Keen Pokémon Trainers across North America will soon be able to test their mettle in the Pokémon Winter Regional Championships, which takes place over the next three weekends.
Of more significance, this will mark the first tournament where competitors will battle using either Pokémon X or Pokémon Y. The events are public, participants required to bring their own copy of the game and handheld, or legal Pokémon TCG deck for the trading card game section.
The tournaments have now adopted Swiss-style pairings, meaning all players can participate in every round of the event until the finals are determined, with the top finishers receiving booster packs, trophies, and monetary rewards from a $200,000 pool toward travel allowances, which can be applied toward earning a Pokémon U.S. National Championships Travel Award or even an invitation to the 2014 Pokémon World Championships in Washington, D.C. this August.
The Pokémon Winter Regional Championships will take place at these locations and dates:
* Doswell, VA: January 11th-12th [TCG both days, Video Game Jan. 12th only]
* Long Beach, CA: January 18th-19th [TCG both days, Video Game Jan. 19th only]
* Salem, OR: January 18th-19th [TCG both days, Video Game Jan. 19th only]
* St. Charles, MO: January 18th-19th [TCG both days, Video Game Jan. 18th only]
* Orlando, FL: January 25th-26th [TCG both days, Video Game Jan. 26th only]
Pokémon Winter Regional Championships mark Pokémon X & Y debut
