Pokémon World Championships Deliver Battles and Big Reveals

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After a massive weekend of battles and new champions being crowned in Anaheim, Calif., The Pokémon Company International wrapped up its World Championships with a few announcements about various games in the franchise.

The announcements started off with news about next year’s event, which will be held in San Francisco. All Video Game Championships (VGC) will be played on the company’s free-to-play app, Pokémon Champions, which is slated to be released sometime next year. More details regarding the paid versions for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 will be shared in the near future. Alongside next year’s World Championships will be a fan-centric experience, called Pokémon XP, at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. To learn more about next year’s Pokémon World Championships, Pokémon XP, and where to find tickets for each event, visit worlds.pokemon.com/en-us and pokemonxp.com.

In Pokémon GO, players will soon encounter the legendary Pokémon Eternatus, first encountered in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, during the Dark Skies event later this month. For Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) fans, the latest rarity card was shown, called a Mega Attack rare, which features attack names in katakana. Pokémon who will have this rarity include Mega Charizard X ex, Mega Gardevoir ex, and Mega Lucario ex. Mega Dragonite, which will debut in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, will also have a card made for the TCG. In Pokémon TCG Pocket, players will soon find Mega Evolution ex cards in the game, with Pokémon like Mega Gyarados, Mega Altaria, and Mega Blaziken.

Pokémon Champions will be the default for VGC battles at the Pokémon World Championships beginning next year in San Francisco. | Source: The Pokémon Co.

Trainers will soon be able to find these cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket. | Source: The Pokémon Co.

Empoleon, the Water/Steel-type starter originally from Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, will be making its Pokémon Unite debut on Sept. 19. | Source: The Pokémon Co.

Trainers who attended the event got to check out the new modes that will be available in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. | Source: The Pokémon Co.

Fans of Pokémon Unite will have the chance to play three new characters to the game: Vaporeon, Empoleon, and Dhelmise. Empoleon will be joining the roster on Sept. 19, while the others will be joining soon after.

Attendees got to check out the latest news about the upcoming main series title: Pokémon Legends: Z-A. There will be two battle modes: Link and Ranked Battles. In the Z-A Battle Club (the Link Battle mode), up to four Trainers can race to defeat the most Pokémon within the time limit. In Ranked Battle mode, Trainers can battle it out online with opponents from around the world, earning points with each battle. As players earn points, they’ll get to rise through the ranks, beginning at Rank Z and making their way to the coveted Rank A. Based on their rank at the end of a season, Trainers will earn various in-game rewards, with some being specific to the season. Trainers will also be able to partake in one-on-one private battles using local wireless communication or online. The game will be available on Oct. 16.