Pokémon Fans Demand Change
Pokémon players across Asia are fed up. They want The Pokémon Company (TPC) to fix how they run tournaments. Players in other parts of the world fight through regional and international contests to earn points. These points can get them into the World Championships. But in Asia, it’s a different and less fair game.
A Different Route for Asians
Asian players, from places like Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, start with online matches. These are one-on-one battles. Winners then enter a national tournament. It’s winner-takes-all there. This decides who goes to the World Championships.
Esmond Leung pointed out that now all Asian countries are using the “Japanese Worlds qualification system.” It involves online matches on Day 1. The top 64 move to real-life nationals on Day 2. The top 4 from this get to go to the Worlds. The champion also gets a special invite to Day 2 of the Worlds.
The Problem with This System
The issue? It’s all about one match and one chance. Luck can play a big role. Other regions use a best-of-three format. This gives a fairer shot to everyone involved. On May 28, a player named Chien-Chien Tsai shared the confusing lead-up to the Taiwan National Championships. He wasn’t happy and wanted everyone to know.
TPC has a different approach in Asia. They also aren’t great at talking to players. Information gets lost. Player concerns go unheard. For example, World Champion Ray Rizzo got a sudden invite to this year’s Worlds, only to be uninvited soon after. A big mistake by the Japanese tournament system.
Creative Protest
During the Taiwan National Championships, Chien-Chien Tsai found a unique way to protest. He named his Pokémon team with messages like “Reject single elimination” and “Want to play swiss rounds.” This went live on stream until judges told him to hide these names. Chelsea Tan tweeted about this, sharing the unique protest names and how the judges reacted.
At the end of the day, players like Chien-Chien Tsai just want respect and to be heard by TPC. They hope the tournament structure in Asia can change to match the rest of the world. This way, things would be fairer and have fewer problems moving forward.