2021 Play! Pokémon Season Structure

2020-2022 Season Structure

The 2020-2022 Play! Pokémon Seasons started officialy at the DC Open, held on August 2019 alongside the 2019 World Championships, and will come to an end at the 2022 World Championships in London, UK, next year.

This is the last season to use the Nintendo 3DS system of consoles: Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon were played until 4 January 2020, when all events transitioned to Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield on the Nintendo Switch.

This unusual three-year season is also marked by the cancellation of all live events worldwide since March 2020 because of the ongoing covid pandemic, including the 2020 and 2021 World Championships, and the adaptation to official online events in the Pokémon Players Cup series.

Please notice: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all Pokémon events worldwide have been canceled after 16 March 2020 until further notice. The 2020 and 2021 World Championships in London have been postponed until 2022, and all CP earned during the 2020 season are kept. Official infos here.

Format rotations

The VGC in 2020 sets the players for an all-new competitive experience in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. All VGC events taking place from 4 January 2020 on will use the newest games and the Series-based set of rules.

Additionally, the season’s rules vary with each Series of Ranked Battles in the Battle Stadium. That means that real-life events, despite not being a part of the online competitions, will also follow such regulations:

Series 2: Jan. 4 to Feb. 29, 2020
Series 3: Mar. 1 to Apr. 30, 2020
Series 4: May 1 to Jun. 30, 2020
Series 5: Jul. 1 to Aug. 31, 2020
Series 6: Sep. 1 to Oct. 31, 2020
Series 7: Nov. 1 to Jan. 31, 2021
Series 8: Feb. 1 to Apr. 30, 2021
Series 9: May 1 onwards

Series 1 (similar to Series 2 but with no Gigantamax forms allowed) was the ruleset of online Ranked Battles from the release date of the games to 31 December 2019. During it, the official competitive format still was VGC19 Ultra Series with Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon, and thus was never used in official competitive play (with the exception of Korean League Season 1).

Battle rules

Double Battles played on Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield.
All Pokémon will be automatically on Level 50 regardless of their actual in-game level.
All matches have a 20 minute timer. After that, the game automatically resolves to the player with more Pokémon, HP numbers… left. Tiebreakers can be found on the official rules document.
Players will have up to 7 minutes of “Your Time” throughout the course of a match to select their moves.
- Each turn, 45 seconds will be given to select a move.
- Animations and connection time do not add up.

Team rules

General eligibility rules for Pokémon

All Pokémon must have either the black Galar symbol (or, since Series 5, the battle-ready symbol) on their summary screen to signify that they originated (caught, hatched or obtained) or they were transferred and then adapted to the Galar region.
Pokémon may use of any move or Ability available to that Pokémon through normal gameplay. This includes:
- Hidden Abilities, if available (all of them are available through the use of the Ability Patch since Series 7).
- Moves and Abilities passed via the Pokémon Nursery by a Pokémon brought in using Pokémon HOME.
- Moves and Abilities made available through an official Pokémon event or promotion.
Neither Pokémon nor held items may be repeated on a team (“Species Clause”, “Item Clause”).
All Pokémon may use their Dynamax factor, and some Pokémon may also use their Gigantamax factor. You are allowed to Dynamax or Gigantamax one of your Pokémon per battle.

Permitted Pokémon

The list of permitted Pokémon changes with each Series. For the current format, Series 9, the following Pokémon are allowed:

Galar Pokédex: #001-397
Isle of Armor Pokédex: #001-210
Crown Tundra Pokédex: #001-209
National Pokédex: #243–245, #252–260, #380–381, #480–482, #485, #488, #638–642, #645, #722–730, #785–788, #793–799 and #803–806

Series 8

These are the Pokémon allowed in Series 8:

- Galar Pokédex: #001-397
- Isle of Armor Pokédex: #001-210
- Crown Tundra Pokédex: #001-209
- National Pokédex: #243–245, #252–260, #380–381, #480–482, #485, #488, #638–642, #645, #722–730, #785–788, #793–799 and #803–806

Additionally, players may use one of the following Restricted Pokémon in their teams:

- National Pokédex: #150, #249-250, #382–384, #483–484, #487, #643–644, #646, #716–718, #789–792, #800, #888–890 and #898

Series 7

These are the Pokémon allowed in Series 7:

- Galar Pokédex: #001-397
- Isle of Armor Pokédex: #001-210
- Crown Tundra Pokédex: #001-209
- National Pokédex: #243–245, #252–260, #380–381, #480–482, #485, #488, #638–642, #645, #722–730, #785–788, #793–799 and #803–806

Series 6

These are the Pokémon allowed in Series 6:

- Galar Pokédex: #001-397
- Isle of Armor Pokédex: #001-210
- National Pokédex: #638-640 and #722-730.

