Championship Series

The U.S. National Championships will be held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, from Friday, July 5th through Sunday, July 7th with preregistration taking place on Thursday, July 4th.

Events at the Indiana Convention Center will begin on Friday, July 5th, at 9:00 A.M., with a variety of tournaments and league play going all day in addition to the U.S. National Championships.

The Pokémon Video Game event will begin on Saturday, July 6th. More information on the Pokémon Video Game National Championships can be found here.

The address of the Indiana Convention Center is:

100 South Capitol Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46225-1071

The U.S. National Championships will take place on three consecutive days, with each day’s activities outlined below.

Thursday, July 4th

• Onsite preregistration for all players will take place 4:00 P.M.–6:00 P.M. outside of Exhibit Hall I

Friday, July 5th

• Open registration

  • Open registration will take place 8:00 a.m.–8:30a.m.

• We will complete approximately half of the total Swiss rounds, based on total attendance

Unregistered players not in line for final registration by 8:30 A.M. may not be entered into the tournament.

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, July 6th

• Remaining Swiss rounds will be completed

  • Players not in their seats by 9:00 A.M. will receive a game loss for that round and 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, July 7th

• 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 first game. Players not in their seats by 8:40 a.m. will forfeit their second game, and thereby, the match

What are the prizes?

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

The divisions are as follows:

Junior Division: Born in 2002 or later
Senior Division: Born in 1998, 1999, 2000, or 2001
Masters Division: Born in 1997 or earlier

1st Place

• A Pokémon TCG National Championships First-Place Trophy

• An invitation to the 2013 Pokémon TCG World Championships

• 500 Championship Points

• A Travel Award for the winner (and parent or legal guardian for players under 18) to the 2013 World Championships

• A scholarship award worth $5,000. Click here for scholarship details and restrictions

• 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 2013 Pokémon TCG World Championships

• 500 Championship Points (if division attendance is 4 or greater)

• A Travel Award for the winner (and parent or legal guardian for players under 18) to the 2013 World Championships

• A scholarship award worth $3,000. Click here for scholarship details and restrictions

• A combination of 72 booster packs from current Pokémon TCG expansions

• Other great Pokémon-themed merchandise!

3rd & 4th Place

• A Pokémon TCG National Championships Semi-Finalist Trophy

• An invitation to the 2013 Pokémon TCG World Championships

• 500 Championship Points (if division attendance is 8 or greater)

• A Travel Award for the winner (and parent or legal guardian for players under 18) to the 2013 World Championships

• A scholarship award worth $1,500. Click here for scholarship details and restrictions

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

• Other great Pokémon-themed merchandise!

5th through 8th Place

• An invitation to the 2013 Pokémon TCG World Championships

• 500 Championship Points (if division attendance is 32 or greater)

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

9th through 12th Place

• 80 Championship Points (if division attendance is 64 or greater)

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

13h through 16th Place

• 60 Championship Points (if division attendance is 64 or greater)

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

17th through 32nd Place

• 40 Championship Points (if division attendance is 128 or greater)

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

33rd through 64th Place

• 30 Championship Points (if division attendance is 256 or greater)

65th through 128h Place

• 10 Championship Points (if division attendance is 512 or greater)

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

• Masters Division players must have a minimum of 15 Play! Points to qualify

• Junior and Senior Division players must have a minimum of 5 Play! Points to qualify

• Registration will be guaranteed to the first 270 Junior Division players, 324 Senior Division players, and 972 Masters Division players. While we will attempt to accommodate every player wishing to participate, we cannot guarantee seating beyond these limits

• 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