Worlds 2017 Details!
Pokemon.com has just released details for this year’s World Championships!
As a reminder, the event will be taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA from Friday, August 18th to Sunday, August 20th. It will take place in Hall D.
The artwork for the event can be seen to the right. It will be available on all Worlds merchandise and in the player decks that will be released later this year.
Spectator Badges
If you want to go inside the Worlds event (and thus participate in its tournaments and activities), you will need to purchase a $10 spectator badge. The badge gives you access to the event for all three days. You will also receive two booster packs for purchasing it.
Badge registration will only be online and there are a limited number of badges. This is the second World Championships to require a spectator badge, so unfortunately it seems this will be the norm from now on.
Registration for the badges is not open yet; the link will be posted at a later date and I’ll of course post it here when we know it.
Competitors and spectators can check in and pick up their badges at the following locations and times:
Thursday, August 17, 4–8 p.m.: Anaheim Marriott, 700 Convention Way, Anaheim, CA 92802
Friday, August 18, 7 a.m.–9 p.m.: outside Hall D at the Anaheim Convention Center
Saturday, August 19, 7 a.m.–9 p.m.: outside Hall D at the Anaheim Convention Center
Sunday, August 20, 8 a.m.–1 p.m.: outside Hall D at the Anaheim Convention Center
Pokemon Center Store
You will NOT need a spectator badge to buy merchandise from the Pokemon Center store. Anyone can go into the Pokemon Center.
Anaheim Open
Aside from the main competition, this year’s Worlds will again feature a major TCG and video game side event tournament — the “Anaheim Open.” The two tournaments will be open to spectators and Worlds competitors who have been eliminated after Day One, so anyone who is available can register for one or the other!
The tournaments will take place on August 19th and 20th and awards as many Championship Points as a Regional, meaning the winners will gain a significant amount of Championship Points for the 2018 season. Competitors will also be battling for tickets for use at the side events prize wall.
The entry fee for the Anaheim open is $30 for Masters Division players and $15 for Junior and Senior Division players. All entrants will receive prize wall tickets just for playing.
Registration will take place online only beginning in mid-July 2017, where half the seats will be up for grabs per age division. The rest of the seats will be available on Friday, August 18th.
Tournament Format & Structure
The Anaheim Open TCG tournament will use the 2017 Standard format (not the upcoming 2018 format) while the video game tournament will use the 2017 Championship Series format.
Day One on Saturday will be played using Swiss rounds according to the standard Play! Pokemon tournament format, minus one round. For example, if an age division has 150 players, there will be seven Swiss rounds instead of the usual eight.
The number of players who advance to Day Two will match the standard Play! Pokemon tournament structure, but will also include all players with the same number of match points as the lowest-ranked top-cut player. For example, if the age division would usually cut to Top 8, all players who have the same number of match points as the person in 8th place will also advance to Day Two.
Day Two on Sunday will feature single-elimination best-of-three bracket play. Based on the number of players who advance to Day Two, some players may have a bye for the first round.
Worlds 2017 Pokemon TCG Side Events
Friday, August 18
| Time | Event Format | Cost |
| 10 a.m.–9 p.m. | 8-player Sealed | $20 |
| 10 a.m.–9 p.m. | 8-player Round Robin (Masters and Seniors) | $5 |
| 10 a.m.–9 p.m. | 4-player Round Robin (Juniors) | No cost |
Saturday, August 19
| Time | Event Format | Cost |
| 10 a.m. (approx.) | Anaheim Open Day One | See details |
| 11 a.m.–8 p.m. | 8-player Sealed | $20 |
| 11 a.m.–8 p.m. | 8-player Round Robin (Masters and Seniors) | $5 |
| 11 a.m.–8 p.m. | 4-player Round Robin (Juniors) | No cost |
| 11 a.m. | Standard (Masters) | $10 |
| Noon | Standard (Seniors and Juniors) | $10 |
| 1 p.m. | Expanded (Masters) | $10 |
| 2 p.m. | Expanded (Seniors and Juniors) | $10 |
| 3 p.m. | Standard (Masters) | $10 |
| 4 p.m. | Standard (Seniors and Juniors) | $10 |
Sunday, August 20
| Time | Event Format | Cost |
| 9 a.m. (approx.) | Anaheim Open Day Two | See details |
| 9 a.m.–3 p.m. | 8-player Sealed | $20 |
| 9 a.m.–3 p.m. | 8-player Round Robin (Masters and Seniors) | $5 |
| 9 a.m.–3 p.m. | 4-player Round Robin (Juniors) | No cost |
| 9 a.m. | Standard (Masters) | $10 |
| 10 a.m. | Standard (Seniors and Juniors) | $10 |
| 11 a.m. | Expanded (Masters) | $10 |
| Noon | Expanded (Seniors and Juniors) | $10 |
Worlds 2017 Video Game Side Events
Friday, August 18
| Time | Event Format | Cost |
| 10 a.m.–9 p.m. | 8-player Round Robin (Masters and Seniors) | $5 |
| 10 a.m.–9 p.m. | 4-player Round Robin (Juniors) | No cost |
| 4 p.m. | Battle Royal | $10 |
Saturday, August 19
| Time | Event Format | Cost |
| 10 a.m. (approx.) | Anaheim Open Day One | See details |
| 11 a.m.–8 p.m. | 8-player Round Robin (Masters and Seniors) | $5 |
| 11 a.m.–8 p.m. | 4-player Round Robin (Juniors) | No cost |
| Noon | Standard | $10 |
| 4 p.m. | Battle Royal | $10 |
Sunday, August 20
| Time | Event Format | Cost |
| 9 a.m. | Multi Cup | $10/player |
| 9 a.m. (approx.) | Anaheim Open Day Two | See details |
| 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | 8-player Round Robin (Masters and Seniors) | $5 |
| 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | 4-player Round Robin (Juniors) | No cost |
Worlds 2017 Pokken Tournament Side Events
8-player Pokken Tournament pickup tournaments will run all three days during the World Championships. The cost for each event is $5 per player. Tournaments will run at the following times:
Friday, August 18: 10 a.m.–9 p.m.
Saturday, August 19: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
Sunday, August 20: 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
See you all at Worlds! <3