2016 Series

The 2016 VGC World Championship Series is the second utilising the Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire games. Due to this, the format changed considerably. Rather than the standard rules of the prior year, this season allows for the use of more Pokémon, specifically all non-Mythical Legendary Pokémon, allowing for up to 2 in your Battle Box, making it a very different metagame. It made a start earlier than ever before with a special event at the 2015 World Championships. This series includes a variety of new features and updates. First off is the introduction of Enhanced Premier Challenges. These challenges are for those Premier Challenges of 65 or higher entrants and has an increase in CP for every qualifying player except the winner. It also introduces Mid-Season Showdowns. These are events akin to Regional Championships, and share a Best Finish Limit, but have lower CP. The 2016 World Championships were be held in San Francisco, California

VGC Rule Set: (From January 1st 2016)

Usable Games Pokémon Omega Ruby, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire
Battle Type: Double Battle
Pokémon Restrictions: National Pokédex.
Pokémon Limits: Teams may have no more than two of the following Pokémon: Mewtwo, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde.
Banned Pokémon: Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Deoxys, Phione, Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin, Arceus, Victini, Keldeo, Meloetta, Genesect, Diancie, and Hoopa, Pokémon not captured or hatched in X, Y, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
Banned Items: Soul Dew
Clauses: No same Pokémon, No same item
Players may only use Pokémon with items or moves obtained in Pokémon X, Y, Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire

VGC Winners
Junior: Cory Connor (US)
Senior: Carson Confer (US)
Master: Wolfe Glick (US)

TCG Winners
Junior: Shunto Sadahiro (Japan)
Senior: Jesper Eriksen (Denmark)
Master: Shintaro Ito (Japan)

Pokkén Tournament
Senior: Josh Simmonite
Master: Masami Sato

Online Competitions

Throughout the Play! Pokémon series, there were numerous online competitions that will give CP to players if their Play! Pokémon account is linked to their Organised Play ID. The CP is organised to the top 256 players worldwide, regardless of region.

Best Finish Limit: 6 (Shared with Premier Challenges)
Placement 1 2 3-4 5-8 9-16 17-32 33-64 65-128 129-256
CP Prize 45 40 36 32 26 16 10 6 3


Name Date Entry Gift CP Given?
2016 International Challenge - January 29th January 2016 - January 31st 2016 2000 Pokémiles Yes
2016 International Challenge - March 25th March 2016 - March 27th 2016 2000 Pokémiles Yes
2016 International Challenge - June 24th June 2016 - June 26th 2016 2000 Pokémiles Yes

Premier Challenges

Premier Challenges are small competitions dotted around the various countries in the world. These competitions typically happen once a month or so depending on the organisers and can provide a small amount of CP which can then be used to help participate in the Worlds Championships.

Standard Premier Challenge
Best Finish Limit: 6 (Shared with Online Competitions)
Placement 1 2 3-4 5-8 9-16
CP Prize 30 20 14 8 2
Kicker
Min Entry
    8 16 32

Enhanced Premier Challenge (40+ Players)
Best Finish Limit: 6 (Shared with Online Competitions)
Placement 1 2 3-4 5-8 9-16 17-32 33-64 65-128
CP Prize 30 27 24 21 18 12 6 4
Kicker
Min Entry
            128 256


Regionals Details

Regional Championships are set up across the world, mostly in North America, to provide small competitions beyond the Premier Challenges to allow for players to earn CP. There are a number of Regional competitions each year and they all follow the standard format. They often have side events for all players.

Best Finish Limit: 3
Placement 1 2 3-4 5-8 9-16 17-32 33-64 65-128
Midseason Showdown
CP Prize 90 80 72 64 54 32 20 12
Kicker
Min Entry
        32 64 128 256
Regionals
CP Prize 150 135 120 105 92 56 34 20
Kicker
Min Entry
        32 64 128 256