Pokémon within the Top 10 in usage in the Ranked Battles ladder for both Singles & Doubles Battles in Season 8 (July 2020) are banned during Series 6. Therefore, the following Pokémon are uneligible:

Uneligible Pokémon in Series 6

Venusaur	Gyarados	Porygon2	Tyranitar	Torkoal	Hippowdon

Magnezone	Togekiss	Excadrill	Whimsicott	Incineroar	Mimikyu

Rillaboom	Cinderace	Male Indeedee	Female Indeedee	Dragapult

Series 5

These are the Pokémon allowed in Series 5:

- Galar Pokédex: #001-397
- Isle of Armor Pokédex: #001-210
- National Pokédex: #638-640 and #722-730

Series 3 & 4

These are the Pokémon allowed in Series 3 and 4:

- Galar Pokédex: #001-397
- National Pokédex: #001-009, #079 and #722-730

Series 2

In Series 2, all Pokémon with Galar Pokédex numbers #001-397 are allowed.

Banned Pokémon

In Series 9, the following Pokémon are banned:

Banned Pokémon for Series 9

Mewtwo	Mew	Lugia	Ho-Oh	Celebi	Kyogre

Groudon	Rayquaza	Jirachi	Palkia	Dialga	Giratina (both forms)

Victini	Reshiram	Zekrom	Kyurem (all forms)	Keldeo (both forms)	Genesect (all forms)

Xerneas	Yveltal	Zygarde (both forms)	Diancie	Volcanion	Cosmog

Cosmoem	Solgaleo	Lunala	Necrozma (all forms)	Magearna (both forms)	Marshadow

Zeraora	Meltan	Melmetal	Zacian (both forms)	Zamazenta (both forms)	Eternatus

		Zarude (both forms)	Calyrex (all forms)

Banned Pokémon for Series 9

Mewtwo	Mew	Lugia	Ho-Oh

Celebi	Kyogre	Groudon	Rayquaza

Jirachi	Palkia	Dialga	Giratina (both forms)

Victini	Reshiram	Zekrom	Kyurem (all forms)

Keldeo (both forms)	Genesect (all forms)	Xerneas	Yveltal

Zygarde (both forms)	Diancie	Volcanion	Cosmog

Cosmoem	Solgaleo	Lunala	Necrozma (all forms)

Magearna (both forms)	Marshadow	Zeraora	Meltan

Melmetal	Zacian (both forms)	Zamazenta (both forms)	Eternatus

	Zarude (both forms)	Calyrex (all forms)

Series 8

One of the Restricted Legendary Pokémon is allowed per team. Mythical Pokémon are still banned:

Banned Pokémon for Series 8

Mew	Celebi	Jirachi	Victini	Keldeo (both forms)	Genesect (all forms)

Diancie	Volcanion	Magearna (both forms)	Marshadow	Zeraora	Meltan

		Melmetal	Zarude (both forms)

Series 7

The list of banned Pokémon is updated with the release of The Crown Tundra. The list is the same as for Series 9.

Series 6

In addition to the Restricted Legendary and Singular Pokémon, the Pokémon within the top 10 usage in Season 8 (July 2020) Ranked Battles ladder for both Single and Double Battles were deemed uneligible just for Series 6.

