Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

France - National Championships - Screwy format?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Freddy K.

Freddy K.

New Member
I wanted to get everyone's opinion on this.

France has their national championships coming up, qualifiers for Worlds with trips, all three age brackets. Yea! In June sometime this year.

Thing is. ONLY French cards are allowed, no promos. Even though players can travel in from other countries.

It gets weirder.

They allow ALL FRENCH CARDS EVER PRINTED.

So. You could have 4 Prof Oak and 4 CPU Search, with say 4 Double Rainbow Energy.

Slowking and Sneasel are allowed. In French. Can anyone else think of combo's? I'm sure you can.

Expedition - Skyridge as far as I'm aware were not released in French and so won't be allowed in the tournament.

Your views please!!!

~fK
 
That's strange. In the Canadian province of Quebec there seems to be a problem selling cards that don't have french on them as well. The government wants everything there (and I do mean everything) to have at the very least both English and French writing on it, and if there is only French - so be it. Must be a French thing. My opinion is, if they want to abide by the floor rules, they must change their tune, but who am I to say?
 
Yep, violation of the floor rules to require the cards be in French.
I guess they can run it in Unlimited (you'd have to check with PUI on that) but the floor rules are clear that you can use cards in any language.
 
http://asmodee.com/pokemon/news/news.htm?HK=21865e298c09bbfbe2fe9f5a8bbb972f&ID=139

That's the link to their distributor's www site detailing events leading up to the Nationals.

I've emailed Prof Dav, I hope that France restores the format of their National Championships to that of the rest of the world.

http://asmodee.com/pokemon/faq/faq/index.htm?HK=fa5328b41555cf768c6f7edf8d9c8c5e&ID=29897&FAQS=120&FAQM=S

Basically the question is "I'd like to know which cards aren't allowed", and the respoonse given is "Those that aren't French, and promo cards".

SAVE THE FORMAT IN FRANCE

~fK
 
It just confuses me as to how they can expect sales to go up, if they are allowing WotC (which will skew the decks chosen dramatically) to be played in the tournament. I can understand if Exp-Sky was ruled out as they've not been released, but I think maybe they should have stuck it with EX-on rather than use a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

'Pop - just to confirm our trade that's French versions of 4 Prof Oak, 4 CPU Search, 4 Rare Candy, 3 Wiggly lines, 4 Trader, 4 Double Rainbow Energy, 4 Double Colourless Energy, 4 SER, 4 ER, 4 Cleffa, 2 Focus Band..... ;)

Michel Be - what's your opinion?

~fK
 
Last edited:
Let's see...

I have:
2 Rafale de vent (Gust of Wind)
1 Professeur Chen (Prof Oak)
1 Transfert (Switch)
1 Leo (Bill)
1 Eleveur de Pokemon (Breeder)
1 base Melofee (clefariy)
1 Jungle Melodelfe (Clefable)
1 Jungle Kangourex (Kangaskhan)
1 Jungle Grodoudou (Wigglytuff)
1 Deuxmiaou (Movie Promo Mewtwo)

So, hey, everything you need to make a n00b deck!

Hmm. Maybe contacting PUI would be the better way to go... :p
 
I've gotta wonder of this isn't a French-government imposed policy. I know how stuck-up those French can sometimes get about outsiders. If that's the case (French imposed policy), then "when in Rome...."
 
Seems silly how France and New Zealand Nationals are both using the Unlimited format to lead into a World Championships that is Modified. It's also quite funny how City Champs are Modified, States in the US are Modified, but then at the end of the chain of championships are some Nationals with Unlimited. That quite frankly does not make sense. It fails to push the current product and gives older players an advantage.
-Phil
 
My opinion ?

There are floor rules and these have to be respected by every TO, period.

I may understand that the French distributor hasn't got information about the formats :D ;, and I know Asmodee don't have a big experience in POP, but PUI has to do what they have to do in order to have a legal tournament as Worlds qualifier in France.

The same happened at the last French Championship in 2001. Wizards France didn't want to allow foreign players to participate. The decision taken by the DCI has been very clear : according to the DCI Floor Rules, foreign players may not be banned. If they are, the tournament is canceled.

The same must be done by Nintendo/PUI.

If it isn't, I don't see why 'private' TO could not do what 'official' TO's do. We could run and sanction official tournaments in any format, with the cards we want, the people we want, ...
But distributors are maybe above the laws, especially the laws of the game :rolleyes:

Either the format is changed into the legal one, and the situation is normal, or they keep that format, and Asmodee, like PUI/Nintendo show their incompetence and their lack of professionalism, prove that distributors are above all POP rulings, and give a clear indication that POP is nothing but a big joke.
 
What surprises me is that *anyone* is actually surprised by this! :nonono:

International OP said:
....all of our local distributors have our complete backing ......

and

.... if you have questions, work them through your local distributor....
Click to expand...

Local distributors want to grow and protect their local markets. It would be much more surprising if the French distributor wanted to sponsor an English player to worlds or the English Distributor a Belgian or the Netherlands distributor a French player.

