Marriland

Over the weekend, the 2013 Spring Regional Championships took place across North America. These Regional Championships determined who the best of the best was in five different regions across North America, and I had the opportunity to participate in the Midwest Regional Championship in my home state of Wisconsin.

The winners for each event, in each age division, are listed below. Congratulations to them all!

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Athens, Georgia

Foxboro, Massachusetts

Salt Lake City, Utah

Madison, Wisconsin

So how did my time at Madison, Wisconsin go? Well, here are some pictures along with my report of the event! (Click the "Read More" button to the right if you don't see them!)

The Pokemon Spring Regional Championships are coming up very soon for North America, so in preparation for these events, let's take a look at where they'll be held. The Trading Card Game portion of the Regional Championships takes place on April 13th and April 14th (Saturday and Sunday), while the Video Game (VGC) portion is only on April 14th (Sunday). Keep that in mind while making plans!

Links to the official details page for each event (and additional relevant links):

• Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Links: Facebook | PokeGym)
• Athens, Georgia (Links: PokeGym)
• Foxborough, Massachusetts (Links: Facebook | PokeGym)
• Salt Lake City, Utah (Links: Facebook | PokeGym)
• Madison, Wisconsin (Links: Facebook | PokeGym)

If you're playing in the Trading Card Game...

The full rules of participating in the Trading Card Game portion of the tournament can be found on the official website, but here are the important things to keep in mind:

• You must have a modified-legal, 60 card deck, as well as your own dice/coins/damage counters. Modified-legal cards are cards from the Black & White expansion set and all sets past that.
• You must know your Player ID (POP ID). If you participated in any local Pokemon TCG league or tournament, you should have one if it was sanctioned. Make sure you get it ahead of time to save the organizers trouble.
• You need to have a deck list filled out containing your deck's contents. You can either fill that out at the event or print it out in advance using a tool like PokeGym's Decklist Creator.
• It's recommended that you read both the General Event Rules and the TCG Rules and Formats documents.

Participating players for the Trading Card Game Championships will receive a special Pokémon Regional Championship Series Umbreon card (on a first come, first serve basis, although there's usually plenty).

If you're playing in the Video Game...

The full rules of the Video Game event can be found on the official website, but here are the basics:

• You need to bring your Pokemon Black 2 or Pokemon White 2 version (no older versions are allowed), along with your Nintendo DS, DSi, or 3DS, a charger, and a legal team in your Battle Box.
• Your team must be a legal team, as defined by the VG Rules and Formats document. In a nutshell, this means no duplicate Pokemon, no duplicate held items, no illegal moves or items, and none of the following Pokemon: Mewtwo, Mew, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Celebi, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Jirachi, Deoxys, Chatot, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Phione, Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin, Arceus, Victini, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Keldeo, Meloetta and Genesect. The moves Sky Drop and Dark Void are banned, as is the Soul Dew item.
• All battles will be in a Double Battle. You'll be able to see your opponent's team before each battle and will then choose four of your Pokemon to battle, so you and your opponent won't know for sure what the other will use.
• You need to have your team deposited in the Battle Box instead of your party! Do this before the tournament. You can put Pokemon into the Battle Box from Amanita's PC.

Starting at noon (on Sunday), a special Ludicolo modeled after the 2012 Senior Division World Champion, Toler Webb, will be distributed over Local Wireless at each of the Regional Championships. This Ludicolo has the same ability, nature, and moves as the one Toler used to win the 2012 Pokémon World Championships in his division. You don't have to be entered in the Video Game Championships in order to play and can receive this special gift on Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon Black 2, or Pokémon White 2.

I'll be playing at the tournament in Madison, Wisconsin on the 13th and 14th, so who knows, you may just see me there! I assure you that all of the tournaments listed will be fun, even for spectators! There are going to be tons of side events and activities all throughout both days, so you'll have plenty to keep you occupied even if you're just a casual player.

The Pokemon Winter Regional Championships are coming up very soon for North America, so in preparation for these events, let's take a look at where they'll be held and give you links to the rules to the events. The Trading Card Game portion of the Regional Championships takes place on January 19th and January 20th (Saturday and Sunday), while the Video Game (VGC) portion is only on January 20th (Sunday). Keep that in mind while making plans!

Links to the official details page for each event:

• Long Beach, California
• Lake Buena Vista, Florida (Orlando area)
• St. Charles, Missouri (St. Louis area)
• Salem, Oregon
• Sandston, Virginia (Richmond area)

If you're playing in the Trading Card Game...

The full rules of participating in the Trading Card Game portion of the tournament can be found on the official website, but here are the important things to keep in mind:

• You must have a modified-legal, 60 card deck, as well as your own dice/coins/damage counters. Modified-legal cards are cards from the Black & White expansion set and all sets past that.
• You must know your Player ID (POP ID). If you participated in any local Pokemon TCG league or tournament, you should have one if it was sanctioned. Make sure you get it ahead of time to save the organizers trouble.
• You need to have a deck list filled out containing your deck's contents. You can either fill that out at the event or print it out in advance using a tool like PokeGym's Decklist Creator.
• It's recommended that you read both the General Event Rules and the TCG Rules and Formats documents.

If you're playing in the Video Game...

The full rules of the Video Game event can be found on the official website, but here are the basics:

• You need to bring your Pokemon Black 2 or Pokemon White 2 version (no older versions are allowed), along with your Nintendo DS, DSi, or 3DS, a charger, and a legal team in your Battle Box.
• Your team must be a legal team, as defined by the VG Rules and Formats document. In a nutshell, this means no duplicate Pokemon, no duplicate held items, no illegal moves or items, and none of the following Pokemon: Mewtwo, Mew, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Celebi, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Jirachi, Deoxys, Chatot, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Phione, Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin, Arceus, Victini, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Keldeo, Meloetta and Genesect. The moves Sky Drop and Dark Void are banned, as is the Soul Dew item.
• All battles will be in a Double Battle. You'll be able to see your opponent's team before each battle and will then choose four of your Pokemon to battle, so you and your opponent won't know for sure what the other will use.
• You need to have your team deposited in the Battle Box instead of your party! Do this before the tournament. You can put Pokemon into the Battle Box from Amanita's PC.

I'll be playing at the tournament in St. Charles, Missouri on the 19th and 20th, so who knows, you may just see me there! But I assure you that all of the tournaments listed will be fun, even for spectators, and there's still the Spring Regional Championships in April if your region has not yet been covered! Train well, Trainers!

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