional Championships FAQ
Information is subject to change: Last updated 3/12/2007
What are the Pokémon TCG Regional Championships?
The
Pokémon® TCG Regional Championships™ is a title event series where players in each
of the three POP-recognized age divisions compete to earn the title of Regional Champion! The
Regional Championships will be held in fifteen locations in the U.S. and Canada on April 14
th and 21
st, 2007. Results of the Regional Championships count toward your
Premier
Rating!
In addition, the Regional Championships award a Travel Award to the U.S. or Canadian National
Championships!
Prizes are awarded to the top 16 finishers in each of three age divisions (Junior, Senior, and
Masters).
Pokémon TCG Regional Championship events are operated by independent Pokémon
Organized Play Premier Tournament Organizers.
When are the Pokémon TCG Regional Championships?
The Pokémon TCG Regional Championships will be held on April 14
th and 21
st, 2007.
Click
here for event dates, times, and locations. Please contact the individual Tournament Organizer
for additional details.
What are the Regions for the Pokémon Regional Championships?
-
Eastern: New York, NY
-
Eastern Canada: Toronto, ON
-
Great Lakes: Tecumseh, MI
-
Mid-Atlantic: Claymont, DE
-
Midwest: Rockford, IL
-
Mississippi Valley: Memphis, TN
-
Mountain West: South Salt Lake, UT
-
New England: Milford, MA
-
Northwest: Auburn, WA
-
Sierra Nevada: Fremont, CA
-
Southeast: Greensboro, NC
-
Southern: Orlando, FL
-
Southern Plains: The Woodlands, TX
-
Southwest: Anaheim, CA
-
Western Canada: St. Albert, AB
What does it cost to attend?
All Pokémon Organized Play Premier events in North America, other than those that use a
Limited
Format (such as Prereleases), are FREE! So, there is no admission fee for a Regional
Championship! Organizers may charge for side events run at these tournaments.
What are the player eligibility requirements?
- To participate in the event, you must be a player in good standing and abide by the Pokémon
Tournament
Rules and all other applicable event rules.
- Non-U.S. residents are not eligible to collect a Travel Award to the U.S. National
Championships, as the U.S. Nationals are open to U.S. residents only. Non-Canadian residents are
not eligible to collect a Travel Award to the Canadian National Championships, as the Canadian
Nationals are open to Canadian residents only. If a non-resident wins a Regional Championship, the
Travel Award will pass down to the next eligible resident. All other prizes will be awarded to the
actual winner of the event.
- Players who are found to be in violation of the rules of eligibility are subject to suspension
from Pokémon Organized Play and to the loss of prizes, including, but not limited to, invitations
and travel allowances.
Review the Rules of Eligibility in our Tournament Rules document
here.
What is the tournament structure?
The tournament is run using the
Modified
Format and
Swiss
pairings. See the
Tournament
Rules for additional information about the Modified and Swiss formats. The number of Swiss
rounds run will depend on the total attendance of the event.
After Swiss rounds are complete, there will be a cut to single-elimination finals. The number of
players to qualify for the finals will depend on the total attendance in each age bracket, with a
maximum of 16 players playing off in any one division.
Regional Championship events have a K-Value of 40. For more information on K-Value, Ratings, and
Rankings, click
here.
What are the Prizes?
Prizes are awarded to the top 16 players in each age division.
The divisions are:
Junior Division: Born in 1996 or later
Senior Division: Born in 1992, 1993, 1994, or 1995
Masters Division: Born in 1991 or earlier
Participants will receive a
Pokémon TCG Regional Championships promo card and a commemorative Regional
Championships pin, while supplies last, all just for playing!
The top 16 finishers in
each of the three age divisions will receive the following prizes:
U.S. Regionals
1
st Place
- A
Pokémon TCG Regional Championships 1
st Place Trophy
- A Travel Award for the winner (including a parent or legal guardian for players under 18), U.S.
residents only, to the 2007 U.S. National Championships at the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio!
(Visit
www.originsgames.com for more information)*
- A scholarship award worth $1500 (Click
here for scholarship details and restrictions).
