Pokémon U.S. National Championships General Information

Due to the overwhelming growth of the U.S. National Championships, Pokémon Organized Play will now operate the U.S. National Championships as a THREE-day event.

The U.S. National Championships will be held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, from Friday, June 25th, through Sunday, June 27th, 2010, with pre-registration taking place on Thursday, June 24th.

Events at the Indiana Convention Center will begin on Friday, June 25th, at 9:30 a.m., with a variety of tournaments and league play going all day, in addition to the U.S. National Championships itself.

The address of the Indiana Convention Center is:

100 South Capitol Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46225-1071

As U.S. National Championships will now take place on three consecutive days, each day's activities are outlined below.

Thursday, June 24th:

• Onsite preregistration for all players will take place from 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. outside of Exhibit Hall C
  • Competitors who register on Thursday will receive a National Championships T-shirt and promo card, while supplies last.

Friday, June 25th:

• Open registration
  • Open registration will take place from 8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m.
• Approximately half of the total Swiss rounds take place, based on total attendance

Players registering on Friday will receive a National Championships promo card, while supplies last.

Players not in line for registration by 8:30 a.m. will be registered for the event with a first-round loss. All players must be in their assigned seats with completed deck lists by 9:30 a.m. for the start of the players' meeting. Players not seated at this time risk being dropped from the tournament.

Saturday, June 26th:

• Remaining Swiss rounds
  • Players not in their seats by 9:00 a.m. will receive a game loss for that round and will be dropped from the event if they have not reported by the end of that round
• Single elimination finals played down to top 16

Sunday, June 27th:

• Remaining single elimination rounds (top 16) for all age groups
  • Players must be checked in and ready to play by 8:30a.m. or they will forfeit their match

Results of all rounds of the U.S. National Championships will count toward players' Premier Ratings.

What does it cost?

Entry to play in the Pokémon TCG National Championships is free, and there are no fees charged to enter the event as a spectator. Sealed-format side events will require an entry fee of $25.

What are the prizes?

Prizes are awarded to the top 32 players in each age division.

The divisions are:

Junior Division: Born in 1999 or later

Senior Division: Born in 1995, 1996, 1997, or 1998

Masters Division: Born in 1994 or earlier

1st Place

• A Pokémon TCG National Championships First-Place Trophy
• An invitation to the 2010 Pokémon TCG World Championships
• A Travel Award for the winner (and parent or legal guardian for players under 18) to the 2010 World Championships
• A scholarship award worth $5,000. Go here for scholarship details and restrictions
• A Nintendo DSi game system
• A combination of 72 booster packs from current Pokémon TCG expansions
• Other great Pokémon-themed merchandise!

2nd Place

• A Pokémon TCG National Championships Second-Place Trophy
• An invitation to the 2010 Pokémon TCG World Championships
• A Travel Award for the winner (and parent or legal guardian for players under 18) to the 2010 World Championships
• A scholarship award worth $3,000. Go here for scholarship details and restrictions
• A Nintendo DSi game system
• A combination of 72 booster packs from current Pokémon TCG expansions
• Other great Pokémon-themed merchandise!

3rd Place

• A Pokémon TCG National Championships Third-Place Trophy
• An invitation to the 2010 Pokémon TCG World Championships
• A Travel Award for the winner (and parent or legal guardian for players under 18) to the 2010 World Championships
• A scholarship award worth $1,500. Go here for scholarship details and restrictions
• A Nintendo DSi game system
• A combination of 36 booster packs from current Pokémon TCG expansions
• Other great Pokémon-themed merchandise!

4th Place

• A Pokémon TCG National Championships Fourth-Place Trophy
• An invitation to the 2010 Pokémon TCG World Championships
• A Travel Award for the winner (and parent or legal guardian for players under 18) to the 2010 World Championships
• A scholarship award worth $1,500. Go here for scholarship details and restrictions
• A Nintendo DSi game system
• A combination of 36 booster packs from current Pokémon TCG expansions
• Other great Pokémon-themed merchandise!

5th through 8th Place

• An invitation to the 2010 Pokémon TCG World Championships
• A scholarship award worth $750. Go here for scholarship details and restrictions
• A combination of 36 booster packs from current Pokémon TCG expansions

9th through 16th Place

• A combination of 36 booster packs from current Pokémon TCG expansions

17th through 32nd place

• A combination of 18 booster packs from current Pokémon TCG expansions

Who is eligible to play at the U.S. National Championships?

• Registration will be guaranteed to the first 270 Junior Division players, 270 Senior Division players, and 640 Masters Division players. While we will attempt to accommodate every player wishing to participate, we cannot guarantee seating beyond these limits.
• 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.
• The Pokémon TCG U.S. National Championships is open to legal residents of the U.S. only. Residency in this case is defined as a person who legally resides in the United States or one of its territories, not necessarily a U.S. citizen.
• Players who are found in violation of the rules of eligibility are subject to suspension from Pokémon Organized Play and loss of prizes, including, but not limited to, invitations and Travel Awards.

Review the Rules of Eligibility in our Tournament Rules document.

What is the tournament structure?

The tournament is run using the Modified (DP-on) Format and Swiss plus Single Elimination.

The National Championships will be broken into groups by age divisions and will be run using Swiss Pairings. Because Swiss rounds are dependent upon total attendance of each age division, Swiss rounds will be announced on site. Swiss rounds will feature one-game matches.

After the final round of Swiss, the top players from each age division (depending on attendance levels) will move into a single-elimination round. Single-elimination rounds will be a best-of-three game format and will have a 60-minute time limit per match.

National Championships events have a K-Value of 32. For more information on K-Value and Ratings and Rankings, click here.

Official Rules for Redeeming Travel Awards to the World Championships

This prize includes a Travel Award for the winner and a travel companion (if winner is under age 18) to the Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championships destination specified in the prize or event listing at www.pokemon.com. Travel award winners will be booked to arrive the day prior to the event check-in date, and will depart the day after the event has ended. Players who are deemed to have excessive estimated travel times may be granted an additional night in advance of the event, at the sole discretion of The Pokémon Company International, Inc.

Click here for details about the World Championships and certain prizes, including scholarships, offered to eligible winners of Pokémon Trading Card Game Championships.

Eligibility and other restrictions apply. See Complete Travel Rules for more details. Click here for scholarship details and restrictions.