Banned Pokémon for Series 6

Venusaur	Gyarados	Mewtwo	Mew	Porygon2	Tyranitar

Celebi	Torkoal	Jirachi	Hippowdon	Magnezone	Togekiss

Excadrill	Whimsicott	Reshiram	Zekrom	Kyurem (all forms)	Incineroar

Mimikyu	Cosmog	Cosmoem	Solgaleo	Lunala	Necrozma (all forms)

Magearna (both forms)	Marshadow	Zeraora	Meltan	Melmetal	Rillaboom

Cinderace	Indeedee (both forms)	Dragapult	Zacian (both forms)	Zamazenta (both forms)	Eternatus
	Pokémon added with The Crown Tundra and Dada Zarude
Zarude	Unavailable during Series 6

Series 5

The list of banned Pokémon is updated with the release of The Isle of Armor and, with it, the availability of the battle-ready symbol:

Banned Pokémon for Series 5

Mewtwo	Mew	Celebi	Jirachi	Reshiram	Zekrom

Kyurem (all forms)	Cosmog	Cosmoem	Solgaleo	Lunala	Necrozma (all forms)

Magearna (both forms)	Marshadow	Zeraora	Meltan	Melmetal	Zacian (both forms)
			Pokémon added with The Crown Tundra and Dada Zarude
Zamazenta (both forms)	Eternatus	Zarude	Unavailable during Series 5

Series 3 and 4

Regional variants and some Pokémon from the National Pokédex are no longer banned, except for those that cannot be bred in Galar (the battle-ready symbol was introduced in The Isle of Armor):

Banned Pokémon for Series 3 and 4

Alolan Raichu	Weezing (Kanto form)	Mewtwo	Mew	Celebi	Jirachi

Cobalion	Terrakion	Virizion	Reshiram	Zekrom	Kyurem (all forms)

Cosmog	Cosmoem	Solgaleo	Lunala	Necrozma (all forms)	Marshadow

Zeraora	Meltan	Melmetal	Zacian (both forms)	Zamazenta (both forms)	Eternatus
Pokémon added with The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra
Unavailable during Series 3 and 4

Series 2

All Restricted Legendary and Mythical Pokémon are banned. All Pokémon that are not included in the Galar Pokédex are also banned. All regional variants not available during normal gameplay (obtainable through Pokémon HOME) are also banned:

Banned Pokémon for Series 2

Bulbasaur	Ivysaur	Venusaur	Squirtle	Wartortle	Blastoise

Alolan Raichu	Alolan Vulpix	Alolan Ninetales	Alolan Diglett	Alolan Dugtrio	Alolan Meowth

Alolan Persian	Ponyta (Kanto form)	Rapidash (Kanto form)	Slowpoke (both forms)	Farfetch’d (Kanto form)	Weezing (Kanto form)

Mewtwo	Mew	Corsola (Johto form)	Celebi	Zigzagoon (Hoenn form)	Linoone (Hoenn form)

Jirachi	West Sea Shellos	West Sea Gastrodon	Darumaka (Unova form)	Darmanitan (Unova form)	Stunfisk (Unova form)

Cobalion	Terrakion	Virizion	Reshiram	Zekrom	Kyurem (all forms)

Rowlet	Dartrix	Decidueye	Litten	Torracat	Incineroar

Popplio	Brionne	Primarina	Cosmog	Cosmoem	Solgaleo

Lunala	Necrozma (all forms)	Marshadow	Zeraora	Meltan	Melmetal
			Pokémon added with The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra
Zacian (both forms)	Zamazenta (both forms)	Eternatus	Unavailable during Series 2

Series 8

One of the Restricted Legendary Pokémon is allowed per team. Mythical Pokémon are still banned:

Banned Pokémon for Series 8

Mew	Celebi	Jirachi	Victini

Keldeo (both forms)	Genesect (all forms)	Diancie	Volcanion

Magearna (both forms)	Marshadow	Zeraora	Meltan

	Melmetal	Zarude (both forms)

Series 7

The list of banned Pokémon is updated with the release of The Crown Tundra. The list is the same as for Series 9.

Series 6

Banned Pokémon for Series 6

Venusaur	Gyarados	Mewtwo	Mew

Porygon2	Tyranitar	Celebi	Torkoal

Jirachi	Hippowdon	Magnezone	Togekiss

Excadrill	Whimsicott	Reshiram	Zekrom

Kyurem (all forms)	Incineroar	Mimikyu	Cosmog

Cosmoem	Solgaleo	Lunala	Necrozma (all forms)

Magearna (both forms)	Marshadow	Zeraora	Meltan

Melmetal	Rillaboom	Cinderace	Indeedee (both forms)

Dragapult	Zacian (both forms)	Zamazenta (both forms)	Eternatus
	Pokémon added with The Crown Tundra and Dada Zarude
Zarude	Unavailable for Series 6

