The 2022 Pokemon World Championships have officially ended after four days of intense matches and friendly competition in London, UK. The 2022 edition of Pokemon Championships attracted the best Trainers from around the world who took part in the premier tournament for Pokemon video games and Pokemon Trading Card Game. For this year, the roster of games included Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon TCG, Pokemon Go, Pokken Tournament DX, and Pokemon UNITE.
Apart from crowning the winners of each category, the event also revealed new information for the future of the Pokemon titles that we have coming up later this year and beyond. We got new information about the highly anticipated Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet and Pokemon Trading Card Game: Scarlet & Violet Series, launching in 2023. We got to see a new regional Pokemon and a deeper look at the Terastal Phenomenon and more featured in Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet.
During the Pokemon World Championships, a brand-new mechanic called Pokemon ex was unveiled and it will be featured in the upcoming Scarlet & Violet series. Featuring fan-favourite Pokemon and newly discovered ones as well, Pokemon Ex will appear in each stage of evolution and will have high HP along with powerful attacks and abilities. Getting a Pokemon ex Knocked Out by an opponent can cost two Prize cards and Stage 2 Pokemon ex will have the power to quickly turn the tide of the battle with high HP and powerful attacks that require little energy.
One of the main mechanics in the Scarlet and Violet Series will be comebacks as players will encounter various Pokemon, Trainers, and Energy cards that can create critical turning points in the game. You can watch the new trailer and the ex mechanic in action below:
A brand-new Pokemon from the upcoming Pokemon Scarlet and Violet was also revealed called Cyclizar. This Pokemon has lived in different households in the Paldea region since ancient times. This Pokemon does not mind people riding it as well because the warmth of the rider keeps the Pokemon warm as well. Its details were also revealed as:
- Category: Mount Pokémon
- Type: Dragon/Normal
- Height: 5’3″
- Weight: 138.9 lbs.
- Ability: Shed Skin
Ranked Battles introduced on Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield will also return in Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet. Apart from the Ranked Battles, you will also be able to jump in battles in different modes such as Casual Battles and Online Competitions as well. The new Terastal phenomenon in the Paldea region makes Pokemon shine and glimmer like gems. The primary feature of Terastallizing in battle is that it changes the Pokemon type to its Tera Type. The Tera Type is only revealed when Terastallizing is used on them, and this can be used in the game to take opponents by surprise.
One such move Tera Blast is a Normal-type move and it can be learned with a TM. When used by a Terastallized Pokemon, it becomes a move of the same type as the Pokemon’s Tera Type. Tera Blast inflicts damage using the Attack or SP. ATK stat whichever is higher for the user. The developer also introduced three new Held Items for the game including:
- Mirror Herb – This herb will allow the holder to mirror an opponent’s stat increases and boost its own stats–but only once.
- Covert Cloak – This hooded cloak conceals the holder, protecting it from the additional effects of moves.
- Loaded Dice – If a Pokémon holding this item uses a multistrike move, that move will be more likely to hit more times.
At the start of the final event, the President and CEO of The Pokemon Company Tsunekazu Ishihara announced that Ash & Pikachu are coming to Pokemon Masters EX as a Master Sync Pair. This will be the first sync pair in the game with a brand-new move type – buddy moves. Buddy Moves unlock after meeting a special condition and it deals significantly more damage than regular moves. Ash and Pikachu are now available to scout in the game and they will remain there until October 16, 2022.
Pokemon Masters EX is also getting a new mode called Trainer Lodge where players will be able to make precious memories with their favorite characters. The new mode is now live in the game and the initial rosters of Trainers will include different famous faces like Blue, Cynthia, Lillie, and more. To celebrate Pokemon Masters EX’s third anniversary, trainers can earn up to 10,000 gems during the Run-Up to Three Years Rally and scout up to 100 sync pairs with daily 10-Pair Scout Tickets (available for a limited time). You will also get to spend some time with Pasio and enjoy the anniversary perks.
Pokemon UNITE celebrated its one-year anniversary in July and during the event, it also came with its own new announcements. A new arena has been discovered on Aeos Island called the Theia Sky Ruins and the Legendary Pokemon Rayquaza lurks at the center of this map, waiting for new challengers. You will be able to compete here in Ranked and Standard battles from September 2, 2022.
Moving forward, The Scarlet and Violet Series will become the new Standard Format for Pokemon Trading Card Game competitive play. The Pokemon World Championships is an invitation-only event held in a different location every year for which players can qualify for by competing in various local, regional, and international tournaments in the Play! Pokemon program. This year’s champions were awarded a one-on-a-kind Pokemon World Championships trophy and a portion of a prize pool of more than $1,000,000.
The next Pokemon World Championships event will take place in 2023 and it will be held in Yokohama, Japan. Additional details about the next championships will be announced on the official social platforms at a later date. Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet are slated for release on November 18, 2022, worldwide. You can check out the winners of this year’s championships on the official website.
What are your thoughts on the Pokemon 2022 World Championships and will you look forward to the next one? What do you think of the plethora of new information revealed during the event as well? Let us know in the comments section below.
