UK NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2016
This year the Pokémon Video Game and Trading Card Game UK National Championships will be held over the weekend of 14 and 15 May at the Exhibition Centre in Liverpool. There will also be the first UK National Pokken Tournament.
It is intended that the TCG and VG tournaments will both start on the Saturday with the finals (top cut) to be run on the Sunday, which means players will have to choose which event they want to participate in on Saturday and be prepared to return on the Sunday if they make the finals.
The Liverpool Exhibition Centre is at Kings Dock, Liverpool Waterfront, L3 4FP http://www.exhibitioncentreliverpool.com/
Glenn will be the Head Judge for TCG Juniors and Seniors on both Saturday and Sunday so he will be around to help our players and parents with any questions at the event and in the event of an emergency he can be contacted on his mobile 07778 160801. Joanna will also be on staff and will be busy entering all the match results onto the computer. Ben Rollason and James Thompson will also be on staff for the VGC tournament.
It is intended that the TCG and VG tournaments will both start on the Saturday with the finals (top cut) to be run on the Sunday, which means players will have to choose which event they want to participate in on Saturday and be prepared to return on the Sunday if they make the finals.
The Liverpool Exhibition Centre is at Kings Dock, Liverpool Waterfront, L3 4FP http://www.exhibitioncentreliverpool.com/
Glenn will be the Head Judge for TCG Juniors and Seniors on both Saturday and Sunday so he will be around to help our players and parents with any questions at the event and in the event of an emergency he can be contacted on his mobile 07778 160801. Joanna will also be on staff and will be busy entering all the match results onto the computer. Ben Rollason and James Thompson will also be on staff for the VGC tournament.
UK TCG Nationals
Saturday 14 May and Sunday 15 May
For the TCG tournament, registration starts at 8.00am. Admission is free. This year there are no play point requirements to enter. You should have a Pokémon Trainer Account and be registered to receive Play Points on the Pokémon website.
Registration is between 8am and 9am on the Saturday morning. Due to technical issues it appears that the planned online registration is no longer an option and ALL players will need to register onsite at the event.
Deck lists will be collected during the player meeting at 9.30am, hoping for gameplay to start at 9.45am. Unfortunately there will not be a lunch break for TCG players but you will be able to buy food and drink from the onsite catering facility inside Hall C inbetween rounds.
Decks will be Standard format for both swiss rounds and top cut. Both swiss rounds and top cut will best of three.
Swiss rounds will be held on Day 1 (Saturday) and it is intended to run Top Cut on Day 2 (Sunday)
This will be an opportunity to earn enough Championship points to gain an invitation to compete in the World Championships that will be held in San Francisco, USA, in August. For full details on qualifying for the World TCG Championships click on this link
There will be side events during the weekend including an 'expanded' format TCG event on Sunday, limited to 64 players and entry fee will be two side event tickets (2 x £4 so £8 in total ). Championship points equivalent to a Regional event will be up for grabs
For full details copy this URL and paste into your browser
http://tournamentcenter.eu/en/pokemon/tournaments/national-championship-uk-liverpool-waterfront
For the TCG tournament, registration starts at 8.00am. Admission is free. This year there are no play point requirements to enter. You should have a Pokémon Trainer Account and be registered to receive Play Points on the Pokémon website.
Registration is between 8am and 9am on the Saturday morning. Due to technical issues it appears that the planned online registration is no longer an option and ALL players will need to register onsite at the event.
Deck lists will be collected during the player meeting at 9.30am, hoping for gameplay to start at 9.45am. Unfortunately there will not be a lunch break for TCG players but you will be able to buy food and drink from the onsite catering facility inside Hall C inbetween rounds.
Decks will be Standard format for both swiss rounds and top cut. Both swiss rounds and top cut will best of three.
Swiss rounds will be held on Day 1 (Saturday) and it is intended to run Top Cut on Day 2 (Sunday)
This will be an opportunity to earn enough Championship points to gain an invitation to compete in the World Championships that will be held in San Francisco, USA, in August. For full details on qualifying for the World TCG Championships click on this link
There will be side events during the weekend including an 'expanded' format TCG event on Sunday, limited to 64 players and entry fee will be two side event tickets (2 x £4 so £8 in total ). Championship points equivalent to a Regional event will be up for grabs
For full details copy this URL and paste into your browser
http://tournamentcenter.eu/en/pokemon/tournaments/national-championship-uk-liverpool-waterfront
UK VGC Nationals
Saturday 14 May and Sunday 15 May
For the VGC tournament, admission is free and there are no play point requirements.
Registration is between 9am and 10am on the Saturday morning. Due to technical issues it appears that the planned online registration is no longer an option and ALL players will need to register onsite at the event.
Players not in line for check-in at 10am will be marked as late, and may receive a first round loss. Players who register but do not check-in will not be entered into the event.
For VG players there will be a lunch break between rounds 3 and 4
The tournament is run using the VGC 2016 format and Swiss plus Single Elimination pairings system. The Swiss rounds will take place on Saturday 14th May, and the number of Swiss rounds will depend on total attendance at the event in each age division.
After Swiss rounds are complete, there will be a cut to single-elimination finals. The top players from each division will then play in these additional rounds, scheduled to take place on Sunday 15th May.
Both Swiss rounds and the single-elimination finals will use a best-of-three game format, and each game will have a 15 minute time limit.
