Latest News & Analysis

by Jesse Turnbull, Contributing Writer

This is it: the final Pokkén Tournament Championship Series will conclude with the 2022 Pokémon World Championships, taking place August 18–21, 2022, in London. Starting in 2015 with an Invitational at the Pokémon World Championships, Pokkén Tournament has been a part of every Worlds that has taken place since its release. Across both age divisions, seven competitors have earned the title of World Champion to date—though none have managed to do so twice. Whether motivated to join this elite group or to become the only two-time Pokkén Tournament World Champion, Trainers are going into this event more fired up than ever before—and you’ll be able to catch all the action on Twitch.tv/PokkenTournament.

In addition to a shot at earning the final World Championship crown, Trainers in the Masters Division will be fighting for their share of a $20,000 prize pool. Half of the finalists were determined through their performance at this year’s International Championships in Europe and North America, while other spots were awarded to the 2019’s Masters Division World Champion and the top-placing competitors from the 2020 Oceania International Championships. That leaves just a handful of spots open to Trainers participating in the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), which will undoubtedly be one of the most stacked qualifiers to date. When the official tournament begins, the field of 16 battlers in the Masters Division and eight in the Senior Division will surely include the best Pokkén Tournament DX players on the planet.

To start, let’s take a look at the eleven competitors who have already qualified for this event in the Masters Division. If your favorite isn’t listed below, make sure to watch on Twitch on August 18 to see if they’re competing in the LCQ!

You may have noticed a few trends while reading about each of the Masters Division qualifiers. For example: Decidueye, the Special Cheer Skill, and the Mega Rayquaza & Mimikyu Support Set will likely be used by five Trainers, while Pikachu Libre will likely be used by more than half of them. None of these picks are particularly surprising, as they’re all popular options in Pokkén Tournament DX’s current meta, but it’s certainly worth noting.

Pikachu Libre has always been popular in Team Battles thanks to its powerful combos, ability to inflict speed debuffs, and fast-charging Synergy Gauge. Decidueye has also been considered a strong fighter for quite some time now, though it’s possible that Mega Rayquaza & Mimikyu’s rise in popularity has played a role in this Battle Pokémon seeing more use. Mega Rayquaza deals a substantial amount of damage, while Mimikyu can deal damage and debuffs as well as help its Trainer escape high-pressure scenarios, making Decidueye’s unique ability to temporarily lock its opponent’s Support Gauge with Spirit Shackle an extremely useful countermeasure.

You could reasonably assume that many Trainers may be a bit out of practice after the 2020 and 2021 Championship Series were canceled. On the contrary—competitors have been training harder than ever for this final season. Everyone knows this is their last shot at becoming a World Champion, and that fact has these qualifiers—as well as those planning to attend the LCQ—more motivated than ever.

To prepare, some top competitors from Europe and North America have set up a dedicated online training group. Wingtide, Cloud, Mewtater, Jukem, Marx, and Rokso were all actively training in this group prior to qualifying at this year’s International Championships. Like many fighting games, Pokkén Tournament DX is a game where anyone willing to put in the time can go far, and this year’s qualifiers have proven that without a doubt.

Those who haven’t yet qualified have one remaining opportunity to participate in Pokkén Tournament’s final World Championships. The Last Chance Qualifier will take place Thursday, August 18, 2022, at the 2022 Pokémon World Championships venue in London, and will decide all of the remaining qualifiers.

The LCQ is always one of the most stacked tournaments each year, but that description doesn’t begin to cut it this year—2022’s LCQ might just be the single most difficult qualifier in the history of Pokkén Tournament. If a Trainer has been putting in the work and holds nothing back, they could go on to not only qualify for Worlds, but possibly even become the title’s final World Champion.

Registration is still open, so while the full lineup of LCQ entrants has yet to solidify, we know one Trainer who’s guaranteed to play: Davon “Shadowcat” Amos-Hall. Shadowcat wasn’t able to attend NAIC, and initially wasn’t sure he’d be able to attend the LCQ either. Luckily, fellow competitor Patrick “Euclase” Neumann set up a community fundraiser, which soared to its donation goal within two days. Their efforts made it clear that they genuinely didn’t want the Pokémon Players Cup Champion to be absent from the final World Championships—an incredible testament to the strength of the Pokkén Tournament community.

So many unforgettable memories have been made throughout the years—both on and off the battlefield—and we can’t wait to see what happens this August. With the final World Championship crown on the line, as well as a $20,000 prize pool for the Masters Division, this event is one that no one will want to miss.

Be sure to tune in to Twitch.tv/PokkenTournament to watch the event live, starting with the Last Chance Qualifier on August 18!