Pokémon League (TCG): Difference between revisions

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A '''Pokémon League''', often casually referred to simply as a '''League''', is a periodic gathering, typically weekly, of players of the [[Pokémon Trading Card Game]] and [[Pokémon games|Pokémon video games]]. During a Pokémon League session, players battle and trade for fun. It is not a structured {{DL|Play! Pokémon|Local Tournaments|tournament}} and there are no regular "prizes" for winning. However, each player can obtain an official {{DL|Play! Pokémon|Registration|Player ID}}. Event organizers will upload player event play information to [[Play! Pokémon]], eventually resulting in [[#Current rewards|minor prizes]].
A '''Pokémon League''', often casually referred to simply as a '''League''', is a periodic gathering, typically weekly, of players of the [[Pokémon Trading Card Game]] and [[Pokémon games|Pokémon video games]]. During a Pokémon League session, players battle and trade for fun. It is not a structured {{DL|Play! Pokémon|Local Tournaments|tournament}} and there are no regular "prizes" for winning. However, each player can obtain an official {{DL|Play! Pokémon|Registration|Player ID}}. Event organizers will upload player event play information to [[Play! Pokémon]], eventually resulting in [[#Current rewards|minor prizes]].


Most Pokémon Leagues meet once a week, year round, though some meet more or less than that. Some Leagues running once a month during only a certain time period. A lot of the time Pokémon leagues do tournaments called League Challenges that happens once a month. If you get in the best 4 players of this tournament, you get a "League Challenge Promo" stamped with your final placement. Leagues can also run "bigger" tournaments once every three months that are called League Cups. You get Championship Point in both of these tournaments and so, a league is the starting point to get a qualification for Pokémon Worlds.  
Most Pokémon Leagues meet once a week, year round, though some meet more or less than that. Some Leagues running once a month during only a certain time period. A lot of the time Pokémon leagues do tournaments called {{TCG|League Challenge}}s that happens once a month. If you get in the best 4 players of this tournament, you get a "League Challenge Promo" stamped with your final placement. Leagues can also run "bigger" tournaments once every three months that are called {{TCG|League Cup}}s. You get [[Championship Point]]s in both of these tournaments and so, a league is the starting point to get a qualification for Pokémon Worlds.  


[[File:Seattle League.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Players at a League in Seattle, Washington]]
[[File:Seattle League.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Players at a League in Seattle, Washington]]

Revision as of 15:11, 31 December 2019

050Diglett.png This article is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: updated participation and reward system information.

Pokémon League logo

A Pokémon League, often casually referred to simply as a League, is a periodic gathering, typically weekly, of players of the Pokémon Trading Card Game and Pokémon video games. During a Pokémon League session, players battle and trade for fun. It is not a structured tournament and there are no regular "prizes" for winning. However, each player can obtain an official Player ID. Event organizers will upload player event play information to Play! Pokémon, eventually resulting in minor prizes.

Most Pokémon Leagues meet once a week, year round, though some meet more or less than that. Some Leagues running once a month during only a certain time period. A lot of the time Pokémon leagues do tournaments called League Challenges that happens once a month. If you get in the best 4 players of this tournament, you get a "League Challenge Promo" stamped with your final placement. Leagues can also run "bigger" tournaments once every three months that are called League Cups. You get Championship Points in both of these tournaments and so, a league is the starting point to get a qualification for Pokémon Worlds.

Players at a League in Seattle, Washington

League Owner

A League Owner is the person who creates the League and who is in charge of maintaining a Pokémon League. The League Owner takes care of organizing League dates, to ensure that Play! Pokémon is aware of the League's existence in order to receive player rewards and other League materials. Additionally, the League Owner is expected to upload play information to Play! Pokémon when players play games and to hand out the promotions materials supplied to the League's players once they have been earned. The League Owner can designate other Professors to be League Leader and can assign some of these roles to them. A League can be deleted by the League Owner.

League Leader

A League Leader is the person, designated by the League Owner, in charge of helping the League Owner in maintaining a Pokémon League. League Leader has limited power, in the League, compared to League Owner. A League can't be deleted by the League Leader.

My Play! Pokémon

A current Pokémon League card
Main article: player ID

Upon registering with a Pokémon League, players receive a Play! Pokémon Player ID. Event organizers upload player event information that may then be viewed by a player, including games played, a player's Rankings, Premier Ratings, Tournaments (for Tournament Organizers only), or Leagues (for League Leaders only) on the Pokémon.com website.

At one time, players receive a physical Score Card made of a fold-able piece of card stock approximately the size of a small greeting card. The outer design of this card provided space for the player's name and Player ID. Inside the card were two sides, one for TCG matches and one for video game battles. Completing any row earned the player a League promotional reward. This entire tracking system has been replaced with the Play! Pokémon on-line tracking system.

