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Pokémon League (TCG)

Revision as of 20:07, 27 April 2017 by Graywh (talk | contribs) (→‎2015-2016)
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A Pokémon League, often casually referred to simply as a League, is a periodic gathering, typically weekly, of players of the Pokémon Trading Card Game and Pokémon video games. During a Pokémon League session, players battle and trade for fun. It is not a structured tournament and there are no regular "prizes" for winning. However, each player can obtain an official Player ID. Event organizers will upload player event play information to Play! Pokémon, eventually resulting in minor prizes.

Pokémon League logo

Most Pokémon Leagues meet once a week, year round, though some meet more or less than that. Some Leagues running once a month during only a certain time period.

Players at a League in Seattle, Washington

League Leader

A League Leader is the person in charge of maintaining a Pokémon League. The League Leader takes care of organizing League dates, to ensure that Play! Pokémon is aware of the League's existence in order to receive player rewards and other League materials. Additionally, the League Leader is expected to upload play information to Play! Pokémon when players play games and to hand out the promotions materials supplied to the League's players once they have been earned.

My Play! Pokémon

 
A current Pokémon League card
Main article: player ID

Upon registering with a Pokémon League, players receive a Play! Pokémon Player ID. Event organizers upload player event information that may then be viewed by a player, including games played, a player's Rankings, Premier Ratings, Tournaments (for Tournament Organizers only), or Leagues (for League Leaders only) on the Pokémon.com website.

At one time, players receive a physical Score Card made of a fold-able piece of card stock approximately the size of a small greeting card. The outer design of this card provided space for the player's name and Player ID. Inside the card were two sides, one for TCG matches and one for video game battles. Completing any row earned the player a League promotional reward. This entire tracking system has been replaced with the Play! Pokémon on-line tracking system.

Current rewards

Promotional foil cards

Promotional cards earned in Pokémon Leagues, dubbed "League Promos", are exclusive to Pokémon Leagues. The cards are not traditional Black Star promotional cards; instead, these cards are foil, Play! Pokémon branded versions of existing set cards.

2015-2016 cycle

  • Zoroark BREAK Season: Flabebe

2014-2015 cycle

  • Geodude Rustboro Gym Season: Professor's Letter
  • Machop Dewford Gym Season: Muscle Band
  • Mauville Gym Season: Magnetic Storm
  • Slugma Lavaridge Gym Season: Fiery Torch
  • Slaking Petalburg Gym Season: Pokémon Fan Club
  • Altaria Fortree Gym Season: Battle Reporter
  • Solrock Mossdeep Gym Season: Dimension Valley
  • Milotic Sootopolis Gym Season: Training Center

2013-2014 cycle

2012-2013

  • Aspertia Gym Season: unknown
  • Virbank Gym Season: unknown
  • Castelia Gym Season: unknown
  • Nimbasa Gym Season: unknown
  • Driftveil Gym Season: unknown
  • Mistralton Gym Season: unknown
  • Opelucid Gym Season: unknown
  • Humilau Gym Season: unknown

2011-2012 cycle

2010-2011 cycle

2009-2010 cycle


Online Codes

During the 2012-2013 season online codes for special league promos were introduced. These code cards can be used in the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online and rewarded the player with a set of digital league promo cards. New code cards were distributed for the 2013-2014 season, albeit only 1 could be obtained by a player at each league, as opposed to 4.

