Pokémon World Championships 2017: Quick Guide to Watching Competitive Pokémon

By Nathaniel Artosilla, Christian Post Contributor Monday, August 14, 2017

While "Pokémon GO" has been hogging all the spotlight in the past few months, the Pokémon World Championships gives fans something to be excited about that doesn't involve Niantic's mobile game. The competition will take place this weekend and will be streamed online to celebrate this iconic childhood pastime.

Boasting a $500,000 prize pool, trainers will have to bring their A game to the table so expect some exciting matches this weekend. However, for those watching at home, the game might have a few differences from the game they have played over some snacks.

For one, there are a number of rules that only apply to tournaments. There are also strategies players employ at these events that might seem outlandish to the casual player.

Pokémon World Championships players must choose six Pokémon to bring with them. As per the Pokémon Video Game Championship 2017, only Pokémon obtained in the Alola region, featured in "Pokémon Sun and Moon," can be used.

There should also be no duplicate Pokémon or duplicate held items for each team. Despite being a huge part of last year's season, Mega Evolutions will not play a part in the tournament. Instead, Pokémon will hold Z-Crystals which activate a powerful Z-move to take down threats.

Unlike the video games where Battles are decided once one player's plethora of Pokémon have fainted; in the tournament, the player whose Pokémon faints last will be declared the winner. This prevents players from using abilities such as Explosion as a desperation move to win.

The tournament also favors double battles despite single battles being the mainstream format used by the core "Pokémon" games and even the anime. This is to shift the focus from simply choosing the most powerful Pokémon to selecting those with the best synergy.

The 2017 Pokémon World Championships is set to be held from Aug. 18 to Aug. 20. Be sure to catch trainers to battle each other to find out who really is the very best.