FURTHER INFORMATION
This event is open to players from all over the world. However, you must own a European console from the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, and a European copy of either Pokémon Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire in order to play. In order to participate, you must be a player in good standing and agree to abide by all Play! Pokémon Tournament Rules, as well as all other applicable event rules.
This will be an opportunity to earn enough Championship points to gain an invitation to compete in the World Championships that will be held in San Francisco, USA, in August. .
There will be side events during the weekend including a VG Premier Challenge on Sunday, limited to 64 players and entry fee will be on side event ticket (£4).
For full details click on this link
http://tournamentcenter.eu/en/pokemon/tournaments/national-championship-uk-liverpool-waterfront
Nationals - some words of advice
Make a note of your player ID before you go.
If you’re competing in the VG don’t forget your DS and game cartridge. Make sure it’s fully charged before you leave home and take your charger with you.
Check the VG rules by clicking here before you go and make sure your team is legal. We suggest you complete your VG team registration sheet before you arrive.
For TCG players, remember to take your deck with you. Get your cards together the night before and put them in your bag. We suggest you complete a deck registration form before you go. You can download a deck registration sheet for TCG by clicking here
If you need to borrow or trade any cards to put together your winning deck try to make sure you have them before the event rather than depending upon others to remember to bring the cards you want to the event.
Sleeves. Remember that your card sleeves need to be in perfect condition with no marks or bent corners. It’s worthwhile investing in a new set of sleeves for the event – it is Nationals after all. You should be able to buy sleeves at the event but it will probably be cheaper to buy some before you go.
If during the tournament you damage or split a sleeve and you are using the Ultrapro Matte sleeves, see Glenn at the event as he will have with him a number of spares in different colours which might save you having to buy a new set of sleeves on the day.
Also, don’t forget to take your dice and condition markers.
Above all, have loads of fun and enjoy the weekend.
Make a note of your player ID before you go.
If you’re competing in the VG don’t forget your DS and game cartridge. Make sure it’s fully charged before you leave home and take your charger with you.
Check the VG rules by clicking here before you go and make sure your team is legal. We suggest you complete your VG team registration sheet before you arrive.
For TCG players, remember to take your deck with you. Get your cards together the night before and put them in your bag. We suggest you complete a deck registration form before you go. You can download a deck registration sheet for TCG by clicking here
If you need to borrow or trade any cards to put together your winning deck try to make sure you have them before the event rather than depending upon others to remember to bring the cards you want to the event.
Sleeves. Remember that your card sleeves need to be in perfect condition with no marks or bent corners. It’s worthwhile investing in a new set of sleeves for the event – it is Nationals after all. You should be able to buy sleeves at the event but it will probably be cheaper to buy some before you go.
If during the tournament you damage or split a sleeve and you are using the Ultrapro Matte sleeves, see Glenn at the event as he will have with him a number of spares in different colours which might save you having to buy a new set of sleeves on the day.
Also, don’t forget to take your dice and condition markers.
Above all, have loads of fun and enjoy the weekend.
Getting to Exhibition Centre Liverpool
By car - leave the M6 at junction 21A and take the M62 to Liverpool.Continue to the end of the M62 and follow signs for Liverpool City Centre, this will take you along Edge Lane. Follow signs for the Waterfront. The Liverpool Waterfront Car Park is signposted 'Waterfront' on the city wide 'available spaces' signage.
The Liverpool Waterfront Car Park boasts 1,600 spaces and is open 24/7. Parking costs are
£2 for up to 1 hour
£5 for up to 2 hours
£7 for up to 5 hours
£10 for up to 9 hours
£15 for up to 24 hours
By train - Exhibition Centre Liverpool is a 20-minute walk from Lime Street through the city centre or a short taxi ride. You can also transfer at Lime Street onto the underground Wirral Line trains to James Street station (10 minute walk) or catch the CityLink Route C4 (7am – 8pm) directly to Exhibition Centre Liverpool. If travelling from outside Merseyside, your ticket includes an underground journey across Liverpool to James Street station from Lime Street station.
Ring Traveline Merseyside 0871 200 22 33 for up to date information about your bus, train or ferry service. The Traveline is open from 8am – 8pm every day of the week.
By car - leave the M6 at junction 21A and take the M62 to Liverpool.Continue to the end of the M62 and follow signs for Liverpool City Centre, this will take you along Edge Lane. Follow signs for the Waterfront. The Liverpool Waterfront Car Park is signposted 'Waterfront' on the city wide 'available spaces' signage.
The Liverpool Waterfront Car Park boasts 1,600 spaces and is open 24/7. Parking costs are
£2 for up to 1 hour
£5 for up to 2 hours
£7 for up to 5 hours
£10 for up to 9 hours
£15 for up to 24 hours
By train - Exhibition Centre Liverpool is a 20-minute walk from Lime Street through the city centre or a short taxi ride. You can also transfer at Lime Street onto the underground Wirral Line trains to James Street station (10 minute walk) or catch the CityLink Route C4 (7am – 8pm) directly to Exhibition Centre Liverpool. If travelling from outside Merseyside, your ticket includes an underground journey across Liverpool to James Street station from Lime Street station.
Ring Traveline Merseyside 0871 200 22 33 for up to date information about your bus, train or ferry service. The Traveline is open from 8am – 8pm every day of the week.