Name Location Country Date Distribution Pokémon Streamed?
Boston Open Boston, Massachusetts United States 22nd - 23rd August 2015 None No
Wuerzburg Arena Cup Wuerzburg Germany 5th September 2015 None No
Arizona Autumn Regionals Phoenix, Arizona United States 3rd - 4th October 2015 None No
Houston Autumn Regional Houston, Texas United States 3rd - 4th October 2015 None No
Lancaster Autumn Regional Lancaster, Pennsylvania United States 10th - 11th October 2015 None No
Fort Wayne Autumn Regional Fort Wayne, Indiana United States 17th - 18th October 2015 None No
San Jose Autumn Regional San Jose, California United States 17th - 18th October 2015 None No
San Miguel Regionals Lima Peru 31st October 2015 None No
Milan Regional - Supernova Blast Milan Italy 1st November 2015 None No
London & South-East England International Challenge London United Kingdom 21st November 2015 None No
Denmark VGC Autumn Regionals Allerød Denmark 22nd November 2015 None No
Belgium VGC Autumn Regionals Namur Belgium 28th November 2015 None No
Argentina VG Regional Buenos Aires Argentina 28th November 2015 None No
Arena Cup 2015 Berlin Berlin Germany 28th November 2015 None No
1st Colombian 2015 Regionals Bogotá Colombia 6th December 2015 None No
Madrid 2015 Regionals Madrid Spain 6th December 2015 None No
Lyon 2015 Regionals Lyon France 13th December 2015 None No
Malaysian VGC Autumn Regionals Seri Kembangan, Selangor Malaysia 19th - 20th December 2015 None No
The Netherlands VGC Autumn Regionals Leiden The Netherlands 27th December 2015 None No
Stockholm VGC 2016 Regionals Stockholm Sweden 10th January 2015 None No
2016 VGC Midseason Showdown Erlangen Bavaria Germany 16th January 2016 None No
Wakefield Pokemon VG Regional Championship Wakefield United Kingdom 23rd January 2016 None No
Singapore VG Regional Championship Singapore Singapore 23rd January 2016 None No
2016 Taiwan Video Game Regional Championships Taipei Taiwan 24th January 2016 None No
Santiago January Regionals Santiago de Chile Chile 23rd - 24th January 2016 None No
Midseason Showdown Bern Bern Switzerland 30th January 2016 None No
Veneto VG Regionals 216 Preganziol Italy 31st January 2016 None No
Glasgow VG Regionals Glasgow United Kingdom 6th February 2016 None No
Steiermark 2016 Midseason Showdown Steiermark Austria 7th February 2016 None No
2016 Midseason Showdown Aversa Caserta Italy 7th February 2016 None No
Virginia Winter Regionals Doswell, Virginia United States 13th February 2016 None No
Austria 2016 Regionals Innsbruck Austria 13th February 2016 None No
Arnhem 2016 Regionals Arnhem, Gelderland The Netherlands 20th February 2016 None No
Illinois Winter Regionals Collinsville, Illinois United States 20th February 2016 None No
California Winter Regionals Anaheim, California United States 20th February 2016 None No
St. Louis Winter Regionals St. Louis, Illinois United States 20th February 2016 None Yes
Florida Winter Regionals Kisssimmee, Florida United States 27th February 2016 None No
Oregon Winter Regionals Clackamas, Oregon United States 27th February 2016 None No
Turin 2016 VG Midseason Showdown Turin Italy 27th February 2016 None No
2016 Midseason Showdown Sevilla Sevilla Spain 27th February 2016 None No
Mandelieu-la-Napoule Midseason Showdown Mandelieu-la-Napoule France 28th February 2016 None No
Ireland Pokémon VG Regional Championship Dublin Ireland 5th March 2016 None No
2016 Midseason Showdown Oviedo Oviedo Spain 5th March 2016 None No
Midseason Showdon 2016 - Hannover Hannover Germany 5th March 2016 None No
2016 Connecticut Midseason Showdown West Hartford, Connecticut United States 5th March 2016 None No
2016 Washington Midseason Showdown Bellevue, Washington United States 5th March 2016 None No
2016 Missouri Midseason Showdown Independence, Missouri United States 5th March 2016 None No
Midseason Showdon 2016 - Sandhausen Sandhausen Germany 6th March 2016 None No
2016 Midseason Showdown Mexico Mexico DF Mexico 6th March 2016 None No
2016 Illinois Midseason Showdown Third Lake, Illinois United States 12th March 2016 None No
2016 Midseason Showdown Dimagame Capital Federal Aregentina 6th March 2016 None No
2016 Turin VG Regionals Turin Italy 13th March 2016 None No
2016 Oregon Midseason Showdown Clackamas, Oregon United States 19th March 2016 None No
Arena Cup 2016 Innsbruck Midseason Showdown Innsbruck Austria 19th March 2016 None No
Mid Season Showdown Manchester Manchester United Kingdom 19th March 2016 None No
2016 Midseason Showdown Trainer Valley 1 San José Costa Rica 19th March 2016 None No
2016 Midseason Showdown Trainer Bogota 1 Bogota, Cundinamarca Colombia 19th March 2016 None No
2016 Midseason Showdown Trainer Santiago de Surco Lima Peru 19th March 2016 None No
2016 New Jersey Midseason Showdown Iselin, New Jersey United States 20th March 2016 None No
2016 Utah Midseason Showdown Salt Lake City, Utah United States 20th March 2016 None No
Midseason Showdown Palermo Palermo Italy 20th March 2016 None No
Longjumeau VGC Regional Championships Longjumeau France 26th March 2016 None No
2016 Midseason Showdown Trainer Ecuador Guayaquil, Guayas Ecuador 27th March 2016 None No
2016 Colorado Midseason Showdown Colarado Springs, Colorado United States 2nd April 2016 None No
2016 Arizona Midseason Showdown Phoenix, Arizona United States 2nd April 2016 None No
2016 VGC Midseason Showdown Namen Namen Belgium 2nd April 2016 None No
2016 Yeovil Midseason Showdown Yeovil, Somerset United Kingdom 2nd - 3rd April 2016 None No
2016 Midseason Showdown Trainer Bogota 2 Bogota, Cundinamarca Colombia 2nd April 2016 None No
VGC Showdown Milano Supernova Milan Italy 3rd April 2016 None No
Sutton Coldfield VG Regionals Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands United Kingdom 9th April 2016 None No
2016 Arizona Midseason Showdown Austin, Texas United States 9h April 2016 None No
2016 Stockholm Midseason Showdown Stockholm Sweden 10th April 2016 None No
2016 Midseason Showdown Lyon Lyon France 10th April 2016 None No
2016 California Midseason Showdown San Gabriel, California United States 10th April 2016 None No
Lanaken VG Regionals Lanaken Belgium 16th April 2016 None No
2016 Oregon Midseason Showdown Portland, Oregon United States 16th April 2016 None No
2016 Minnesota Midseason Showdown Coon Rapids, Minnesota United States 16th April 2016 None No
2016 Midseason Showdown Trainer Valley 2 San José Costa Rica 16th April 2016 None No
2016 Midseason Showdown Ciudad Victoria Ciudad Victoria Mexico 16th April 2016 None No
2016 VGC Midseason Showdown Gauteng Pretoria South Africa 17th April 2016 None No
2016 VGC Midseason Showdown Lisboa 1 Lisbon Portugal 17th April 2016 None No
Barcelona VGC Regional 2016 Barcelona Spain 23rd April 2016 None No
2016 Pennsylvania Midseason Showdown Blue Bell, Pennsylvania United States 23rd April 2016 None No
2016 Vancouver Midseason Showdown Vancouver, British Columbia Canada 23rd April 2016 None No
2016 Midseason Showdown Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Argentina 23rd April 2016 None No
2016 Midseason Showdown Leiden Leiden The Netherlands 24th April 2016 None No
Midseason Showdown NottinghamNorway Nottingham United Kingdom 30th April 2016 None No
Midseason Showdown Norway Trondheim Norway 30th April 2016 None No
Adelaide VG Regional Championships 2016 Adelaide Australia 1st May 2016 None No
Auckland VG Regional Championships 2016 Auckland New Zealand 7th May 2016 None No
Rome VG Regional Championships 2016 Rome Italy 7th May 2016 None No
Netherlands VG Regionals Eindhoven The Netherlands 8th May 2016 None No
Paddington VG Regional Championships 2016 Paddington Australia 14th May 2016 None No
Seattle Spring Regionals Seattle, Washington United States 14th May 2016 None No
Santiago Regionals 2 Santiago de Chile Chile 14th January 2016 None No
Wisconsin Spring Regionals Madison, Wisconsin United States 21st May 2016 None No
Georgia Spring Regionals Athens, Georgia United States 21st May 2016 None No
Brisbane VG Regional Championships 2016 Brisbane Australia 21st May 2016 None No
Massachusetts Spring Regionals Marlborough, Massachusetts United States 28th May 2016 None No
Utah Spring Regionals Salt Lake City United States 28th May 2016 None No
Kansas Spring Regionals Overland Park, Kansas United States 28th May 2016 None No
Melborne VG Regional Championships 2016 Melborne Australia 29th May 2016 None No
Singapore VG Regional Championships 2016 Singapore Singapore 4th-5th June 2016 None No
Perth VG Regional Championships 2016 Perth Australia 5th June 2016 None No

