PokeBeach’s January TCG Cup, Sponsored by TCGplayer.com!
UPDATE: The tournament has reached capacity, but premium members can still register.
Welcome to PokeBeach’s January TCG Cup!
Up to 64 players will duke it out in a Standard format Swiss tournament to determine who is currently the best TCG player on PokeBeach!
Best of all, the top players will win real prizes from TCGplayer.com, the #1 online platform for purchasing Pokemon cards!
If you’ve never heard of TCGplayer before, you’ve probably been paying too much for your Pokemon cards! TCGplayer is the most popular and influential card store on the Internet for all trading card games. That’s because TCGplayer isn’t just a single store – it’s made up of thousands of sellers representing real stores, online shops, and individuals who are all competing to sell their cards for the lowest prices. Since they all have such high visibility on TCGplayer, it’s easy for them to sell their cards, and so you’ll often find cards for cheaper than even eBay! So go check them out, and if you’re interested in selling your cards on their platform, you should check out this link too!
PokeBeach is very excited to have TCGplayer on board as a sponsor, and we hope you and your friends will check them out whenever you want to purchase your Pokemon cards! You can access their store using our “TCG” menu. In their store you can see how much individual cards cost from many different sources, price trends over time, and other valuable information. So go check them out for the best deals!
Registration & General Info
All forum posts for this tournament are below this news story. Be sure to bookmark this page or the actual forum thread so you know what’s happening at all times. If you have any questions, you can post below or PM this tournament’s organizer.
Registration for PokeBeach’s January tournament will be open until this Wednesday, January 20th, or until all spots are filled.- We will be accepting up to 64 players on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, premium members will have priority registration over regular members. (Note: For future tournaments, regular members will also need to have made at least six regular posts on the forums over the past month in order to register.)
- All matches must be conducted on Pokémon TCG Online (PTCGO). You can download the software from Pokemon.com.
- The tournament format is as follows:
- This tournament will last six rounds.
- You will have five days to complete each round.
- Each round is best-of-three, meaning whoever wins two out of the three matches wins the round. Budget 30 minutes to an hour to complete each round. See the round schedule below to make sure you are available to play on those days.
- This is a Swiss tournament. Everyone plays every round and you are paired against players with a similar record.
- The loser of the previous game may choose whether they want to go first or second (this does not apply to the first game of the match). Please communicate with your opponent and let them known which you choose before the coin flip occurs.
- Intentional Draws are allowed. At any time you and your opponent may agree that you want to tie for the round instead of playing it out.
- All decks must be Standard format (XY to BREAKthrough).
- You must use the exact same deck for all rounds, just like in a real tournament.
- You can only participate in this tournament if you’re in a North American time zone or can commit to its schedule. If you’re in a completely incompatible time zone than most other players, you shouldn’t register, as it’s unlikely you will find time to meet.
- Before registration ends, you must PM your deck list to the tournament organizer. Your deck lists will be kept strictly confidential and will only be used to 1) determine who should win additional prizes (see Prize section below) and 2) make sure you use the same deck throughout the entire tournament in case a dispute arises. While we may post statistics about which decks were used, they will not be associated with any player’s name without permission, and the specific lists will not be shared. If you have not submitted your deck list by the end of the registration period, you will not be registered in the tournament.
- Note that you must be a premium member from the start of this tournament to the end of this tournament to receive premium prizes. Otherwise, you will receive the regular member prizes.
- Note that you cannot request the 30-day PokeBeach premium membership refund if you play in this tournament, even if you drop out during the first round. As with all of the conditions in this post, you agree to this by signing up below.
- Note that PokeBeach reserves the right to deny registration to any player at any time for any reason, and that PokeBeach reserves the right to drop a player from this tournament at any time and for any reason.
- To sign up, post in the thread below (1) your timezone, (2) your availability, (3) your Pokémon TCG Online username, (4) when you plan to PM your deck to the tournament organizer, and (5) if you’re a premium member. Posts lacking this information will not be registered. (6) Also make sure that your account’s e-mail address is up-to-date so we know how to contact you. By signing up, you agree that you have read this article word-for-word and that you agree to all of its conditions.
- Your tournament organizer for this event is Camoclone. If you have any questions or issues, feel free to send him a PM.
Tournament Timetable
- Registration Ends: Wednesday, 1/20/2016
- Round 1: Thursday 1/21/2016 to Monday 1/25/2016
- Round 2: Tuesday 1/26/2016 to Saturday 1/30/2016
- Round 3: Sunday 1/31/2016 to Thursday 2/4/2016
- Round 4: Friday 2/5/2016 to Tuesday 2/9/2016
- Round 5: Wednesday 2/10/2016 to Sunday 2/14/2016
- Round 6: Monday 2/15/2016 to Friday 2/19/2016
- Note: February’s tournament will begin February 1st and will overlap with January’s. Each month’s tournament will begin on the 1st.
Each round ends exactly at 11:59 PM (EST) each day. Your match results must be posted by that time, as explained in this next section.
