The Pokémon Company has revealed a slew of information about the Pokémon Winter Regional Championships, as well as details on how to get three high-level Pokémon.
The regional championships are scattered across the U.S., and four of the five events are being held on February 14-15. The Florida championship is later in the month, from February 28-March 1. If you're hoping to compete in one of these events, you might want to start practicing. Here are the locations of each one:
- St. Louis, Missouri: February 14–15, 2015, at the St. Charles Convention Center
- Portland, Oregon: February 14–15, 2015, at the DoubleTree by Hilton
- Doswell, Virginia: February 14–15, 2015, at the Exhibition Hall at the Meadow Event Park
- Lancaster, California: February 14–15, 2015, at the Pioneer Event Center
- Kissimmee, Florida: February 28–March 1, 2015, at the Park Inn by Radisson Resort & Conference Center
Winners in these regional tournaments get a chance to compete in the U.S. National Championships, and then possibly a shot at the Pokémon World Championships in Boston from August 21-23. The St. Louis Winter Regionals will be available to watch live on Twitch, so you'll be able to get a sense of the action even if you aren't able to make it in person.
In addition to the regionals, the Pokémon Company announced that Pokémon Bank subscribers who log into their accounts between February 27 and November 30 will get special versions of Meganium, Typhlosion, and Feraligatr. These Pokémon are level 50, and they have a hidden ability that the Pokémon Company says isn't accessible through regular play. After visiting their Pokémon Bank, players can catch this powerful trio by using Pokémon Link in Pokémon X, Pokémon Y, Pokémon Omega Ruby, or Pokémon Alpha Sapphire.
Our Take
I get a kick out of watching people do what they love. The video above was a lot of fun to watch, even if I'm not quite ready to drive hundreds of miles to check out one of these events in person. I'll definitely pop in on the Twitch feed to see what's going on throughout the day though.