Earning an Invitation to Worlds

November 22nd, 2008

Earning an Invitation to Worlds

Pokémon World Championships

Pokémon Organized Play announces how 2009 Pokémon TCG World Championships
invitations will be distributed.

The 2009
Pokémon TCG World Championships is THE Premier Event of the year! Only players who
receive invitations via their National Championships, Premier Rating, or performance at the 2008
World Championships are permitted to play in this event. Additionally, top-ranked players in the
Last Chance Qualifier will receive an invitation to participate in the 2009 World Championships.
The event will host top players from around the world competing for the title of Pokémon TCG World
Champion and for scholarships worth up to $7,500.

Pokémon Organized Play will be awarding invitations to the 2009 Pokémon TCG World Championships
in a variety of ways. The list below breaks down how invitations will be distributed over the
course of the 2008–2009 tournament season.

World Championships	Junior	Senior	Masters
2008 World Champions	2	5	5

2009 National Championships	Junior	Senior	Masters
Argentina	2	2	2
Australia	2	2	2
Austria	2	2	2
Belgium/Luxembourg	2	2	2
Brazil	2	2	2
Canada	4	4	4
Czech Republic	2	2	2
Denmark	4	4	4
Finland	3	3	3
France	4	4	4
Germany	4	4	4
Hong Kong	1	1	1
Italy	4	4	4
Japan	TBA	TBA	TBA
Malaysia	2	2	2
Malta	1	1	1
Mexico	4	4	4
Netherlands	4	4	4
New Zealand	2	2	2
Norway	4	4	4
Portugal	2	2	2
Slovenia	2	2	2
Spain	2	2	2
Sweden	1	1	1
Switzerland	2	2	2
United Kingdom	4	4	4
United States	8	8	8

Premier Ratings	Junior	Senior	Masters
Ratings APAC Zone	4	4	4
Ratings LA Zone	2	2	2
Ratings NA Zone	25	25	25
Ratings EU Zone	20	20	20

Last Chance Qualifier	Junior	Senior	Masters
Guaranteed Invites	4	4	4

Invitations
with POP-sponsored Travel Awards will be given to:

The top 4 finishers in each age division from the 2008 World Championships
The 2009 National Champion in each age division for the countries listed below:

Australia	Japan
Austria	Malaysia
Belgium/Luxembourg	Mexico
Canada	Netherlands
Czech Republic	Norway
Denmark	Portugal
Finland	Spain
France	Sweden
Germany	Switzerland
Hong Kong	United Kingdom
Italy	U.S.A. (Top 4)

Invitations
without POP-sponsored Travel Awards will be given to:

The 2009 National Champion in each age division for the countries listed below:

Argentina	New Zealand
Brazil	Slovenia
Malta

All other qualifying players from the 2009 National Championships in each age division, as
defined in the table above
Players qualifying through the 2008–2009 Premier Ratings
Players qualifying through the 2009 Last Chance Qualifier

Players outside of North America are encouraged to ask their local Organized Play provider if
they will be sponsoring Travel Awards for qualified players who did not receive a POP-sponsored
Travel Award.

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Double Up Your Strategy Power

November 22nd, 2008

In
Diamond & Pearl—Stormfront, it pays to play in pairs!

Diamond & Pearl—Stormfront features four new Trainer cards that have benefits when
played at the same time. A single card may have a good effect, but if you play 2 of the same card
instead of just 1, the effect becomes phenomenal! Our latest strategy article explains how to
maximize the effects of these new cards.

Check it
out!

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Pokémon U.S. National Championships Move to St. Louis!

November 22nd, 2008

Pokémon is pleased to announce that the Pokémon TCG U.S. National Championships will be moving to
St. Louis, Missouri!

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Ride the Storm with Five New Featured Cards

November 22nd, 2008

Take a closer look at five new featured cards from
Diamond & Pearl—Stormfront.

Pokémon TCG:
Diamond & Pearl—Stormfront is available now, and Dusknoir
LV.X (Stormfront, 2/100) stars in our latest batch of featured cards.

Read about the latest
featured cards now!

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Recent Pokémon TCG Errata

November 22nd, 2008

Recent Pokémon TCG Errata

Gengar and Roserade from the
Stormfront expansion are receiving errata to address the correct translation and game
effect of these cards.

Gengar is receiving errata for its Poké-Power, Fainting Spell. Fainting Spell affects your
opponent’s Attacking Pokémon, not your Defending Pokémon.

The correct card text should read:

Gengar (Stormfront, 18/100)

Fainting Spell

Once during your opponent’s turn, if Gengar would be Knocked Out by damage from an attack,
you may flip a coin. If heads, the Attacking Pokémon is Knocked Out.

Roserade is receiving errata for its Poké-Body, Hidden Poison. Hidden Poison affects your
opponent’s Attacking Pokémon, not your Defending Pokémon.

The correct card text should read:

Roserade (Stormfront, 23/100)

Hidden Poison

If Roserade is your Active Pokémon and is damaged by an opponent’s attack (even if Roserade
is Knocked Out), the Attacking Pokémon is now Poisoned.

The errata for these cards goes into effect immediately.
Click here to learn
more about Pokémon TCG:
Diamond & Pearl—Stormfront.

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Diamond & Pearl–Stormfront

November 22nd, 2008

Diamond & Pearl–Stormfront

Diamond and Pearl--Stormfront

The sky darkens… The earth trembles… The storm is here!

A turbulent force is approaching, and it’s on a collision course with everything you thought
you knew about the
Pokémon TCG! In
Diamond & Pearl—Stormfront, you are met head-on by powerful Pokémon unrestrained and
never holding anything back! In this frenzy you’ll find new Pokémon
LV.X, Trainer cards that power up when played
together, and the dramatic entrance of some of the most popular Pokémon ever! The time has come to
enter the storm, and witness this awe-inspiring spectacle first hand!