If I was that local distributor I'd want to support protect and reward my customers and not the customers of a competitor.

The legality of what is being proposed will be determined not by the floor rules but by the contracts between PUI and the distributors. even if a distributor is in breach it may be difficult for PUI to act since imposing excessive costs on a distributor is a sure fire way of ensuring that you have no distributor come contract renewal.

I would like to see the floor rules observed in full with competent TOs and judges at all major competitions. However, given the fragile nature of pokemon in Europe I rather just see the game survive and grow. For good or bad PUI appear to have passed much of that responsibility onto the local master distributors. Having chosen those distributors PUI must surely trust the local master distributor's commitment to that common goal.

So maybe we could start a campaign to get all the Countries offering trips to accept allcommers and all current cards. But then maybe there will be no game in a years time too if that campaign is successfull. Be thankfull for the chance to enter a locally sponsored tournament with a free trip to worlds and that several nationalities will be present at worlds. Not perfect true, but much, much, better than nothing.
 
Last edited:
The problem is, what kind of protection do you have against people purchasing en masse WotC stock (which will clearly build the better decks) as opposed to new, Nintendo stock?

Sounds like fuzzy logic to me. It's no way to sustain a market at all.

It's not a problem to restrict player nationality, if that's what they wish to do then so be it. But it's not what they want, and restricting cards to French copies (which any TCG player who knows their cards anyway wouldn't have a problem with), and allowing cards from discontinued sets, clearly hurts the new crop of players getting into the game. GymLeaderPhil got it right, it can only hurt the new generation. Would you back a Modified deck vs. an unlimited one? I don't believe anyone truly will.

~fK
 
I do understand the economical reasons NoPoke. But this game has rules, and these have to be followed by everyone.
Don't do this is OK, but don't use the words POP anymore. It will be anarchy encouraged by PUI.

What do they (PUI/Distributors) want ? Newbies who can be manipulated without any problem ? OK, they'll have that with the way they're doing OP in Europe.
Do they want experienced people and good old players, the people who've made the game what it is (sorry, what it was !!!) ? They're on the wrong way.

I don't have any problem with my local distributor, but when I see what happens in Europe, the way distributors, covered and maybe encouraged by PUI, are acting, when I see their lack of respect towards the game, the players, the community, I think I don't have my place in all that stuff anymore.

Remember Wizards time. Distributors had also to put money in the qualifiers. Like many European players, my daughter has won qualifiers abroad (never in Belgium :D ) like in Holland, Spain or UK. Was that a problem ? Who said anything against that ? Nobody, except in France when 3 Belgian players have won at the French championship (France again ? strange no ?).

They may protect their market, they may change the rules like they want, they may do their own (very) little business. They're killing the game and nothing else.

Since the beginning I say that this distributor system is maybe very easy for PUI but it's the worse thing possible for our game and for us.

We have to be thankful to be allowed to participate to a local tournament with a free trip to Worlds NoPoke. :lol:
Thank you PUI/distributors, two years ago I had good meals with fish and meat. Now I thank you for the bone you give me. Yes I'm happy, it's not international meals anymore, it's a good domestic bone :p
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sounds fine to me, maybe this is an attempt to stop the cross border sharks from swimming in the french pond ;)

Anyhow as 'Pop says he has french cards for sale :)
 
Last edited:
ukpokemonpro said:
Sounds fine to me, maybe this is an attempt to stop the cross border sharks from swimming in the french pond ;)

Anyhow as 'Pop says he has french cards for sale :)
Click to expand...


Yeah, but the point is, that it violates the rules to only permit French cards.
 
I wonder how well the French winners will do at Worlds?

Will they know that it is modified or will they end up playing preconstructed decks because they only have unlimited?
 
Yeah, but the point is, that it violates the rules to only permit French cards.
Click to expand...

Well PUI have already stated that

INTL City Championship Events are operated internationally by independent tournament organizers.
Click to expand...

And they have shown a marked reluctance to involve themselves in a distributors business, Nationals I am sure are a distributors business and if France chooses this format to protect their players from travelling sharks so be it. Here in the UK it is Invitational Only, some of Europes finest are disappointed at that too.

Personally I would be more concerned if FRENCH PLAYERS were complaining here but given that I suspect the real issue maybe that some of Europes finest sharks are thinking..

"We can't now travel to the French Nationals, crush their players, win that free trip to Worlds and take the prize out of their country!"

As for the floor rules well we already have plenty of examples of Distributors throwing them away!
 
Last edited:
Strange format, but as said, local distro is king.

As for Dutch Cards, there haven't been any since Fossil (and try to get those on your hands)
So far our op manager has said it's standard Modified as stated in the Floor Rules.
It will be open for any players, as far as I know and we'll leave it up to the manager for any rules enforcements and skilled judges.
I know one European country's National Championship I will not be attending (As I won't be able to trade for my Electabuzz's quick enough) ;)
Heck, at least we have a normal format.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top