2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

2015-2016

  • Nature Season: 4 Flabébé, 2015 Nature Season Card Sleeves
  • Tech Season: 4 Floette, 2015 Tech Season Coin
  • BREAK Season: 4 Florges, 2015 BREAK Season Deck Box
  • Parallel Season: 4 Chikorita, 2016 Parallel Season Card Sleeves
  • Rift Season: 4 Bayleef, 2016 Rift Season Deck Box
  • Worlds Collide Season: 4 Meganium, 2016 Worlds Collide Season Coin
  • New Friends Season: 4 Fennekin, 2016 New Friends Season Card Sleeves
  • Alakazam! Season: 4 Braixen, 2016 Alakazam! Season Deck Box
  • Closure Season: 4 Delphox, 2016 Closure Season Coin
  • Steam Siege Season: 4 Yveltal, 2016 Steam Siege Season Card Sleeves
  • Gear Season: 4 Xerneas, 2016 Gear Season Deck Box
  • Rescue Season: 4 Volcanion, Red Volcanion Coin

2016-2017

  • Boulder Season: Evolution Season 1 Card Sleeves
  • Thunder Season: Evolution Season 2 Deck Box
  • Marsh Season: Evolution Season 3 Coin
  • Sun & Moon Season 1: 4 Decidueye, 2017 Sun & Moon Season 1 Deck Box
  • Sun & Moon Season 2: 4 Incineroar
  • Sun & Moon Season 3: 4 Primarina, 2017 Sun & Moon Season 3 Card Sleeves

Key Chains

During the 2013-2014 cycle key chains where introduced as League promotional items. The key chains featured the Pokémon from that season.

2013-2014

  • Chespin Key Chain
  • Fennekin Key Chain
  • Froakie Key Chain
  • Xerneas Key Chain
  • Yveltal Key Chain
  • Chesnaught Key Chain
  • Delphox Key Chain
  • Greninja Key Chain

Discontinued rewards

POP booster packs

If players played a certain number of games, they received a booster pack of Pokémon Organized Play cards. When the exclusivity of each POP set's distribution ceased, the remaining packs were sold as part of repackaged TCG merchandise, like the EX Collector's Box, or repacks made by third-party manufacturers.

Patches

Starting in the 2010-2011 cycle, a heat seal patch was given out that matches the League Season. The patch, while technically a heat seal, could also be hand-ironed. Patches were discontinued for Trio Season, in the 2011-2012 cycle.

Promotional Nintendo DS skin

These adhesive skins were designed to decorate a player's Nintendo DS. Criteria for winning these depend on what the League Leader would like to do, though traditionally the skins were given after completing an entire side on a card.

Badges

Badges were obtained in a Pokémon League once a player completed their League Card and reached the Badge symbol at the end. Badges in the Pokémon League often, but not always, corresponded with Badges in the Pokémon games. Records of a player's earned Badges would be kept in a Badge Book.

2012-2013 Unova Gym cycle

During this cycle it was possible to order a free Badge case from the official Pokémon site, to be delivered to their chosen league, if the player was registered in a Pokémon League, and had a Pokémon Trainer Club account. This case holds all 8 badges and has 2 spots in the lid for Nintendo DS or Nintendo 3DS game cards. Badges in this cycle were no longer pins, instead they have the same shape as they do in the games.

  • Aspertia Badge (Second version of Basic Badge)
  • Virbank Badge (First version, Toxic Badge in the games)
  • Castelia Badge (Second version of Insect Badge)
  • Nimbasa Badge (Second version of Bolt Badge)
  • Driftveil Badge (Second version of Quake Badge)
  • Mistralton Badge (Second version of Jet Badge)
  • Opelucid Badge (Second version of Legend Badge)
  • Humilau Badge (First version, Wave Badge in the games)

2011-2012 Unova Region cycle

Starting with the 2011-2012 cycle, Badges were reintroduced into the League promotional items. All of the new Badges were featured in the games Pokémon Black and White Versions and Pokémon Black and White Versions 2, in the respective league cycles.

  • Trio Badge
  • Basic Badge
  • Insect Badge
  • Bolt Badge
  • Quake Badge
  • Jet Badge
  • Freeze Badge
  • Legend Badge

2008-2009 Energy cycle

 
2008-2009 cycle Badges

These Badges were based on the symbols appearing on Energy cards.