Current rewards

Promotional foil cards

Promotional cards earned in Pokémon Leagues, dubbed "League Promos", are exclusive to Pokémon Leagues. The cards are not traditional Black Star promotional cards; instead, these cards are foil, Play! Pokémon branded versions of existing set cards.

2009-2010

2010-2011

2011-2012

2012-2013

  • Aspertia Gym Season: unknown
  • Virbank Gym Season: unknown
  • Castelia Gym Season: unknown
  • Nimbasa Gym Season: unknown
  • Driftveil Gym Season: unknown
  • Mistralton Gym Season: unknown
  • Opelucid Gym Season: unknown
  • Humilau Gym Season: unknown

2013-2014

2014-2015

  • Geodude Rustboro Gym Season: Professor's Letter
  • Machop Dewford Gym Season: Muscle Band
  • Mauville Gym Season: Magnetic Storm
  • Slugma Lavaridge Gym Season: Fiery Torch
  • Slaking Petalburg Gym Season: Pokémon Fan Club
  • Altaria Fortree Gym Season: Battle Reporter
  • Solrock Mossdeep Gym Season: Dimension Valley
  • Milotic Sootopolis Gym Season: Training Center

2015-2016

  • Breakthrough Season 1: Flabebe
  • Breakthrough Season 2: Floette
  • Breakthrough Season 3: Florges
  • Breakpoint Season 1: Chikorita
  • Breakpoint Season 2: Bayleef
  • Breakpoint Season 3: Meganium
  • Fates Collide Season 1: Fennekin
  • Fates Collide Season 2: Braixen
  • Fates Collide Season 3: Delphox
  • Steam Siege Season 1: Xerneas
  • Steam Siege Season 2: Yveltal
  • Steam Siege Season 3: Volcanion

2016-2017

2017-2018

2018-2019

2019-2020

Online Codes

During the 2012-2013 season online codes for special league promos were introduced. These code cards can be used in the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online and rewarded the player with a set of digital league promo cards. New code cards were distributed for the 2013-2014 season, albeit only 1 could be obtained by a player at each league, as opposed to 4.

2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

2015-2016

  • Nature Season: 4 Flabébé, 2015 Nature Season Card Sleeves
  • Tech Season: 4 Floette, 2015 Tech Season Coin
  • BREAK Season: 4 Florges, 2015 BREAK Season Deck Box
  • Parallel Season: 4 Chikorita, 2016 Parallel Season Card Sleeves
  • Rift Season: 4 Bayleef, 2016 Rift Season Deck Box
  • Worlds Collide Season: 4 Meganium, 2016 Worlds Collide Season Coin
  • New Friends Season: 4 Fennekin, 2016 New Friends Season Card Sleeves
  • Alakazam! Season: 4 Braixen, 2016 Alakazam! Season Deck Box
  • Closure Season: 4 Delphox, 2016 Closure Season Coin
  • Steam Siege Season: 4 Yveltal, 2016 Steam Siege Season Card Sleeves
  • Gear Season: 4 Xerneas, 2016 Gear Season Deck Box
  • Rescue Season: 4 Volcanion, Red Volcanion Coin

2016-2017

  • Boulder Season: 4 Pikachu, 4 Gym Badge, 4 Gym Badge, Evolution Season 1 Card Sleeves (Pikachu)
  • Thunder Season: 4 Gym Badge, 4 Gym Badge, 4 Gym Badge, Evolution Season 2 Deck Box (Pikachu)
  • Marsh Season: 4 Gym Badge, 4 Gym Badge, 4 Gym Badge, Evolution Season 3 Coin (Pikachu)
  • Sun & Moon Season 1: 4 Decidueye, 2017 Sun & Moon Season 1 Deck Box
  • Sun & Moon Season 2: 4 Incineroar
  • Sun & Moon Season 3: 4 Primarina, 2017 Sun & Moon Season 3 Card Sleeves
  • Guardians Rising Season 1: 4 Oricorio, 2017 Guardians Rising Season 1 Deck Box
  • Guardians Rising Season 2: 4 Oricorio, 2017 Guardians Rising Season 2 Coin (Sun&Moon starters)
  • Guardians Rising Season 3: 4 Oricorio, 2017 Guardians Rising Season 3 Card Sleeves

