Pokémon VG National Championships Singapore set for June 25

Local Pokémon videogame community The Mirage Island have tied up with Campus Game Fest to host the 2016 Pokémon VG National Championships Singapore. Taking place on June 25-26 at ITE College Central, this official tournament will likely see its winners earn enough points for a trip to the World Championships in San Francisco.

Only 160 participants will be allowed to enter – 128 from the Master Division (aged 16 and above) and 32 from the Junior and Senior Divisions combined (aged 15 and under). These challengers will battle through a Best-of-3 Swiss-style format to determine the top eight players, who will then advance to the Single-Elimination stages the next day.

Prizes for the tournament include brand new Nintendo handhelds and Pokémon Centre soft toys, as well as certificates and – a first for the Singapore Nationals – trophies. Topping it all off are the coveted Championship Points, amounting up to 600 points for each division champion.

While it takes no more than 200 points to earn an invite to the World Championships, only the top four Asia-Pacific players by division get a sponsored trip and advanced placements. With the current standings, 7 out of those 12 spots are taken up by Singaporeans.

While entry into Campus Game Fest is free (a ticket is still required via Eventbrite), the Pokémon National Championships come with a $10 registration fee. Even so, all participants will receive a welcome kit consisting of a code for Darkrai, a Dark-type Mythical Pokémon.

Registration is online-only and can be done at this page. It lists all the instructions and rules one needs to know so be sure to spend enough time reading it. And just to be clear, this tournament only supports local copies of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.