Introducing VGC ’14 Premier Challenges (Updated)
Late next month, we’ll see an expansion to the Pokémon Video Game Championship Series with a pilot program at a very local level in North America. Select tournament organizers who have been active in running sanctioned video game tournaments have received the opportunity to run up to two VGC ’14 Premier Challenge events between April 21st and June 23rd. They will have a Best Finish Limit of 2 and award Championship Points. Prizes as well as entry fees will vary as they will be up to the organizer’s discretion but the yet to be announced Championship Point payout will be standard.
Over the next month, you’ll find events coming up on the Event Locator on Pokemon.com as well as our brand new sub-forum for Pokémon Premier Challenges. Check back frequently as organizers get their tournaments approved after locking down venues and dates.
Keep in mind that this is a pilot program, much like the TCG’s League Challenge program this season. This means only a few dozen tournament organizers will be allowed to run these events in the VGC ’14 season. This pool of organizers was determined by organizers who were proactive in holding sanctioned Pokémon X & Y tournaments. Based on its success, we should see an expansion of the program in North America, Europe, and then other countries in the Play! Pokémon program.
Helpful Tips to Players
- Remember your Player IDs as you would for a Regional event. If you don’t have one yet, you can get one online to save time during registration!
- Fill out a team sheet before heading to the event and double check it. We’ll have these available for download and printing before the events begin.
Many players have been hoping for events closer to home than a Regional that are a part of the official Video Game Championship Series and these Premier Challenges will be a first step to a strong local scene for the video game much like the one that currently exists for the TCG. Even if your local area hasn’t had enough sanctioned tournaments to earn a Premier Challenge yet, please do work with your local organizers to hold sanctioned events so that it may get one in the future!
Championship Points
Keep in mind that 8 players are required for this to be a sanctioned event. Otherwise nobody will receive Championship Points.
| Finish | CP Awarded | Kicker |
| 1st | 15 | 0 |
| 2nd | 12 | 0 |
| 3rd – 4th | 10 | 0 |
| 5th – 8th | 8 | 16 |
| 9th – 12th | 4 | 32 |
| 13th – 16th | 2 | 32 |
| 17th – 32nd | 1 | 64 |
Number of Rounds and Top Cut Size
| Players | Swiss Rounds | Cut Size |
| 8 | 3 | 2 |
| 9 – 16 | 4 | 4 |
| 17 – 32 | 5 | 8 |
| 33 – 64 | 6 | 8 |
| 65 – 128 | 7 | 8 |
| 129 – 226 | 8 | 8 |
| 227 – 256 | 8 | 16 |
| 257 – 409 | 9 | 16 |
| 410 – 512 | 9 | 32 |
| 513+ | 10 | 32 |
About the Author
Firestorm is one of the co-founders of Nugget Bridge and the Community Manager for eSports Tournament Platform Battlefy. He has been playing Pokémon since 1999, competitively since 2007, and attending tournaments since 2010. He lives in Vancouver, Canada with a degree in Interactive Art & Technology + Communications. You can follow him on Twitter at @rushanshekar.
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52 Responses to Introducing VGC ’14 Premier Challenges (Updated)
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Yeah, no kidding. I wonder what the norm is.
The norm’s 2 AFAIK. More in TO-filled areas
Keep an eye on our Premier Challenge forum and check with your local tournament page for Pokemon. Most areas have a Facebook page and often even a website. ultimatedra is one of the TOs in Utah and is working with the others on putting on events.
People seem to have a short memory. Keep in mind what people naively said about WiFi events for CP last year (even though others repeatedly explained the effects) and how the season ended up for 16th/17th/18th place.
It was just announced that Texas will be hosting two of these events. First one will be Friday April 25th and the second date has yet to be announced
I should note: I will be pulling Championship Point rankings the week after Spring Regionals complete for the VG (week of April 14-18). These rankings will create the US Nationals travel award and stipend list.
Premier Challenge Championship Points will therefore not be a factor for US Nationals but will be a factor when Worlds Rankings are pulled on July 14th.
It’ll be interesting to see if the CP matters for Worlds invitations, but that does at least make it more fair for Nationals stipends. Thank you.
That removes any complaint I had.
For honor and glory then? I’m still down with kicking some butt I guess.
Just out of curiosity, CP aside, will there be other minor prize support? Maybe a nice hat or some card packs or other general swag?