Nationals Details

National Championships are where the best players in the respective country or area come to compete. No CP is required to enter but a massive amount of CP is given to the winners. The winners in areas outside of the US will often receive travel awards for the World Championships.

Best Finish Limit: 1
Placement 1 2 3-4 5-8 9-16 17-32 33-64 65-128 129-256
CP Prize 600 540 480 420 366 222 132 84 48
Kicker
Min Entry
          64 128 256 512


Name Location Country Date Distribution Pokémon Streamed?
UK 2016 National Championships Liverpool United Kingdom 14th - 15th May 2016
Machamp
Yes
South Africa 2016 National Championships Johannesburg South Africa 14th - 15th May 2016 None No
Germany 2016 National Championships Kassel Germany 21st - 22nd May 2016
Machamp
Yes
Italy 2016 National Championships Milan Italy 11th - 12th June 2016
Machamp
Yes
Taiwan 2016 National Championships Taipei Taiwan 11th - 12th June 2016
Miltank
Yes
US 2016 National Championships Columbus, Ohio United States 1st - 3rd July 2016
Machamp
Yes
Australia 2016 National Championships Melbourne Australia 2nd - 3rd July 2016
Mewtwo
No

Worlds Details

The World Championships are where the best of the world come to participate and fight it off to become World Champion. Participation in the events is by invitation based on CP.

Name Location Country Date Distribution Pokémon Streamed?
World Championships San Francisco, California United States 19th - 21st August 2016 None Yes