  • Season 1: Grass Badge
  • Season 2: Fire Badge
  • Season 3: Water Badge
  • Season 4: Lightning Badge
  • Season 5: Psychic Badge
  • Season 6: Fighting Badge
  • Season 7: Dark Badge
  • Season 8: Steel Badge

2007-2008 Sinnoh Region cycle

 
2007-2008 cycle Badges

These Badges were based on the Badges appearing in the Sinnoh central Generation IV games.

  • Season 1: Coal Badge
  • Season 2: Forest Badge
  • Season 3: Cobble Badge
  • Season 4: Fen Badge
  • Season 5: Relic Badge
  • Season 6: Mine Badge
  • Season 7: Icicle Badge
  • Season 8: Beacon Badge

2006-2007 Kanto Region cycle

 
2006-2007 cycle Badges

These Badges were based on the Badges appearing in the Generation I remakes, FireRed and LeafGreen.

  • Season 1: Boulder Badge
  • Season 2: Cascade Badge
  • Season 3: Thunder Badge
  • Season 4: Rainbow Badge
  • Season 5: Soul Badge
  • Season 6: Marsh Badge
  • Season 7: Volcano Badge
  • Season 8: Earth Badge

2005-2006 Battle Frontier cycle

 
2005-2006 cycle Badges

These Badges were based on the Frontier Symbols from the Hoenn Battle Frontier, featured in Pokémon Emerald.

  • Season 1: Tactics Badge
  • Season 2: Guts Badge
  • Season 3: Luck Badge
  • Season 4: Knowledge Badge
  • Season 5: Spirit Badge
  • Season 6: Ability Badge
  • Season 7: Brave Badge

2004-2005 Sevii Islands cycle

 
2004-2005 cycle Badges

These Badges were named after the Sevii Islands in FireRed and LeafGreen. However, their appearance was based on different types of Poké Balls.

  • Season 1: Knot Island Badge
  • Season 2: Boon Island Badge
  • Season 3: Kin Island Badge
  • Season 4: Floe Island Badge
  • Season 5: Chrono Island Badge
  • Season 6: Fortune Island Badge
  • Season 7: Quest Island Badge
  • Season 8: Trainer Tower Badge

2003-2004 Hoenn Region cycle

 
2003-2004 cycle Badges

These Badges were based on the Badges appearing in the Hoenn central Generation III games.

  • Season 1: Stone Badge
  • Season 2: Knuckle Badge
  • Season 3: Dynamo Badge
  • Season 4: Heat Badge
  • Season 5: Balance Badge
  • Season 6: Feather Badge
  • Season 7: Mind Badge
  • Season 8: Rain Badge

2001-2002 Johto Region cycle

 
2001-2002 cycle Badges

These Badges were based on the Badges appearing in the Generation II games.

  • Season 1: Zephyr Badge
  • Season 2: Hive Badge
  • Season 3: Plain Badge
  • Season 4: Fog Badge
  • Season 5: Storm Badge
  • Season 6: Mineral Badge
  • Season 7: Glacier Badge
  • Season 8: Rising Badge

2000-2001 Kanto Region cycle

 
2000-2001 cycle Badges

These Badges were based on the Badges appearing in the Generation I games.

  • Season 1: Boulder Badge
  • Season 2: Cascade Badge
  • Season 3: Thunder Badge
  • Season 4: Rainbow Badge
  • Season 5: Soul Badge
  • Season 6: Marsh Badge
  • Season 7: Volcano Badge
  • Season 8: Earth Badge

Reverse Holographic Energy Cards

2011-2012 Unova Region Cycle

Players were given these energy cards in addition to their badge for completing the first 4 of 8 rows on either (or partially both) of the 2 sides of their league card.

2002-2003 Energize Your Game cycle

No Badges were given out this cycle. Instead, players were awarded Reverse Holographic Energy cards, and Pokémon Licenses took the place of Badge Books.


  This article is part of Project TCG, a Bulbapedia project that aims to report on every aspect of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
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