The 2016 Pokemon U.S. National Championships has set a new record for the highest attendance of any pokemon event to date. Taking place last weekend in Columbus, OH, the event hosted tournaments for the Trading Card Game, Pokken Tournament, and Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Many attendees traveled for all over the country to meet up with friends and meet others while the took part.
The TCG Masters Division saw the biggest turn out this year with 1110 players in attendance. That is a significant increase from last year’s attendance of 911. In total, $50,000 worth of prize money was given out across all tournaments, along with additional items such as TCG booster boxes and exclusive play mats.
Attendance was so large that organizers turned some attendees away for the TCG tournament due to brackets reaching maximum capacity. The requirements to enter this tournament were lowered from last year, and as a result more players could enter regardless of skill level. Players who do well in these tournaments would be one step closer to qualifying for the World Championships.
For more information about the tournament, you can visit the official Pokemon website. The 2016 Pokemon World Championships are set to take place in San Francisco from August 19-21.