VGC20 Play! Pokémon Season

Overview

The Pokémon Video Game Championship Series events will begin the season using the 2019 Ultra Series Format with Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon games on the Nintendo 3ds. Events will transition to Pokémon Sword and Shield on the Nintendo Switch beginning January 4 2020.

VGC19 Ultra Series

VGC19 Ultra Series – Ruleset Overview

(Until January 4 2020)

View Play! Pokémon Video Game Rules, Formats & Penalty Guidelines
  • All matches are to be played as Double Battles in Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon.
  • All Pokémon must have the black clover icon, meaning they must be caught or hatched in Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon, or obtained from an event distribution in these games.
  • For all series formats, GS Cup rules apply, meaning only two restricted Pokémon can be used per team: Mewtwo, Lugia, Ho-oh, Groudon, Kyogre, Rayquaza, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, Solgaleo, Lunala, Necrozma
  • Mythical Pokémon are banned.
  • The “your timer” system has been changed, with the maximum player time increased from 5 minutes to 7 minutes.
  • Z-crystals are allowed
  • Mega stones are allowed
  • Red Orb and Blue Orb are allowed

VGC20 – Ruleset Overview

(From January 4 2020)

View Play! Pokémon Video Game Rules

Events will transition to Pokémon Sword and Shield on the Nintendo Switch from January 4 2020. Tournaments from January 4 2020 will include the following rules:

  • All battles will be Double Battles played in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield.
  • Pokémon will need to have the Galar symbol, showing they were caught in the Galar region.
  • All Pokémon from the Galar Regional Pokédex will be permitted except for Mythical Pokémon and certain Legendary Pokémon.
  • Duplicate Pokémon and held items will not be allowed.
  • Each battle will begin with a 90-second Team Preview phase.
  • Players will have 7 minutes of Your Time, 45 seconds of Move Time, and 15 minutes of Game Time in each battle.

As of January 4 2020, the following Gigantamax Pokémon are allowed:

  • Butterfree
  • Corviknight
  • Drednaw
  • Centiskorch
  • Meowth
  • Pikachu
  • Eevee
  • Snorlax
  • Sandaconda
  • Charizard (only permitted with the Ability Blaze)

Event Schedule

Full event schedule featuring Special Events, Regional Championships and International Championships.

International Championships

Region Location Date
Latin America PRO MAGNO Centro de Eventos, São Paulo, Brazil November 15–17, 2019
Oceania Melbourne, Australia February 21–23, 2020
Europe Berlin, Germany April 17–19, 2020
North America USA June 26–28, 2020

Championship Point Breakdown

Video Game Championship Points are awarded to players based on how well they finish at each Play! Pokémon Event.

Premier Challenge
Best Finish Limit: 6 per year from any series.
Placement CP Kicker
1 30 0
2 16 0
3–4 12 0
5–8 8 24
9–16 6 48
17–32 4 100
Mid Season Showdown
Best Finish Limit: 6 per year from any series.
Placement CP Kicker
1 50 0
2 40 0
3–4 32 0
5–8 25 24
9–16 20 48
17–32 16 100
33–64 13 200
Special Events
Best Finish Limit: 6 (Shared with Regional Championships)
Placement CP Kicker 
1 200 0
2 160 0
3–4 130 0
5–8 100 0
9–16 80 48
17–32 60 100
33–64 50 200
65–128 40 400
129–256 30 800
Regional Championships
Best Finish Limit: 6 (shared with Special Events)
# CP Kicker
1 200 0
2 160 0
3–4 130 0
5–8 100 0
9–16 80 48
17–32 60 100
33–64 50 200
65–128 40 400
129–256 30 800

 

# 1–24 players 25–100 players 101–200 players 201+ players
1 $500 $1,000 $2,000 $3,000
2 $250 $500 $1,000 $2,000
3–4 $- $250 $500 $1,000
5–8 $- $- $250 $500
9–16 $- $- $- $250
International Championships
Best Finish Limit: 4
Placement CP Kicker
1 500 0
2 400 0
3–4 320 0
5–8 250 0
9–16 200 48
17–32 160 100
33–64 130 200
65–128 100 400
129–256 80 800
257–512 60 1600

 

# 1–100 players 101–200 players 201+ players
1 $1,500 $2,500 $5,000
2 $1,000 $1,500 $2,500
3–4 $750 $1,000 $1,500
5–8 $500 $750 $1,000
9–16 $- $500 $750
17–32 $- $- $500

Qualification Periods and Travel Awards

In the 2020 season, awards for travel to the International Championships will be based on stand-alone qualification periods.

Qualification for Starts Ends
Latin America April 29 2019 June 30 2019
Oceania July 1 2019 November 17 2019
Europe November 18 2019 February 23 2020
North America February 24 2020 April 19 2020

Qualifying for the 2020 World Championship

Invitations will be awarded to all Pokémon video game players who have earned at least the following Championship Points (CP):

Rating Zone Day 1 Day 2
US and Canada 400 Top 8 players
Europe 300 Top 16 players
Latin America 400 Top 8 players
Oceania 300 Top 8 players
Africa 200 —

Players who finish in the Top 4 of the 2019 Pokémon World Championships will receive an invitation and award for travel to the 2020 World Championships.

Players in Japan and South Korea will be awarded both Friday invitations and Day Two invitations as determined by each country’s organized play system.