Series 5

The list of banned Pokémon is updated with the release of The Isle of Armor:

Banned Pokémon for Series 5

Mewtwo	Mew	Celebi	Jirachi

Reshiram	Zekrom	Kyurem (all forms)	Cosmog

Cosmoem	Solgaleo	Lunala	Necrozma (all forms)

Magearna (both forms)	Marshadow	Zeraora	Meltan

Melmetal	Zacian (both forms)	Zamazenta (both forms)	Eternatus
	Pokémon added with The Crown Tundra and Dada Zarude
Zarude	Unavailable during Series 5

Series 3 and 4

Regional variants and some Pokémon from the National Pokédex are no longer banned, except for those that cannot be bred in Galar (the battle-ready symbol was introduced in The Isle of Armor):

Banned Pokémon for Series 3 and 4

Alolan Raichu	Weezing (Kanto form)	Mewtwo	Mew

Celebi	Jirachi	Cobalion	Terrakion

Virizion	Reshiram	Zekrom	Kyurem (all forms)

Cosmog	Cosmoem	Solgaleo	Lunala

Necrozma (all forms)	Marshadow	Zeraora	Meltan

Melmetal	Zacian (both forms)	Zamazenta (both forms)	Eternatus
Pokémon added with The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra
Unavailable during Series 3 and 4

Series 2

Banned Pokémon for Series 2

Bulbasaur	Ivysaur	Venusaur	Squirtle

Wartortle	Blastoise	Alolan Raichu	Alolan Vulpix

Alolan Ninetales	Alolan Diglett	Alolan Dugtrio	Alolan Meowth

Alolan Persian	Ponyta (Kanto form)	Rapidash (Kanto form)	Slowpoke (both forms)

Farfetch’d (Kanto form)	Weezing (Kanto form)	Mewtwo	Mew

Corsola (Johto form)	Celebi	Zigzagoon (Hoenn form)	Linoone (Hoenn form)

Jirachi	West Sea Shellos	West Sea Gastrodon	Darumaka (Unova form)

Darmanitan (Unova form)	Stunfisk (Unova form)	Cobalion	Terrakion

Virizion	Reshiram	Zekrom	Kyurem (all forms)

Rowlet	Dartrix	Decidueye	Litten

Torracat	Incineroar	Popplio	Brionne

Primarina	Cosmog	Cosmoem	Solgaleo

Lunala	Necrozma (all forms)	Marshadow	Zeraora

Meltan	Melmetal	Zacian (both forms)	Zamazenta (both forms)
	Pokémon added with The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra
Eternatus	Unavailable during Series 2

Gigantamax Pokémon

Additionally, the list of Pokémon species permitted to Gigantamax in Championship Series events has expanded periodically, based on the availability of those Pokémon and taking into account a grace period for players to train their new Pokémon. Players using a Pokémon with the Gigantamax Factor that is not on the list during a game will be subject to penalties.

Since Series 7, all Pokémon capable of Gigantamaxing are allowed to do so (with the exception of Gigantamax Melmetal, since Melmetal has never been eligible for VGC). The full list is the following:

Gigantamax Pokémon allowed since Series 7

Venusaur	Charizard	Blastoise	Butterfree	Pikachu	Meowth

Machamp	Gengar	Kingler	Lapras	Eevee	Snorlax

Garbodor	Rillaboom	Cinderace	Inteleon	Corviknight	Orbeetle

Drednaw	Coalossal	Flapple	Appletun	Sandaconda	Toxtricity (both forms)

Centiskorch	Hatterene	Grimmsnarl	Alcremie (all forms)	Copperajah	Duraludon

	Single Strike Style Urshifu		Rapid Strike Style Urshifu

Gigantamax Pokémon allowed since Series 7

Venusaur	Charizard	Blastoise	Butterfree

Pikachu	Meowth	Machamp	Gengar

Kingler	Lapras	Eevee	Snorlax

Garbodor	Rillaboom	Cinderace	Inteleon

Corviknight	Orbeetle	Drednaw	Coalossal

Flapple	Appletun	Sandaconda	Toxtricity (both forms)

Centiskorch	Hatterene	Grimmsnarl	Alcremie (all forms)

