12 replies to this topic

[I_live_4_fun]

For all Pokémon fans - Nintendo will be holding the 2014 Pokémon Video Game Australian National Championships at the Melbourne Town Hall on July 13th, 2014. The event is part of the Pokémon Road to World Championship series and is open to everyone to register and participate in the Championships (not just Regional Championship winners) or to simply spectate and enjoy the battles on the big screen.

Here are some of the details and requirements to participate in the Championship.




2014 POKÉMON VIDEO GAME AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

ALL POKÉMON FANS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND!

Regardless of whether you’re a Pokémon Master or yet to beat the Elite 4, all are welcome to attend the event to watch or participate!

What: 2014 Pokémon Video Game Australian National Championships

Where: Melbourne Town Hall - 90-130 Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

When: Sunday July 13th, 2014

Players must bring their own Nintendo 2DS or Nintendo 3DS console, Pokémon X or Pokémon Y Game Card or downloadable version, with the following formats utilised to determine Champions on the day:

• Age Modified Swiss pairings, attendance permitting
  
• A cut to a Top 16 single-elimination finals, attendance permitting
  
• Single-elimination finals will be run as best-of-three games

Players who place in the top two of their age division will win flights, accommodation and invitation, and players who place 3rd and 4th in their age division will win an invitation to the Pokémon Video Game World Championships, hosted by The Pokémon Company International in Washington, D.C. on 16th -17th August, 2014.



The following age divisions will apply:

• Junior Division: Born in 2003 or later
  
• Senior Division: Born in 1999, 2000, 2001, or 2002
  
• Masters Division: Born in 1998 or earlier

Participants below the age of 15 must have the consent of their parent or guardian to enter and have a parent or guardian present with them for the duration of the Competition.

Players can begin to familiarise themselves with the official rules for the Championships at Pokémon Video Game Championship Rules. Please refer to the Eligible Pokémon List to determine whether your Pokémon are eligible to compete. All Pokémon must be native to Kalos. For more information please refer to the Pokémon Video Game Championship Rules page.

Players are also required to read through the Championship Terms and Conditions prior to competing on the day

Registration starts at 8am and closes at 10am - You can print and fill out the registration form through this link and bring it with you to hand in on the day.



In addition to the Championships, there will also be a range of other exciting Pokémon activities to experience on the day including:

• Shiny Pokémon Distribution - (a Level 50 Shiny Mamoswine for everyone who attends the event)
  
• Pokémon Cosplay Competition
  
• Pokémon Trading Card Game Lounge
  
• Junior Competitors Will Each Receive A Special Prize!
  
• Pokémon Art Academy & Pokémon Link Battle Interactive Area
  
• Special Screenings of Pokémon XY Animated Series On The Big Screen
  
• Prizes and Giveaways and more!

It should be a great day to spend there if you're a big fan of Pokémon and/or if your kids love it (especially since they get can get free prizes just from participating!). Personally, I'll be attending to watch my brother play/compete and probably visit the merchandise area for anything cute and interesting to buy. He's already been spending time breeding a new batch of Pokémon to use specifically in the doubles competition .

You can check out all of the details about the Championship and more on the Official Nintendo Website.

[Axe99]

That's pretty damn awesome .  Good luck to your brother Live, and have a great time on the day, deffo let us know how it goes .

[ati]

good luck to your bro! would like to see cosplay pics please!  Also love it that I would be in Master divisions hahaha

[Jykel]

Best of luck to ye bro Live

[Saintsy]

My little cousin got wind of this and is upset that it's already been through perth haha.
Good luck to the bro.

[I_live_4_fun]

The registration queue is stretched across a whole city block and still building aroind the corner

[Axe99]

I_live_4_fun, on 12 July 2014 - 11:17 PM, said:

The registration queue is stretched across a whole city block and still building aroind the corner

At least they know everyone will have a 3DS to pass the time?  Have a great tournament .

[ati]

I_live_4_fun, on 12 July 2014 - 11:17 PM, said:

The registration queue is stretched across a whole city block and still building aroind the corner

wow..never been in a room with more than 2 3ds....that is so cool...do they have section for other game as well? or its purely pokemon?

[I_live_4_fun]

He has 4 straight wins so far .

ati, on 13 July 2014 - 06:53 AM, said:

wow..never been in a room with more than 2 3ds....that is so cool...do they have section for other game as well? or its purely pokemon?

Purely Pokemon I think. The Cosplay Comp will start a little later so I'll take some pics of those. There's mostly Pikachu's walking around, lol.

[Axe99]

Sounds like he's got some quality form .  How did he go by the end of the day/comp?

[I_live_4_fun]

I think it was an overall really good tournament . The matches were played out as Swiss pairings, so in essence the Players entered and registered 6 Pokemon that can use throughout the tournament, of which they pick four to play in each round and battle it out with two Pokemon (2v2) at a time until all four were eliminated on either side. Or until the timer went out where the winner would the player with the most Pokemon left on the field.

My brother (Alex) ended up winning six out of nine rounds, which placed him at rank 48 out of over 400 participants in the Masters division. He had to be in the top 32 to make finals but overall he was happy with the result because he usually plays 1v1 and boycotted using most of the easily overpowering and top-tier Pokemon - he said it's really boring to play that way since just about everyone uses these same Pokemon competitively/online haha. He told me to expect this in the finals and it ended up being especially true in the Juniors and Seniors divisions on the big screen when I saw Mega-Kangaskhan and Rotom on both sides so often.

Heat Rotom and Mega-Charizard vs. Wash Rotom and Mega-Charizard


The only real complaint Alex had was that all of the rounds leading up to he finals only needed a best of one to win, and then there were long waits in between. It was close to an hour's wait between the first and second round (the announcer said it should be "10-15 minutes", lol), but that shortened as the day went on and as the Juniors and Seniors divisions finished up. It was really good watching him talk and laugh with some of the other like-minded Pokemon enthusiasts as they were waiting to start each round though . And in one of his later matches, his opponent kind of raged at him when he signed off the the Match Winner slip and just flung the piece of paper back at my brother. I asked him about it later and he said that he just told the dude to "deal with it" .

Seeing all those Nintendo 3DS/2DS's and Pokemon battles happening really made me want to get my own and play Pokemon too. But I'll probably just buy my own game card and borrow his 3DS if I ever feel inclined to do all of that learning, skill/stat memorising, training and breeding that him and all of the passionate and competitive players do, hehe. Anyways, here are some more photos from throughout the tournament.

Spoiler

Morning Registration Queue (and still lots more behind us around the corner!)


Balcony and Spectator Area


The Battle Floor


Ash and Pikachu!


Some more Big Screen Action


Cosplay Competition Finalists (winner was the Bianca cosplayer holding two handmade Pokemon to the right)


Torchic Cosplay showing off (third from the left)


Pikachu's!


Seniors Division Semi-Finals


My brother on the left of seat number 124

[Axe99]

That's a pretty damn good performance .  Props to him for not just rolling out the OP Pokemon as well and sticking to his game .  I don't think I know of another game anywhere that could support this kind of broad-based event .

[ati]

thanks live