2017-2018

  • Burning Shadows Season 1: 4 Darkrai, 2017 Burning Shadows Season 1 Deck Box
  • Burning Shadows Season 2: 4 Diancie, Gold Ho-oh Coin
  • Burning Shadows Season 3: 4 Zygarde, 2017 Burning Shadows Season 3 Card Sleeves
  • Crimson Invasion Season 1: 4 Regice, Crimson Invasion Deck Box
  • Crimson Invasion Season 2: 4 Regirock, Silver Accelgor/Escavalier Coin
  • Crimson Invasion Season 3: 4 Registeel, Crimson Invasion Card Sleeves
  • Ultra Prism Season 1: 4 Torterra, Ultra Prism Deck Box
  • Ultra Prism Season 2: 4 Infernape, Gold Sinnoh Partners Coin
  • Ultra Prism Season 3: 4 Empoleon, Ultra Prism Sleeves

2018-2019

  • Forbidden Light Season 1: 4 Buzzwole, Forbidden Light Deck Box
  • Forbidden Light Season 2: 4 Guzzlord, Gold Kalos Partners Coin
  • Forbidden Light Season 3: 4 Beast Ring, Forbidden Light Sleeves
  • Celestial Storm Season 1: 4 Celesteela, Celestial Storm Deck Box
  • Celestial Storm Season 2: 4 Metagross, Silver Pixel Metagross Coin
  • Celestial Storm Season 3: 4 Steven's Resolve, Celestial Storm Sleeves
  • Lost Thunder Season 1: 4 Jumpluff, Lost Thunder Deck Box
  • Lost Thunder Season 2: 4 Lost Blender, Coin
  • Lost Thunder Season 3: 4 Naganadel, Lost Thunder Sleeves
  • Team Up Season 1: 4 Field Blower, Team Up Deck Box
  • Team Up Season 2: 4 Enhanced Hammer, Red Yveltal Coin
  • Team Up Season 3: 4 Max Potion, Team Up Sleeves
  • Unbroken Bonds Season 1: 4 Metal Frying Pan, Unbroken Bonds Deck Box
  • Unbroken Bonds Season 2: 4 Rescue Stretcher, Coin
  • Unbroken Bonds Season 3: 4 Kiawe, Unbroken Bonds Sleeves

2019-2020

Discontinued rewards

POP booster packs

If players played a certain number of games, they received a booster pack of Pokémon Organized Play cards. When the exclusivity of each POP set's distribution ceased, the remaining packs were sold as part of repackaged TCG merchandise, like the EX Collector's Box, or repacks made by third-party manufacturers.

Promotional Nintendo DS skin

These adhesive skins were designed to decorate a player's Nintendo DS. Criteria for winning these depend on what the League Leader would like to do, though traditionally the skins were given after completing an entire side on a card.

Patches

Starting in the 2010-2011 cycle, heat seal patches were given out that matches the League Season. The patch, while technically a heat seal, could also be hand-ironed.

2014-2015 Hoenn Region Patches

2014-2015 cycle Patches
  • Stone Badge
  • Knuckle Badge
  • Dynamo Badge
  • Heat Badge
  • Balance Badge
  • Feather Badge
  • Mind Badge
  • Rain Badge

2010-2011 & 2011-2012 Patches

  • Snivy
  • Tepig
  • Oshawott
  • Houndoom
  • Raichu
  • Typhlosion
  • Croconaw & Larvitar
  • Charizard & Bellsprout

Key Chains

During the 2013-2014 cycle key chains where introduced as League promotional items. The key chains featured the Pokémon from that season.

2013-2014

2013-2014 cycle Keychains
  • Chespin Key Chain
  • Fennekin Key Chain
  • Froakie Key Chain
  • Chesnaught Key Chain
  • Delphox Key Chain
  • Greninja Key Chain
  • Xerneas Key Chain
  • Yveltal Key Chain

Badges

Badges were obtained in a Pokémon League once a player completed their League Card and reached the Badge symbol at the end. Badges in the Pokémon League often, but not always, corresponded with Badges in the Pokémon games. Records of a player's earned Badges would be kept in a Badge Book.

2012-2013 Unova Gym cycle

2012-2013 cycle Badges

During this cycle it was possible to order a free Badge case from the official Pokémon site, to be delivered to their chosen league, if the player was registered in a Pokémon League, and had a Pokémon Trainer Club account. This case holds all 8 badges and has 2 spots in the lid for Nintendo DS or Nintendo 3DS game cards. Badges in this cycle were no longer pins, instead they have the same shape as they do in the games.

  • Aspertia Badge (Second version of Basic Badge)
  • Virbank Badge (First version, Toxic Badge in the games)
  • Castelia Badge (Second version of Insect Badge)
  • Nimbasa Badge (Second version of Bolt Badge)
  • Driftveil Badge (Second version of Quake Badge)
  • Mistralton Badge (Second version of Jet Badge)
  • Opelucid Badge (Second version of Legend Badge)
  • Humilau Badge (First version, Wave Badge in the games)

2011-2012 Unova Region cycle

2011-2012 cycle Badges

Starting with the 2011-2012 cycle, Badges were reintroduced into the League promotional items. All of the new Badges were featured in the games Pokémon Black and White Versions and Pokémon Black and White Versions 2, in the respective league cycles.