Copperajah	Duraludon	Single Strike Style Urshifu	Rapid Strike Style Urshifu

Series 6

After the ineligibility of some high-usage Pokémon, the Gigantamax list is slightly modified to exclude Venusaur, Rillaboom and Cinderace just for Series 6:

Gigantamax Pokémon allowed in Series 6

Charizard	Blastoise	Butterfree	Pikachu	Meowth	Machamp

Gengar	Kingler	Lapras	Eevee	Snorlax	Garbodor

Inteleon	Corviknight	Orbeetle	Drednaw	Coalossal	Flapple

Appletun	Sandaconda	Toxtricity (both forms)	Centiskorch	Hatterene	Grimmsnarl

Alcremie (all forms)	Copperajah	Duraludon	Single Strike Style Urshifu	Rapid Strike Style Urshifu

Series 5

With the addition of Max Soup in The Isle of Armor, all Gigantamax Pokémon were allowed for Series 5. The list is the same as the one since Series 7.

Series 4

Five more Pokémon that were featured in Wild Area News before May 2020 were added for Series 4. All available Gigantamax Pokémon before The Isle of Armor are now allowed:

Gigantamax Pokémon allowed in Series 4

Charizard	Butterfree	Pikachu	Meowth	Machamp

Gengar	Kingler	Lapras	Eevee	Snorlax

Garbodor	Corviknight	Orbeetle	Drednaw	Coalossal

Flapple	Appletun	Sandaconda	Toxtricity (both forms)	Centiskorch

Hatterene	Grimmsnarl	Alcremie (all forms)	Copperajah	Duraludon

Series 3

Ten more Pokémon that were featured in Wild Area News before March 2020 and Charizard with Solar Power (its Hidden Ability) were added for Series 3:

Gigantamax Pokémon allowed in Series 3

Charizard	Butterfree	Pikachu	Meowth	Kingler

Lapras	Eevee	Snorlax	Corviknight	Orbeetle

Drednaw	Coalossal	Flapple	Appletun	Sandaconda

Toxtricity (both forms)	Centiskorch	Hatterene	Grimmsnarl	Alcremie (all forms)

Series 2

Ten Gigantamax Pokémon were available for play in Series 2. These were obtainable through events or had been featured in Wild Area News before January 2020.

Gigantamax Pokémon allowed in Series 2

Charizard*	Butterfree	Pikachu	Meowth	Eevee

Snorlax	Corviknight	Drednaw	Sandaconda	Centiskorch

*Charizard is only available with the Blaze ability for this Series.

Series 6

After the ineligibility of some high-usage Pokémon, the Gigantamax list is slightly modified to exclude Venusaur, Rillaboom and Cinderace just for Series 6:

Gigantamax Pokémon allowed in Series 6

Charizard	Blastoise	Butterfree	Pikachu

Meowth	Machamp	Gengar	Kingler

Lapras	Eevee	Snorlax	Garbodor

Inteleon	Corviknight	Orbeetle	Drednaw

Coalossal	Flapple	Appletun	Sandaconda

Toxtricity (both forms)	Centiskorch	Hatterene	Grimmsnarl

Alcremie (all forms)	Copperajah	Duraludon	Single Strike Style Urshifu

Rapid Strike Style Urshifu

Series 5

With the addition of Max Soup in The Isle of Armor, all Gigantamax Pokémon were allowed for Series 5. The list is the same as the one since Series 7.

Series 4

Five more Pokémon that were featured in Wild Area News before May 2020 were added for Series 4. All available Gigantamax Pokémon before The Isle of Armor are now allowed:

Gigantamax Pokémon allowed in Series 4

Charizard	Butterfree	Pikachu	Meowth

Machamp	Gengar	Kingler	Lapras

Eevee	Snorlax	Garbodor	Corviknight

Orbeetle	Drednaw	Coalossal	Flapple

Appletun	Sandaconda	Toxtricity (both forms)	Centiskorch

Hatterene	Grimmsnarl	Alcremie (all forms)	Copperajah

Duraludon

Series 3

Ten more Pokémon that were featured in Wild Area News before March 2020 and Charizard with Solar Power (its Hidden Ability) were added for Series 3:

Gigantamax Pokémon allowed in Series 3

Charizard	Butterfree	Pikachu	Meowth

Kingler	Lapras	Eevee	Snorlax

Corviknight	Orbeetle	Drednaw	Coalossal

Flapple	Appletun	Sandaconda	Toxtricity (both forms)

Centiskorch	Hatterene	Grimmsnarl	Alcremie (all forms)

Series 2

Ten Gigantamax Pokémon were available for play in Series 2. These were obtainable through events or had been featured in Wild Area News before January 2020.