- Four-day admission to the Origins Game Expo in Columbus, Ohio,
U.S. residents only
- A combination of 36 booster packs from current
Pokémon TCG expansions
- Other cool
Pokémon merchandise
- A
Pokémon TCG Regional Championships 2
nd Place Trophy
- Four-day admission to the Origins Game Expo in Columbus, Ohio,
U.S. residents only
- A scholarship award worth $1000 (Click
here for scholarship details and restrictions).
- A combination of 36 booster packs from current
Pokémon TCG expansions
- A
Pokémon TCG Regional Championships 3
rd or 4
th Place Trophy
- A scholarship award worth $750 (Click
here for scholarship details and restrictions).
- A combination of 36 booster packs from current
Pokémon TCG expansions
- A combination of 18 booster packs from current
Pokémon TCG expansions
- A combination of 9 booster packs from current
Pokémon TCG expansions
Canadian Regionals
- A
Pokémon TCG Regional Championships 1
st Place Trophy
- A Travel Award for the winner (including a parent or legal guardian for players under 18),
Canadian residents only, to the 2007 Canadian National Championships*
- A scholarship award worth $1000 (Click
here for scholarship details and restrictions).
- A combination of 36 booster packs from current
Pokémon TCG expansions
- Other cool
Pokémon merchandise
- A
Pokémon TCG Regional Championships 2
nd Place Trophy
- A scholarship award worth $750 (Click
here for scholarship details and restrictions).
- A combination of 36 booster packs from current
Pokémon TCG expansions
- A
Pokémon TCG Regional Championships 3
rd or 4t
h Place Trophy
- A scholarship award worth $500 (Click
here for scholarship details and restrictions).
- A combination of 36 booster packs from current
Pokémon TCG expansions
- A combination of 18 booster packs from current
Pokémon TCG expansions
- A combination of 9 booster packs from current
Pokémon TCG expansions
* If you have already earned a Travel Award or Origins badge (U.S. residents only) as a
previous 2007 State or Regional Championship winner, your Travel Award and/or Origins badge will
pass down to the next qualified finisher.
How do I collect my Travel Award and Origins Badge (U.S. residents only)?
Upon receiving a prize package that includes a Travel Award and/or Origins badge at your
Regional Championships, the Tournament Organizer will provide you with forms to return to Pokémon
USA, Inc. The forms must be postmarked no later than May 4
th, 2007, in order to qualify for the benefits.
If your forms are not postmarked by the May 4
th deadline, your Travel Award and Origins badge will be waived, and you will not be
eligible to receive either.
In addition, Pokémon USA, Inc., will submit your information to GAMA to secure your Origins
four-day attendee badge. This badge will allow you free admission to the convention.
For those individuals who have already purchased a badge but who are eligible for a badge, you
may contact GAMA directly to ask for a refund. This is your responsibility. GAMA has offered to
waive the $20 administration fee.
How do I collect my Travel Award and Origins Badge (Canadian residents only)?
After you receive a prize package that includes a Travel Award at your Regional Championships,
the Tournament Organizer will provide you with forms to return to Pokémon USA, Inc. The forms must
be postmarked no later than May 4
th, 2007, in order to qualify for the benefits.
If your forms are not postmarked by the May 4
th deadline, your Travel Award will be waived.
Other Information:
- Your deck must comply with the
Modified
Format as outlined in the
Pokémon Tournament Rules.
- Bring your
POP ID
card, if you have one. If you don't have a
POP ID,
one will be given to you at the event.
- Every qualified player must have an updated "My Pokémon Account" in order to be eligible for
the travel award.
- See the
Pokémon
Tournament Rules for more information about what to bring to an event.
- To participate in the event, you must be a player in good standing and abide by the
Pokémon
Tournament Rules and all other applicable event rules.
- Local residency is not a requirement to participate in the
Pokémon TCG Regional Championships.
- Players planning to attend
Pokémon TCG U.S. National Championships at Origins should consider booking
accommodations early. Origins is a very popular event, and the hotels nearest the Convention Center
fill up quickly. A list of hotels near the Convention Center, as well as other helpful information,
can be found at
www.originsgames.com.
- See the
Legal
Notices for certain eligibility requirements and other information.
What Happens After the Tournament?
After the tournament ends, the Tournament Organizer will submit the tournament results to
Pokémon USA, Inc., which sanctions the tournaments and will determine player rankings using the
ELO rating
system.