Powerful new Pokémon
LV.X cards, including Dusknoir and Machamp
Two theme decks built around the popular Gyarados and Tyranitar
New strategies such as Trainer cards that can be played in pairs
Exciting holographic parallel set for players and collectors alike
Available now!

Click here to learn
more about Pokémon TCG:
Diamond & Pearl—Stormfront.

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Gyarados and Tyranitar Star in Two New Theme Decks

November 22nd, 2008

Gyarados and Tyranitar Star in Two New Theme Decks

The sky darkens… The earth trembles… The storm is coming!

A turbulent force is approaching, and it’s on a collision course with everything you thought
you knew about the
Pokémon TCG! In
Diamond & Pearl—Stormfront, you are met head-on by powerful Pokémon unrestrained and
never holding anything back! In this frenzy you’ll find new Pokémon
LV.X, Trainer cards that power up when played
together, and the dramatic entrance of some of the most popular Pokémon ever! The time has come to
enter the storm, and witness this awe-inspiring spectacle first-hand!

Raging Sea Theme Deck

When you play with the Raging Sea theme deck, crashing waves mean the tide is turning in
your favor! The ever-powerful Gyarados thrives on causing serious disruption in your opponent’s
forces. Its Dragon Beat attack gives you the chance to discard an Energy card from each of your
opponent’s Pokémon—leaving these Pokémon low on resources and running for higher ground! And watch
as Sceptile becomes your favorite new ally with its Slice Drain attack—it does big damage and then
heals itself with every impact! Unleash the Raging Sea theme deck and you’ll ride out the storm on
top!

Dark Rampage Theme Deck

Prepare for some serious crushing power when you play with the Dark Rampage theme deck. Each
time your opponent uses a Poké-Power, the Armor Pokémon Tyranitar’s Darkness Drive Poké-Body lets
you attach a Darkness Energy card to power up Tyranitar’s Grind attack for an additional 20 damage!
Then, go for a quick finish by bringing in Staraptor. Its Clutch attack will grab onto the
Defending Pokémon, making it unable to avoid the next big hit! No matter how you play the Dark
Rampage theme deck, you’re putting on the hurt each turn and never letting up!

Each theme deck contains 1 complete 60-card deck. Many of the cards exist in multiples to
provide a more enjoyable playing experience.

Learn more about Diamond
& Pearl—Stormfront.

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New Pokémon TCG: Level-Up Collector’s Tins

November 22nd, 2008

New Pokémon TCG: Level-Up Collector’s Tins

It’s Regigigas vs. Heatran in the latest Pokémon TCG Collector’s Tins!

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Powerful Pokémon like the amazing Colossal Pokémon Regigigas will battle at the highest levels
with this specially designed
Pokémon Trading Card Game: Level-Up Collector’s Tin. Each one contains 1 of 2
amazing Pokémon
LV.X, Regigigas or the Lava Dome Pokémon Heatran,
that will rise to challenge the other! Catch… train… and play!

In each tin, you’ll find:

4 Pokémon TCG boosters—2 EX Series and 2
Diamond & Pearl Series
1 of 2 foil Pokémon
LV.X cards—

Play like a Champion!

November 22nd, 2008

Play like a Champion!

Four New World Championships Decks Are Available Now!

Want to play like a Champion? Then a 2008
Pokémon TCG World Championships deck is perfect for you! There are four powerful
decks to choose from, each one a card-for-card replica of an actual title-match deck. Collect all
four and learn to play like a Champion!

Tristan Robinson
Junior Champion, Intimidation Deck

Tristan Robinson’s aptly named Intimidation deck relied on countering the most
heavily played cards in the tournament. Between shutting off his opponent’s Poké-Powers and
Poké-Bodies, limiting the effectiveness of their Special Energy cards, and punishing them for
playing Special Energy cards with Scizor, Tristan was able to set up roadblocks that slowed his
opponents, and allowed him to claim win after win!

Dylan LeFavour
Senior Champion, Empotech Deck

Dylan LeFavour’s Empotech deck was designed with one goal in mind: spread as
much damage around his opponent’s Pokémon as possible, making it easy to Knock Out one or more
Pokémon at will. With Empoleon passing out damage like candy and cards like Claydol helping to keep
his hand full, it’s easy to see how Dylan was able to capture the title of Senior Division World
Champion!

Jason Klaczynski
Masters Champions, Psychic Lock Deck

Jason Klaczynski became the first two-time World Champion on the strength of his
Psychic Lock deck. Using one of the most popular decks of the year—Gallade/Gardevoir—as the main
structure of his deck, Jason made modifications designed to allow him to overcome any opponent he
faced, including other Gallade/Gardevoir decks!

Paul Atanassov
Senior Finalist, Bliss Control Deck

Paul Atanassov focused on speed and disruption to earn his place as a Senior
Division finalist with his Bliss Control deck. Paul used Trainers and Supporters designed to
interfere with his opponent’s strategies and a heavy hitter that could set up fast and could soak
up a large amount of damage before getting Knocked Out!

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All Hail the Emperor Pokémon!

November 22nd, 2008

Sneak a peek at a new Metal-type Empoleon, the latest featured card from the upcoming
Diamond & Pearl—Stormfront release.

Pokémon TCG:
Diamond & Pearl—Stormfront hits store shelves on November 5, and for over a month
Go-Pokemon.com has been highlighting featured cards from this expansion. The final featured card is
the Stage 2 Pokémon Empoleon (Stormfront, 2/100). Stay tuned for even more featured card articles after the release of
Diamond & Pearl—Stormfront.

Read about the latest
featured card now!