Gigantamax Pokémon allowed in Series 2

Charizard*	Butterfree	Pikachu	Meowth

Eevee	Snorlax	Corviknight	Drednaw

	Sandaconda	Centiskorch

*Charizard is only available with the Blaze ability for this Series.

VGC 2019 Ultra Series

No current events use the VGC 2019 Ultra Series ruleset anymore.

The VGC 2019 format is a throwback to the 2016 and 2010 rulesets, all of them known as GS Cup, formats where Legendary Pokémon such as Groudon, Xerneas or Lunala are allowed. All VGC events taking place until 4 January 2020 used the Ultra Series regulations as well.

GS Cup - General rules

- Double Battles played on Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon.
- All Pokémon from the National Pokédex are allowed:
  - All Pokémon must be caught, hatched or obtained during the regular playthrough of any of the 7th Generation games (Pokémon Sun, Pokémon Moon, Pokémon Ultra Sun or Pokémon Ultra Moon), thus having the black clover icon on their summary.
  - All teams may include up to 2 Pokémon from the following: Mewtwo, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, Cosmog, Cosmoem, Solgaleo, Lunala and Necrozma.
  - Mythical Pokémon (for example, those obtained during special distributions such as Volcanion) are banned.
- No Pokémon nor Items may be repeated on a team (“Species Clause”, “Item Clause”)
- All Pokémon will be automatically on Level 50 regardless of their actual in-game level.
- Players will have up to 7 minutes of “Your Time” throughout the course of a match to select their moves.
  - Each turn, 45 seconds will be given to select a move.
  - Animations and connection time do not add up.

Ultra Series - Regulations

- All Z Crystals are allowed.
  - Players can use the Ultranecozium Z on the Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings forms of Necrozma.
- Mega Evolutions are allowed.
- Red Orb and Blue Orb can be held by a Pokémon (essentially, Groudon and Kyogre).
- Rayquaza may learn Dragon Ascent, and thus may Mega Evolve.

Age Divisions

Play! Pokémon separates players into three age divisions: Juniors (JR), Seniors (SR), and Masters (MA). The age division that a player participates in is set at the beginning of the season, based on that player’s year of birth, and does not change over the course of that season. This allows players to compete against the same pool of opponents over the course of the season.

For the 2020-2021 seasons of events (from August 2019 to August 2021), these are the age divisions:

Juniors: born in 2009 or later
Seniors: born in 2005-08
Masters: born in 2004 or earlier

For the 2022 season of events (from August 2021 to the 2022 World Championships), age divisions are increased by one year. As a result of it, some players will age up to a new division at the start of the 2022 season. If a player qualified for Worlds and has aged up to a new division, their qualification for Worlds Day 1 will be maintained regardless of whether they meet the point threshold of their new age division. These will be the age divisions:

Juniors: born in 2010 or later
Seniors: born in 2006-09
Masters: born in 2005 or earlier

Events: where and when?

The 2020-2022 season is made up of events taking place in all 5 continents. These events are divided into two main categories: major events and local events.

Major events are hosted directly by The Pokémon Company International (TPCi) or an outsourcer, and award greater prizes and Championship Points. On the other hand, local events are run by volunteer organizers and allow newer players and smaller communities to take part of the game. If you want to know more about this, check out this article.

Date	Internationals	Location
15-17 Nov 19	Latin America Internationals	São Paulo, Brazil
21-23 Feb 20	Oceania Internationals	Melbourne, Australia
*Cancelled*	Europe Internationals	Berlin, Germany
*Cancelled*	North America Internationals	Columbus, OH

Europe & North America International Championships were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Championship Points & Prizes

Championship Points (CP) are awarded to players based on their placements at various Play! Pokémon tournaments. Major events also hand out prizes as either cash money or scholarships as well as trophies and Pokémon merchandising.

