Pokemon organized Play
Encyclopedia
Play! Pokémon formerly known as Pokémon Organized Play, often abbreviated as POP, is a division of The Pokémon Company
. This division is for the Pokémon Trading Card Game
and the Pokémon Trading Figure Game
and was formed by Pokémon USA in 2003 after Wizards of the Coast
lost its license to the Trading Card Game
, they created new league
, tournament
, and prize systems, as well as an improved professor program.
leagues, POP utilizes a hybrid system, in which one can earn points for playing the Trading Card Game and/or the Trading Figure Game (starting 2007) and/or the Pokémon Video Games (Fall 2009). After the "Hoenn" league era, they stopped doing this and brought back League books. During the Sevii Islands League era, they also introduced POP packs for players to earn. Currently, the leagues are up to the Rival Leagues.
There are over 300 contests, worldwide, about 2/3 of which are in the United States
.
POP-sanctioned tournaments are either single elimination, Swiss
, or Swiss followed by single elimination rounds. Some POP events use "Age Modified Swiss", (a variation of Swiss invented by POP) in which a player's age takes priority over the player's record when the organizer pairs players.
After sanctioned tournaments are completed, the Tournament Organizer uploads the results of each match to POP. The results of each match are used to calculate a player's rating. POP Ratings are based on the Elo rating system
.
using the cards opened out of the six packs (not including basic Energy
cards, which are provided at the event). At the end of each prerelease, players receive two extra packs. Players also have the option of playing in a Theme Deck challenge instead of the Prerelease event, where they play for a theme deck and 4 booster packs.
The Pokémon Company
is a corporation responsible for marketing and licensing the Pokémon franchise and is affiliated and owned by Nintendo. It began operating in 1998 and adopted the moniker "Pokémon Ltd." in 2000. The company is headquartered in the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower in Roppongi Rokuchome, Minato, Tokyo...
. This division is for the Pokémon Trading Card Game
Pokémon Trading Card Game
The Pokémon Trading Card Game is a collectible card game based on the Pokémon video game series, first introduced in Japan in October 1996, then North America in December 1998...
and the Pokémon Trading Figure Game
Pokemon Trading Figure Game
The Pokémon Trading Figure Game is a collectible miniatures game similar to HeroClix. It is designed by Pokémon USA and based on Satoshi Tajiri's Pokémon media franchise....
and was formed by Pokémon USA in 2003 after Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
lost its license to the Trading Card Game
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
, they created new league
League system
A league system is a hierarchy of leagues in a sport, usually with a system of promotion and relegation between consecutive levels of the hierarchy. They are often called pyramids due to their tendency to split into an increasing number of regional divisions the further down the pyramid one descends...
, tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
, and prize systems, as well as an improved professor program.
Pokémon TCG Leagues
Unlike the WizardsWizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
leagues, POP utilizes a hybrid system, in which one can earn points for playing the Trading Card Game and/or the Trading Figure Game (starting 2007) and/or the Pokémon Video Games (Fall 2009). After the "Hoenn" league era, they stopped doing this and brought back League books. During the Sevii Islands League era, they also introduced POP packs for players to earn. Currently, the leagues are up to the Rival Leagues.
There are over 300 contests, worldwide, about 2/3 of which are in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Local Tournaments
Local Tournaments are meant for both fun and practice. They are usually held every week by a local Tournament Organizer. Prizes vary depending on the competitors. They are often free to enter, but the price can sometimes range to $5.POP-sanctioned tournaments are either single elimination, Swiss
Swiss system tournament
A Swiss-system tournament is a commonly used type of tournament where players or teams need to be paired to face each other for several rounds of competition. This type of tournament was first used in a Zurich chess tournament in 1895, hence the name "Swiss system". The Swiss system is used when...
, or Swiss followed by single elimination rounds. Some POP events use "Age Modified Swiss", (a variation of Swiss invented by POP) in which a player's age takes priority over the player's record when the organizer pairs players.
After sanctioned tournaments are completed, the Tournament Organizer uploads the results of each match to POP. The results of each match are used to calculate a player's rating. POP Ratings are based on the Elo rating system
Elo rating system
The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-born American physics professor....
.
Prerelease Tournaments
Prerelease Tournaments are events in which players get to play with cards that will be released in stores in weeks prior to the event. The fee is $20–25 and each player gets six Packs, a special promo, and a set of sleeves themed after the new set. Each player builds a 40-card deckPlaying card
A playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic, marked with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing card games...
using the cards opened out of the six packs (not including basic Energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
cards, which are provided at the event). At the end of each prerelease, players receive two extra packs. Players also have the option of playing in a Theme Deck challenge instead of the Prerelease event, where they play for a theme deck and 4 booster packs.
Premier Tournaments
Premier Tournaments are meant for competition. There are six different types of Premier Tournaments (note that the following prizes apply to the United States only; other regions may have different prizes):- City Championships: When players from a specific city come together to determine who is the City Champion. Prizes for first place are: 18 packs of the latest set, a tote bag with various prizes and a medal.
- State Championships: Players from all over a state come together to play and become the State Champion. Prizes for first place are: 36 packs of the latest set, a tote bag with various prizes, and a trophy. They also get $300 travel allowance from Origins during the National Championships. As of 2009, the National Championships are no longer being held at Origins.
- Regional Championships: Players from a specific Region come together to battle it out so he or she can become the Regional Champion. Prizes for first place are : 36 packs of the latest set, a tote bag with various prizes, a trophy, $1500 scholarship and a Travel Award with Hotel Stay for the National Championships (not available in the 2006-2007 tournament season)
- Battle Road Tournaments: Battle Road Tournaments give players another opportunity to work on their premier ratings, potentially earning an invite and trip to Worlds. Battle Roads (commonly known by players as BRs) happen in both the Spring and the Fall.
- National Championships: This is a big event where players from all over the country come together to determine who are the top players of their respective countries.
- World Championships: An invite-only event where players around the world come together and play.
Current list of World Champions under POP
- 2004: Hayato Sato (10-); Takuya Yoneda (11-14); Tsuguyoshi Yamato (15+)
- 2005: Curran Hill (10-); Stuart Benson (11-14); Jeremy Maron (15+)
- 2006: Hiroki Yano (10-); Miska Saari (11-14); Jason Klaczynski (15+)
- 2007: Jun Hasebe (Junior); Jeremy Scharff-Kim (Senior); Tom Roos (Masters)
- 2008: Tristan Robinson (Junior); Dylan Lefavour (Senior); Jason Klaczysnki (Masters)
- 2009: Tsubasa Nakamura (Junior); Takuto Itagaki (Senior); Stephen Silvestro (Masters)
- 2010: Jacob Lesage (Senior); Yuta Komatsuda (Masters)