 GameCentral reports from Yokohama on this year's Pokémon World Championships – surprisingly, the first one ever to be held in Japan. Last August saw half of south London decked out in everything Pokémon and while Londoners were lucky enough again this year, to see Pokémon Go Fest taking place in Brockwell Park a couple of weeks ago, this week all eyes turned to Yokohama in Japan, as the Pokémon World Championships finally came home. While Brockwell Park was hit by typically rainy English weather, Yokohama sweltered under temperatures soaring into the high 30s but that didn't stop more than 10,000 players and fans from around the globe gathering at the PACIFICO Yokohama Convention Center, for the world's most prestigious Pokémon event. Trainers visiting Yokohama could also shop at the exclusive Pop-up Pokémon Center and, in the evening, watch the sky be lit up by drone displays of their favourite Pokémon characters. The Pokémon World Championships first began in 2004 and focused primarily on the Pokémon Trading Card Game; it has since grown to include dedicated competitions for Pokémon video games, including the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Pokémon Go, and Pokémon Unite. The World Championship are an extremely competitive tournament, with each game having its own format and set of rules, including different divisions for pros, seniors, and juniors. This year, trainers from across the globe competed in four different games for the chance to claim the top spot. This year's winner of the Trading Card Game top spot was US trainer Vance Kelley, who took home a nifty $25,000 (£19,600). The Pokémon Trading Card Game competitions took place across the three days, with rounds lasting just under an hour and culminating with the Finals on Sunday afternoon, where Kelley defeated Tord Reklev (runner- up for a second year) wielding an impressive Fusion Mew deck. Kelley's deck showcased two of){kind=link}
GameCentral reports from Yokohama on this year’s Pokemon World Championships – surprisingly, the first one ever to be held in Japan.
Last August saw half of south London decked out in everything Pokemon and while Londoners were lucky enough again this year, to see Pokemon Go Fest taking place in Brockwell Park a couple of weeks ago, this week all eyes turned to Yokohama in Japan, as the Pokemon World Championships finally came home.
While Brockwell Park was hit by typically rainy English weather, Yokohama sweltered under temperatures soaring into the high 30s but that didn’t stop more than 10,000 players and fans from around the globe gathering at the PACIFICO Yokohama Convention Center, for the world’s most prestigious Pokemon event. Trainers visiting Yokohama could also shop at the exclusive Pop-up Pokemon Center and, in the evening, watch the sky be lit up by drone displays of their favourite Pokemon characters.
The Pokemon World Championships first began in 2004 and focused primarily on the Pokemon Trading Card Game; it has since grown to include dedicated competitions for Pokemon video games, including the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon Go, and Pokemon Unite. The World Championship are an extremely competitive tournament, with each game having its own format and set of rules, including different divisions for pros, seniors, and juniors.
This year, trainers from across the globe competed in four different games for the chance to claim the top spot. This year’s winner of the Trading Card Game top spot was US trainer Vance Kelley, who took home a nifty $25,000 (£19,600).