Local Events

Premier Challenge (PC)

- Best Finish Limit: 6
- Max CP obtainable (2020 Worlds Invite): 180 CP

Placement	Championship Points	Kicker
1	30 CP	0
2	16 CP	0
3-4	12 CP	0
5-8	8 CP	24
9-16	6 CP	48
17-32	4 CP	100

Midseason Showdown (MSS)

- Best Finish Limit: 6
- Max CP obtainable (2020 Worlds Invite): 300 CP

Placement	Championship Points	Kicker
1	50 CP	0
2	40 CP	0
3-4	32 CP	0
5-8	25 CP	24
9-16	20 CP	48
17-32	16 CP	100
33-64	13 CP	200

Select Online Competitions

- No Best Finish Limit (all Championship Points obtained during Select Online Competitions will be taken into account)

Placement	Championship Points
1	50 CP
2	45 CP
3-4	40 CP
5-8	35 CP
9-16	30 CP
17-32	25 CP
33-64	20 CP
65-128	10 CP
129-256	5 CP
257-512	2 CP
513-1024	1 CP

Major events

Special Events (SPE) & Regionals

- Best Finish Limit: 6
- Max CP obtainable (2020 Worlds Invite): 1200 CP

Placement	Championship Points	Kicker
1	200 CP	0
2	160 CP	0
3-4	130 CP	0
5-8	100 CP	0
9-16	80 CP	48
17-32	60 CP	100
33-64	50 CP	200
65-128	40 CP	400
129-256	30 CP	800

Placement	1-24	25-100	101-200	201+	TCG*
1	$500	$1,000	$2,000	$3,000	72
2	$250	$500	$1,000	$2,000	72
3-4	–	$250	$500	$1,000	36
5-8	–	–	$250	$500	18
9-16	–	–	–	$250	9

*TCG Booster Packs are given regardless of attendance.

International Championships (IC)

- Best Finish Limit: 4
- Max CP obtainable (2020 Worlds Invite): 2000 CP
- Check out information for the Travel Awards down below.
- No residence restrictions, meaning players from all around the world can join them regardless of their location (special regulations may be applied to players from rating zones such as Japan or South Korea)

Placement	Championship Points	Kicker
1	500 CP	0
2	400 CP	0
3-4	320 CP	0
5-8	250 CP	0
9-16	200 CP	48
17-32	160 CP	100
33-64	130 CP	200
65-128	100 CP	400
129-256	80 CP	800
257-512	60 CP	1600

Placement	1-100	101-200	201+	TCG*
1	$1,500	$2,500	$5,000	72
2	$1,000	$1,500	$2,500	72
3-4	$750	$1,000	$1,500	72
5-8	$500	$750	$1,000	36
9-16	–	$500	$750	18
17-32	–	–	$500	–

*TCG Booster Packs are given regardless of attendance.

All local and major events are cancelled from March 16, 2020 onwards until further notice.

Qualification Periods & Travel Awards

Travel awards will be handed out to the players in each age division and rating zone having gathered the most CP during an exact qualification periods. Players having maxed out their BFLs can still get CP towards these awards.

Internationals	First Day	Final Day
Latin America	Apr. 29, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019
Oceania	Jul. 1, 2019	Nov. 17, 2019
Europe	Nov. 18, 2019	Feb. 23, 2020
North America	Feb. 24, 2020	Apr. 19, 2020

In addition, the Top 4 players in the Pokémon Players Cup, the Pokémon Players Cup II and the Pokémon Players Cup III online events will receive a Travel Award for a future International Championship of their choosing when the live events are back.

Please notice: Players having earned stipends to the European International Championships will receive their money despite the event being cancelled.

Qualify for the 2022 World Championships

The Championship Points (CP) that eligible players earned in 2020 before the cancelation of live events will transfer in whole to the 2022 season. Players will continue to add to this total with any CP earned in the 2022 season.

There will be two CP qualification thresholds:

Thursday players: players who reach the qualification bar that is the same as the 2020 bar. Therefore, players who previously qualified for Worlds are still qualified for 2022.
Friday players: players who reach a new CP qualification threshold set in 2021 or 2022 when more information is available about qualifying events. Players who hit the Friday CP threshold will skip play on Thursday. The number of CP required for qualification has not been announced yet.

It is currently unknown whether the traditional Day 2 structure of paid trips will be maintained and whether those players will join on Saturday.