Straight from the article: “Prizes as well as entry fees will vary as they will be up to the organizer’s discretion but the yet to be announced Championship Point payout will be standard.”
^ I was wondering if AZ might’ve had anything more specific, but ok, guess it’s up to the organizer.
Fees can be charged as well, interesting considering regionals have been free thus far. Wonder if that means that it can potentially be used for cash prizes, akin to the ones that some of the TCG state championships have been running on the side (as I don’t think most people are exactly thrilled with card pack prizes, yeah I guess they can be sold, but still).
Sorry, I thought I was pretty clear. Championship Points is the only thing that will be standard. There is no other prize support. All prize support will be by the tournament organizer. They’re free to charge what they want to fund those prizes or donate them out of their own pocket. This is just like League Challenges in TCG but without the promo card.
Well, we’re trying to be patient . . .
Regionals are over, and so few of these events are currently posted. Pilot program or not, I think we’re all hoping for (and expecting) a somewhat fair sprinking of these events. If it’s just another example of favoring those who are fortunate (geographically and financially), then it’s not likely to grow the game.
I think I already posted about a hundred times in this forty post thread that locations were picked based on tournament organizers who sanctioned video game tournaments consistently. If nobody in your area did, then you won’t have a tournament in your area.
More local events helps grow the game. If there is nobody in your area willing to host tournaments, the game will not grow in your area. There’s not much that can be done about that unless someone steps up and organizes a tournament.
Firestorm, your information has been clear. It’s not that.
I live in Athens, GA, which is a great benefit for Spring Regionals. The Atlanta area has a very successful tournament organizer, who hosts lots of TCG events and a TCG/VGC Regional. (BTW, the Athens VGC Regional was extremely well run.) It may be that a VGC premier event will eventually show up in Georgia yet, but it’s not certain that all eligible T.O.s will want to host an optional VGC event. It’ll be interesting to see who opts in if there’s a choice involved. I expect there’s likely some concern that in cities (like Atlanta, and even more so in the Northeast), these premier events might attract more of a crowd than can be managed at a card shop or at Stevie Bs.
I’m surely not the only one who questions the motive/fairness of uneven event distribution and mid- to late-season additions to the rules of CP distribution. And yet, since the events are going to occur, like others who question, I still remain hopeful that one will occur nearby (and not just in Gulfport, MS, etc.).
Sure wish Illinois would host some of these.
Can’t wait for this tcg player to steal more CP from you guys.
Has he hosted VGC tournaments outside of Regionals, though? Because those are what matter here.
Also keep in mind that some TOs are still working on finalizing the details.
No, outside of Regionals, I’m not aware of any VGC events in GA. Well, we tried league for TCG and VGC a couple times, but there was very little VGCing in those instances (my kids playing each other, me playing them, etc.). I’ve been to limited league events in Atlanta though, and nothing recently, so it may be that there’s more VGC going on now than I realize. I don’t think so, though.
I keep an eye on the posted VGC events and have done so for the past 4+ years. Outside Regionals, I’ve seen very little VGC posted much of anywhere on the site, and I’m not sure any VGC events have ever been publicly posted in some of the spots (or by some of the T.O.s) currently listing Premier Challenges.
As I’ve noted before in these forums, it’s been tough dealing with the need to travel a lot more this season in order to keep my son in the mix–to have even an outside shot at Worlds (with a strong performance at Nat’ls). Some tough East Coast Regionals (a home site, plus nearly 2000 miles of driving) were our opportunities.
The small CP up for grabs during the Premier Challenges will surely make a difference for some who can or can’t attend the events. Of course, maybe we’ll luck out and there will be a decision to host a new type of tournament in Athens on a Wednesday night before school is out–with 500 CP on the line. There doesn’t seem to be anything stopping the rules and available CP from being updated . . .
I’m just not sure what game is really being grown. Pokemon is a pretty popular video game, and I doubt there’s much of a bump to sales that’s related to the VGC circuit. Trading cards are an altogether different story, and there seems to be more and more of an attempt to draw VGC players in that direction. I can’t fault the business desire, but I can call out the spin.
Pokemon.com has a news story up on it now: External
Oh cool, I just found out there’s a premiere challenge happening in my area this weekend that I had no idea about.
External
Aaaaaaaah what is happeniiiiiiiiing
Who! I’m stoked for more tourneys in Utah! Regionals was a blast!
External