*NOTE: Premier Challenges and Midesason Showdowns are not currently running, likely because of TPCi’s concern about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Any events of this size are not worth Championship points.

What is it like to attend a Premier Challenge or Midseason Showdown?

Premier Challenges (PCs) and Midseason Showdowns (MSSes) are the "local" tournaments– they are smaller in attendance and prizes than Regionals, Internationals, and Worlds. The difference is that MSSes award more points, but occur less frequently. PCs and MSSes are often held in game/card stores or similar small venues, and happen frequently throughout the year. They are usually one-day events that take around 6 or 7 hours total, though not all players will play for all 6 or 7 hours.

What do I have to do before attending a Premier Challenge or Midseason Showdown?

If you're spectating

You can most likely just walk into the game store, but check beforehand.

If you're competing

Get a POP ID and make a Pokémon Trainer Club account. You’ll need a POP (Pokémon Organized Play) ID and a Pokémon Trainer Club account to play in the tournament, earn prizes from it, and obtain Championship Points for qualifying to Worlds. Here's how you get started. The POP ID is a number that uniquely identifies you within their system. You probably shouldn't give it out to anyone other than tournament organizers.

Register online. You’ll need a POP ID to register for the tournament. 

You should check beforehand if you need to pre-register: before the COVID-19 pandemic, many PC/MSS events were open entry, but now restrictions may have changed. Currently, during the pandemic, they are capped at 30 players in attendance, so you should make sure you can go.

There is no one-stop portal for registering for an event, and many game stores may have their own means of registration. Common places to look are the Pokemon.com event locator, Facebook, and the store's website. 

Registration will probably cost between 5 and 20$. 

Make sure you understand the venue and tournament's COVID rules and regulations.

Get the Pokémon that you want. 

Travel to the event. You can read our guide for estimating travel cost here, and a packing list here. You probably won't be travelling too far for a PC or MSS, unless you live in the middle of nowhere– you'll probably drive or take public transportation.

Schedule

All times in this schedule are approximate-- every tournament will be different. Check the website of whatever tournament you attend, or ask the Tournament Organizer for a rough estimate. They are in charge of their tournament.

Check-in

You’ll need your registration details, your player ID. You’ll also need your Switch and a team sheet. A team sheet is a piece of physical paper outlining every stat, move, item, and ability of your six Pokémon for that tournament. They’ll have some available, but you can also fill them out ahead of time. You’ll hand the team sheet in when you register.

The Tournament (Swiss rounds)

After check-in, the tournament will begin. 

You’ll sit down across from your opponent and listen to announcements from the tournament organizer before beginning. Once you’re given the all-clear to start your match, follow the procedure outlined at the table to connect your Switch to your opponent.

You’ll then play a best of three against your opponent. Your Switch might not always be plugged in, so make sure you know where an outlet is if it doesn't hold a charge well. Once the battles have started, you’re not allowed to use any other electronic devices (if you have a medical concern, talk to a judge beforehand!) It’s okay to use headphones, but they have to be plugged into your Switch. You’re allowed to take notes, but you need to use a clean sheet of paper-- you can’t read off anything written beforehand during the battle. It’s also a good idea not to talk to other players except your opponent during the battles, and if you have to do so, talk quietly-- other players will be concentrating on their own battles.

Once your games are over, you will record your score. If you are given a match slip, have both you and your opponent sign it, and then give it to the tournament organizer. If you are not, just let the tournament organizer know who won. 

You'll wait for everyone to finish playing before the next round begins.

At the end of all of the Swiss rounds, the tournament organizer will post the standings. The top players will advance to Top Cut, and you can read more about how this is determined here. 

If you didn’t make Top Cut, your tournament is over and you’re free to leave.

If you did make Top Cut, you can wait for the tournament organizer to tell you your next round, and where you should be playing.

Top Cut will then continue until the tournament is over and there is a winner. Once you lose a round in Top Cut, you're free to leave.

Going on Stream

Sometimes these events have streams on Twitch, YouTube, or similar. These are often small streams that are run by the venue or a local player. If your match is selected to go on stream, the stream operator will instruct you on what to do, and you should follow their directions.

Dropping

If you for whatever reason decide to finish the tournament early-- maybe you need to go, or you aren’t having fun anymore-- don’t just walk off! Check with the tournament organizer. If you earned Championship Points, you can still get them if you drop.

Spectating and Non-tournament Activities

There usually won't be much to do at the tournament other than compete, so you can enjoy the venue (especially if it's a game or card store) or the surrounding area. You can also come back at a later time– ask the tournament organizer when they think the Swiss rounds will finish.