Thursday players

Friday players

Day 2 paid trips

Thursday players

Rating Zone	Juniors	Seniors	Masters
Europe	200 CP	250 CP	300 CP
North America	200 CP	250 CP	400 CP
Latin America	200 CP	250 CP	400 CP
Oceania	200 CP	200 CP	300 CP
South Africa	100 CP	150 CP	200 CP
Japan	Depending on the 2021 and 2022 Japan National Championships
South Korea	Depending on the 2022 South Korea National Championships
Rest of Asia	Depending on the National Championships held in 2021 in Taiwan and in 2022 in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand

Friday players

Rating Zone	Juniors	Seniors	Masters
Europe	TBA	TBA	TBA
North America	TBA	TBA	TBA
Latin America	TBA	TBA	TBA
Oceania	TBA	TBA	TBA
South Africa	TBA	TBA	TBA
Japan	Depending on the 2021 and 2022 Japan National Championships
South Korea	Depending on the 2022 South Korea National Championships
Rest of Asia	Depending on the National Championships held in 2021 in Taiwan and in 2022 in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand

Day 2 paid trips

This information may be obsolete, as the format for the 2022 World Championships has not been entirely defined yet. It is currently unknown whether Day 2 players will automatically qualify for Saturday. Traditionally, the structure would be the following:

Rating Zone	CP Requirements
Europe	The Top 16 players in the CP leaderboard
North America	The Top 8 players in the CP leaderboard
Latin America	The Top 8 players in the CP leaderboard
Oceania	The Top 8 players in the CP leaderboard
Japan	Depending on the 2021 and 2022 Japan National Championships
South Korea	Depending on the 2022 South Korea National Championships
Rest of Asia	TBD
2019 World Championships	The Top 4 finishers for each age division in the 2019 World Championships receive a travel award and a Day 1 invite for London 2022

Day 1 Invite

Day 2 Paid Trips

Day 1 Invite

Rating Zone	Juniors	Seniors	Masters
Europe	200 CP	250 CP	300 CP
US & Canada	200 CP	250 CP	400 CP
Latin America	200 CP	250 CP	400 CP
Oceania	200 CP	200 CP	300 CP
South Africa	100 CP	150 CP	200 CP
Japan	Depending on the 2021 and 2022 Japan National Championships
South Korea	Depending on the 2022 South Korea National Championships
Rest of Asia	Depending on the National Championships held in 2021 in Taiwan and in 2022 in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand

Day 2 Paid Trips

Rating Zone	CP Requirements
Europe	The Top 16 players in the CP leaderboard
US & Canada	The Top 8 players in the CP leaderboard
Latin America	The Top 8 players in the CP leaderboard
Oceania	The Top 8 players in the CP leaderboard
Japan	Depending on the 2021 and 2022 Japan National Championships
South Korea	Depending on the 2022 South Korea National Championships
Rest of Asia	TBD
2019 World Championships	The Top 4 finishers for each age division in the 2019 World Championships receive a travel award and a Day 1 invite for London 2022

2021 Play! Pokémon Season Structure

2020-2022 Season Structure

Format rotations

Battle rules

Team rules

General eligibility rules for Pokémon

Permitted Pokémon

Banned Pokémon

Gigantamax Pokémon

VGC 2019 Ultra Series

Age Divisions

Events: where and when?

Championship Points & Prizes

Local Events

Major events

Qualification Periods & Travel Awards

Qualify for the 2022 World Championships

Related resources

Pokémon Sword & Shield — Rental Teams for VGC 2021

VGC Events for the 2020 Season

Resources Hub

© 2020 Victory Road. All rights reserved of the original content. Pokémon and all other names are the property of The Pokémon Company, Creatures Inc., Game Freak and Nintendo © 1996-2020

2020-2022 Season Structure

Format rotations

Battle rules

Team rules

General eligibility rules for Pokémon

Permitted Pokémon

Banned Pokémon

Gigantamax Pokémon

VGC 2019 Ultra Series

Age Divisions

Events: where and when?

Championship Points & Prizes

Local Events

Major events

Qualification Periods & Travel Awards

Best Finish Limits

Qualify for the 2022 World Championships

Related resources

Pokémon Sword & Shield — Rental Teams for VGC 2021

VGC Events for the 2020 Season

Resources Hub