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The 2019 Pokemon World Championships head to Washington DC

The 2019 Pokemon World Championships is heading to the nation's capital in Washington DC, where the game's top players will look to become the very best, like no one ever was.

Ozzie Mejia

February 22, 2019 10:25 AM

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The Pokemon World Championships have traveled from place to place over the last couple of years. And it appears that the 2019 event will also be held in a brand new location. This time, Pikachu and crew are set to take over the nation's capital, as The Pokemon Company announced on Friday that the 2019 Pokemon World Championships would be held in Washington DC.

The Walter E. Washington Convention Center will house the champinship tournaments for both the Pokemon video game and Pokemon Trading Card Game, moving away from last year's location in Nashville. If players have earned enough Championship Points by battling it out at various Championship Series events throughout the 2019 season, they'll earn the right to compete in Washington DC for a chance at a prize pool that exceeds $500,000. Ecuador's Paul Ruiz won last year's Masters Division tournament, using a powerful Salamence/Snorlax tandem to overpower runner-up Emilio Forbes.

No word on whether Pokken Tournament DX will be on display this year, but given its presence in previous years, one would expect Pikachu Libre to bring in the fighting game crowd, as well. (Update: The Pokemon Company representatives have confirmed that Pokken Tournament DX will be present at both events.)

The video game rules are simple. Players face off in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Six Pokemon enter, but only four are chosen to face off in 2v2 battles. All items are fair game and most Pokemon are on the table. Certain Mythical Pokemon are banned, while others are placed in a special category, from which only two may be taken into battle.

Those looking for one last chance to pick up Championship Points can also attend the North America International Championships, which was announced for June 21-23 in Columbu, Ohio. This event will take place in the Greater Columbus Convention Center and is open to players from around the world.

The Pokemon World Championships run from August 16-18.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?