Pokémon competitive play
Player versus player battles that take place using the Pokémon video games / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Competitive play in Pokémon generally refers to player versus player battles that take place using the Pokémon video games. Players construct a team of Pokémon as defined by a specific set of rules and battle as they would in the game until all Pokémon on a player's team have fainted or when a player resigns. These battles are usually done through the consoles in which the games are played in (e.g. the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch or Game Boy), or online through fan-made simulators such as Pokémon Showdown!.[1]
The official tournament circuit for competitive play is known as the Video Game Championships (VGC), which was established in 2009 by The Pokémon Company International under their Play! Pokémon program. Players from all over the world compete in local tournaments and qualifiers to earn cash prizes, scholarships, as well as an invitation to the annual Pokémon World Championships, an invite-only esports tournament that aside from the Pokémon video games also features the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Pokémon Unite and Pokémon Go.[2] All VGC tournament matches are played with the 'double battle' format, where two Pokémon from a player's team will battle two other Pokémon from the opponent at any one time. In addition, the rules typically change every year to account for new game releases, with the 2023 Pokémon World Championships being played on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet in Yokohama.[3]
In contrast, the largest fan-base in the English-speaking community dedicated to competitive play is Smogon University,[4][5] which curates its own set of competitive formats and hosts unofficial tournaments for its own players. The competitive formats are mostly fan-driven and established by the community with Pokémon and strategies seen as too powerful being banned through popular consensus and voting,[6] and Pokémon being placed into tiers according to how often they are used in battle,[4][7] allowing weaker Pokémon to be used successfully in lower-tier formats. Unlike official tournament play, players have the option of choosing any format they wish to play in, and any Pokémon at or below the tier chosen can be used.