Round Procedures
Round Setup: Match pairings will be posted on the first day of each round at around 6:00 AM EST on weekdays and around 7:00 AM EST on the weekends. After the pairings have been posted, it is your immediate duty to contact your opponent via PM and arrange a time to battle them. Let them know your time zone and availability.
- If you do not hear from your opponent after two days, it is mandatory that you send a PM to Camoclone by the end of the round’s third day (in other words, you have a full day to report it). Your opponent will then be dropped from the tournament, even if they responded to you on the third day, and even if they have a really good excuse. This is not optional.
- If after two days you and your opponent can’t agree on a time to play, send a PM to Camoclone so we can determine who should be dropped for signing up for a tournament they did not have time to play. This is not optional.
- Battle Time: Time to battle!
- Make sure you record the time and date you played each game of your match – you will need this information when posting your match results.
- If your opponent does not show up to your scheduled match or is over 30 minutes late, please send a PM to Camoclone so they can be dropped from the tournament. This is not optional.
- If your matches somehow do not get completed, and you did not alert us along the way that your opponent did not communicate with you, you will both be dropped from the tournament.
- Reporting Matches: The winner of the match must report to this thread with (1) who won and (2) the time and date each match was played (make sure to include your time zone). If this information is not reported, both players will be dropped from the tournament. This information must be posted by the end of each round (11:59 PM EST).
No-Show Penalties: Players who are dropped from a tournament due to inactivity or tardiness will be banned from participating in all PokeBeach tournament for three months. (Premium members excluded.)- Dropping: If you would like to drop from a tournament between rounds, simply PM the tournament organizer. If you drop from a tournament this way, you will not suffer any tournament bans. However, if you continually sign up for tournaments only to drop them, we will not allow you to register for future tournaments, as many people would love to be playing in your place.
- Colluding: Any malicious or unsportsmanlike actions will result in an immediate and permanent ban from all PokeBeach tournaments, as determined by the tournament organizer. If you notice another member cheating, breaking rules, stalling, or doing anything to disrupt this tournament, please report it to Camoclone immediately. We want to maintain a fair and enjoyable experience for all of our members.
- Prizes and Interview: If you battle your way to the top and win a prize, you will be contacted via PM within 24 hours of the tournament’s end so we can arrange to send them to you. You will have 48 hours to provide all the necessary contact information or we will not be able to send them to you. First place winners will also be asked for a short interview, which will be posted on the front page. 1st through 32nd place will receive Prize Wall points from TCGplayer, which will be e-mailed to you by TCGplayer.
Tournament Prizes
Players who place in the top percent of this tournament will receive real booster packs and other prizes! These prizes are provided by TCGplayer in partnership with PokeBeach. Up to four booster boxes will be given out in total, in addition to other promo products:
1st Place: 18x Packs (If a premium member: Booster Box [36x Packs]) + short interview on the front page- 2nd Place: 14x Packs (Premium: 28x Packs)
- 3rd Place: 9x Packs (Premium: 18x Packs)
- 4th Place: 9x Packs (Premium: 18x Packs)
- 5th Place: 4x Packs (Premium: 8x Packs)
- 6th Place: 4x Packs (Premium: 8x Packs)
- 7th Place: 4x Packs (Premium: 8x Packs)
- 8th Place: 4x Packs (Premium: 8x Packs)
- Skill-Based Win: 5x Packs (Premium Members Only)
- Skill-Based Win: 5x Packs (Premium Members Only)
- Skill-Based Win: 5x Packs (Premium Members Only)
- Skill-Based Merchandise Win (such as a promo product) (Premium Members Only)
- Skill-Based Merchandise Win (such as a promo product) (Premium Members Only)
(For international winners, TCGplayer reserves the right to substitute prizes for equally‐valued prizes or gift cards based on the player’s location.)
This tournament’s “Skill-Based Wins” will be awarded to the top five premium member players who progress the furthest with a deck that is not considered a typical metagame deck. The premium article writers, who are some of the game’s top players, will be sent anonymous deck lists of all the players and will vote among themselves which decks they believe to be the most unusual.
The top 8 players will also win Prize Wall points, which you can save or exchange for additional products on TCGplayer!
1st Place: 12 Prize Wall points (If a premium member: 24 points)- 2nd Place: 6 points (Premium: 12 points)
- 3rd Place: 3 points (Premium: 6 points)
- 4th Place: 3 points (Premium: 6 points)
- 5th Place: 2 points (Premium: 4 points)
- 6th Place: 2 points (Premium: 4 points)
- 7th Place: 2 points (Premium: 4 points)
- 8th Place: 2 points (Premium: 4 points)
- 9th – 32nd Place: 1 point each
Top-placing finishers will also earn trophies or medals next to their usernames that are visible on all parts of the website. These denote your accomplishments to other members and visitors:
- Top 16: Silver Medal
- Top 8: Gold Medal
- 3rd place: Bronze Trophy
- 2nd place: Silver Trophy
- Champion: Gold Trophy
(Note: The Pokémon Company International is not a sponsor or endorser of PokeBeach’s tournaments, contests, or prizes, nor does the company or its affiliates have any formal association with PokeBeach. Our activities are by fans, for fans, and are not sanctioned or approved by TPCi.)