Pokemon Unite has quickly made its mark as a new and exciting MOBA. Since its release on July 21, Pokemon Unite’s player base has grown to over 9 million users. However, it has yet to follow the trend of esports as seen by the lack of official events. The good news is Pokemon YouTuber, Daniel “aDrive” Clap sees a bright future for Pokemon Unite esports. He and smash.gg have teamed up to create the Shiny League.
Image courtest of the Pokemon Company
The Pokemon Unite Shiny League is a series of events where teams compete in tournaments to earn league points. The goal for all teams is to earn enough points to qualify for the Final 16. The teams in that final tournament will compete for up to $10,000 in prize money.
So far, the Shiny League already has seven upcoming tournaments with 178 entrants. In other words, the Shiny League has the potential to grow even further with more tournaments. The Shiny League’s goal is to grow the Pokemon Unite community and give grassroots organizers the opportunity to run their own events. In conclusion, the more grassroots orgs involved, the more opportunities there are to earn prizes and enjoy tournaments.
Image courtesy of the Pokemon Company
Each tournament offers league points to those who participate. The higher a team finishes in a tournament, the more league points they earn. All teams can enter as many tournaments as they want. All community events are given a tier based on how many participants there are. The tiers range from green to crystal. At least four teams have to join a tournament to gain green status. Official/premier events fall under the emerald category. As a result, the emerald tournaments have picked up the most traction since they offer the most points.
Image Courtesy of the Pokemon Company
The Shiny League welcomes all players. A team must consist of a 5-7 person roster in order to participate. Any team can sign up for all tournaments by registering through the event schedule on smash.gg. This website is also where any org can set up their own tournaments.
Whether it is just for fun or for glory, the Shiny League welcomes all players to its community. With this not being an official or pro event, everyone in the world has the chance to show off their skills.
Image Courtesy of the Pokemon Company
In short, all official tournaments will be streamed on aDrive’s Twitch channel. Also, news and updates can be found on aDrive’s Twitter and smash.gg. Additionally, there is a community Discord server that provides tournament updates and community interaction.
The first emerald premier event takes place on October 23. The event has 28 registered teams currently. Due to its popularity, this tournament could show viewers some of the early favorites to make the final tournament in January.
Image Courtesy of the Pokemon Company
The Pokemon Unite Shiny League could be what the game needs to make a dedicated esports scene. Currently, Nintendo does not have much stock in Pokemon Unite competitively. Nevertheless, the success of the Shiny League could change that. With its MOBA roots in place, this game is bound to draw interest from esports fans around the globe.
Clearly, aDrive is attempting to plant the seeds for a true competitive environment. For this reason, Pokemon Unite is entering a crucial phase. Community tournaments could play a big role in deciding if the game becomes a true esport. The future of Pokemon Unite esports starts now.
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