Just days after announcing details for the upcoming North American International Championships, Pokemon has come out with details about the 2018 World Championships taking place in Nashville, Tennessee in August. The news not only includes information for those competing, but also for those who wish to travel to the event as spectators. One of the biggest pieces of news is about the Nashville Open which is a side-event that awards a large amount of Championship Points for the 2019 season. Let’s take a look at some of the news that players seem to be the most excited about.

Nashville’s New Look for Worlds

While not being the most groundbreaking of news drops for the World Championships this year, many fans are pleased with the aesthetic that Pokemon is taking on for Nashville. The design for Pikachu in particular seems to be a fan favorite (as to be expected as the series mascot) as Pikachu looks straight out of a performance from the Grand Ole Opry. Donning country music star level attire with a banjo in hand, Pikachu is seen performing in its own little band with Pokemon new and old dressed for the occasion as well.

It’s surely a step up from last year’s design for the yellow rodent which didn’t feature a whole lot of regional personality from Anaheim. I’m sure the signature plush toys of Pikachu sold at each year’s World Championships will be a huge hit, and to be honest, I really want one.

The Nashville Open

For those not familiar with the “Open” tournaments at the World Championships, they’re basically VGC tournaments held as side-events that award Championship Points akin to a regional. These tournaments have had a controversial history considering how much the current tournament structure rewards early-season success. It sort of makes players who don’t do so well in day two of the main event wish they were playing in a side-event rather than the biggest tournament of the year just to get a head start on next season. While it’s not yet confirmed which day the Nashville Open will be held, it’s safe to say that it will take place during day two like usual.

Regardless of how you feel about the event, it’s a huge incentive for spectators to make the trip out to Nashville, especially those who didn’t quite make the cut for the World Championships this year. Since the Championship Point payout is on par with a regional championship, this is certainly a tournament to keep an eye on simultaneously with the main event. We may have a glimpse of which players are ready to make a name for themselves for the 2019 season.

Information on the 2019 Format soon?!

Now this is a surprise. At the end of the general announcement, Pokemon is promising even more information with the next bit of news to drop being information about the 2019 series. News about the 2019 season will be out in late July according to the official Pokemon World Championships page so we won’t have to wait long. Many players have already begun to speculate about what the 2019 rule-set will be, and it seems like we’ll have our answer soon enough. Will VGC allow back in the “restricted” legendary Pokemon from the 2010 and 2016 formats or will VGC move to the Nintendo Switch a year early? Disclaimer: One of those options is far more likely than the other. 

In what has been uncharacteristic of the Pokemon Company in year’s past regarding their competitive scene, this recent overflow of news about upcoming events is a welcome surprise. Not only do we have most of the details about the events ending off this season as well as locations for events for the 2019 season, but soon enough we’ll have one of the biggest questions left about 2019 answered. But before we start getting excited about the 2019 season, we still have two major tournaments left to go for VGC 2018, and we’re just a week away from the penultimate international showdown in Columbus, Ohio.

To view the full announcement for the 2018 Pokemon World Championships details, click here to visit Pokemon’s official website.

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Images from Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, The Pokemon Anime, Bulbapedia, Ken Sugimori and The Pokemon Company International

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