  • Trio Badge
  • Basic Badge
  • Insect Badge
  • Bolt Badge
  • Quake Badge
  • Jet Badge
  • Freeze Badge
  • Legend Badge

2008-2009 Energy cycle

2008-2009 cycle Badges

These Badges were based on the symbols appearing on Energy cards.

  • Season 1: Grass Badge
  • Season 2: Fire Badge
  • Season 3: Water Badge
  • Season 4: Lightning Badge
  • Season 5: Psychic Badge
  • Season 6: Fighting Badge
  • Season 7: Dark Badge
  • Season 8: Steel Badge

2007-2008 Sinnoh Region cycle

2007-2008 cycle Badges

These Badges were based on the Badges appearing in the Sinnoh central Generation IV games.

  • Season 1: Coal Badge
  • Season 2: Forest Badge
  • Season 3: Cobble Badge
  • Season 4: Fen Badge
  • Season 5: Relic Badge
  • Season 6: Mine Badge
  • Season 7: Icicle Badge
  • Season 8: Beacon Badge

2006-2007 Kanto Region cycle

2006-2007 cycle Badges

These Badges were based on the Badges appearing in the Generation I remakes, FireRed and LeafGreen.

  • Season 1: Boulder Badge
  • Season 2: Cascade Badge
  • Season 3: Thunder Badge
  • Season 4: Rainbow Badge
  • Season 5: Soul Badge
  • Season 6: Marsh Badge
  • Season 7: Volcano Badge
  • Season 8: Earth Badge

2005-2006 Battle Frontier cycle

2005-2006 cycle Badges

These Badges were based on the Frontier Symbols from the Hoenn Battle Frontier, featured in Pokémon Emerald.

  • Season 1: Tactics Badge
  • Season 2: Guts Badge
  • Season 3: Luck Badge
  • Season 4: Knowledge Badge
  • Season 5: Spirit Badge
  • Season 6: Ability Badge
  • Season 7: Brave Badge

2004-2005 Sevii Islands cycle

2004-2005 cycle Badges

These Badges were named after the Sevii Islands in FireRed and LeafGreen. However, their appearance was based on different types of Poké Balls.

  • Season 1: Knot Island Badge
  • Season 2: Boon Island Badge
  • Season 3: Kin Island Badge
  • Season 4: Floe Island Badge
  • Season 5: Chrono Island Badge
  • Season 6: Fortune Island Badge
  • Season 7: Quest Island Badge
  • Season 8: Trainer Tower Badge

2003-2004 Hoenn Region cycle

2003-2004 cycle Badges

These Badges were based on the Badges appearing in the Hoenn central Generation III games.

  • Season 1: Stone Badge
  • Season 2: Knuckle Badge
  • Season 3: Dynamo Badge
  • Season 4: Heat Badge
  • Season 5: Balance Badge
  • Season 6: Feather Badge
  • Season 7: Mind Badge
  • Season 8: Rain Badge

2001-2002 Johto Region cycle

2001-2002 cycle Badges

These Badges were based on the Badges appearing in the Generation II games. For the 2001-2002 League, badges were acquired at a certain number of points gained during that particular season. The points required per badge were:

  • Season 1: Zephyr Badge — 400 Points
  • Season 2: Hive Badge — 430 Points
  • Season 3: Plain Badge — 480 Points
  • Season 4: Fog Badge — 550 Points
  • Season 5: Storm Badge — 650 Points
  • Season 6: Mineral Badge — 680 Points
  • Season 7: Glacier Badge — 930 Points
  • Season 8: Rising Badge — 1100 Points

For each 50 points gained in a particular season beyond the necessary points required for that particular badge, 10 points was added to the next season.

2000-2001 Kanto Region cycle

2000-2001 cycle Badges

These Badges were based on the Badges appearing in the Generation I games.

  • Season 1: Boulder Badge
  • Season 2: Cascade Badge
  • Season 3: Thunder Badge
  • Season 4: Rainbow Badge
  • Season 5: Soul Badge
  • Season 6: Marsh Badge
  • Season 7: Volcano Badge
  • Season 8: Earth Badge

Reverse Holographic Energy Cards

2011-2012 Unova Region Cycle

Players were given these energy cards in addition to their badge for completing the first 4 of 8 rows on either (or partially both) of the 2 sides of their league card.

2001-2002 Energize Your Game cycle

No Badges were given out this cycle. Instead, players were awarded Reverse Holographic Energy cards, and Pokémon Licenses took the place of Badge Books.


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