This weekend will see hundreds of players from around the globe descend on Washington, D.C. to compete in the Pokemon World Championships 2019. The Pokemon Trading Card Game part of the event is of special note for having the largest cash prize, with $25,000 going to the winner of the Masters division, so players can expect fierce competition as they battle their way to the top. However, due to some unexpected shakeups heading into the contest, this year’s Worlds will be especially challenging for players.
The cause of all this tumult stems from the set rotation announced for the upcoming 2019-2020 competitive season. Normally, older cards are rotated out to make room for the new after Worlds, but this year The Pokemon Company International threw a curveball so Worlds will be the first event to use the new format and a brand new set, Unified Minds. Players usually depend on getting to practice their decks in big tournaments leading up to Worlds, but this changeup means there will be no major events to give them an idea of what the Worlds metagame will look like. There’s no data to analyze and no decklists to study, at least not in an official capacity.
Source: IGN Video Games All
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