Pokemon J. A. A. and Nationals Information and F.A.Q (updated 4/13)

[mysterioustrainer]

All of the information this topic has is litterly scattered across a dozen topics and buried by pages 2 or more. So I am putting everything into one simple topic for everyone to assilimate. As I obtain more information related to the general information of this topic I will post it here in the starter of this topic. This topic is not the place to discuss your team, your strategies for the quiz, or anything about your involvement personally in the tour. This topic is the place for questions based on information I provide and I or other knowledgable gymmers will answer them to the best of our ability.

Updated News! April 1st, 2006

Having a fun and fair Pokemon Video Games National Championships is our highest priority. This is why Pokemon is taking certain measures to try to deter participants from using game altering devices and techniques in violation of the official Tournament Rules of Play.

Beginning with the Los Angeles (West Covina) stop, a representive from Pokemon USA, Inc. will be collecting the Pokemon Game Paks used by each finalist and runner up for off-site checking. When you leave your game pak you will receive a receipt for your records. We expect the game paks will be returned in about two weeks or less. Once you given us your game pak we'll give you a free Pokemon GBA game that you can keep, so you can continue to enjoy Pokemon during the time that you are testing your game.

If a player does not supply the Pokemon game pak, or if Pokemon USA, Inc. determines that any game pak, Pokemon character, or element of the game has been tampered with or altered, then the player may, at Pokemon USA's discretion, be disqualifed from the Tournament, and will not receive any prizes for that event.

We believe that these measures will help maintain a fair enviroment in the true spirit of Pokemon.

Pokemon Journey Across America Tour
The Pokemon Journey Across America Tour is a dedicated tour to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Pokemon. There are many things to do at this tour whether you are a fan of the Trading Card Game, Game Boy Game, or Anime of Pokemon. The tour will have 26 stops all across the U.S. ranging from Miami all the way to Los Angeles throughout 2/28/06 through 7/23/06.

At the tour you will receive a special Pokemon Trading Card Game promo card just for playing. If you have a FireRed, LeafGreen, or Emerald version of the Pokemon GBA games you can receive Celebi, the legendary guardian of the forest, and 20 other popular Pokemon as voted by Pokemon fans on http://www.pokemon.com. There is also demo stations for the Pokemon Trading Card Game and Pokemon Video Games there will also be a place to watch the Anime if you want to relax. Also there is lots more fun stuff going on including getting your picture with Pikachu!

Most importantly the tour will feature a special tournament qualifer for the Game Boy games, a first in its history. Each qualifer gives players a chance to compete in New York City for the first ever Pokemon Video Game National Championship. However, you simply cannot just walk into play a qualifer, you must qualify for the qualifer by clearing an online exam for each stop you wish to participate.

The online exam

The online exam is 30 questions and you only have 20 minutes to work with. This is a hard exam if you are not very experienced in the game boy games. Look for other topics that will help give you pointers to taking the exam. Also look for help from other Pokemon experts in your community for advice before taking the exam. If you fail the exam you lost the opportunity to play at the location you took the exam for and there are no retakes! Also you only are eligible to participate in four select locations based on your geographic location. So in a sense you only get four shots at it at the most!

For each qualifer, the exam will allow the first 64 participants into the event for each age group. The age groups are 12 and under and 13 and up. The exam will also award "alternate" invites. Meaning you didn't pass the test but came so close that you will have the right to participate if the tournament doesn't fill up or one of the players invited doesn't show or wins another qualifer.

For those not fortunate enough to make it to any locations or you lost each event or exam, there is one last and very faint hope. There will be an online quiz avalable that gives the invite to the first six players in each age division who pass.

In order to take the exam you must have:
An internet connection.
An e-mail address.
Be a residant of the United States.

Here is some F.A.Q. about the online exam:
What's in the online exam?
Sorry I can't tell you that. That would be cheating. Besides the questions rotate for everyone who takes it so your questions would be different than the ones I would take.

I passed now what do I do?
Read the instructions carefully on your computer and be sure to get your reservation number. In case you closed your internet explorer window before you got the number the number will be sent to the e-mail you provided. Also via e-mail you will receive a release form which also must be provided at the event site you must provide that in order to play.

I can choose what four locations I get?
No. Based on your home state, Pokemon.com will automatically select your avalable qualifers. They should be the four nearest ones to you. You can only select one of those.

I plugged in my state and one or more of the qualifers is showing not avalable what do I do?
There are two possiblities, first the qualifer for that location is not open yet. There is a schedule below to see what locations are avalable and when. Also you may have missed the opportunity for that location. Unfortunatly you are too late meaning the spots for your age group will have been filled and you can only select one of the other locations. Hurry because once each seat is gone, its gone!

I failed the exam! What do I do?
Don't panic, you have more tries for each qualifer you can get to. Remember only take the ones you know you have the time and ablity to reach. If you fail all of your opportunites, there is one last chance exam.
Also you may have failed but see if you are elected as an alternative and you may yet get the chance to play. Don't forget about the last chance online exam.

If I am entered into one event site can I participate in others?
I don't see why not.

What's the last chance online exam like?
Don't know. No one does but I am sure its bound to be even harder than the qualifer one.

Journey Across America Tour Locations and avablity
Key: Red = Closed Orange = 13+ Group has filled* Green = Avalable Blue = Coming Soon

Name of Venue and Location : Quiz Times : Event Date
Miami, FL (Aventura Mall) 2/16-2/19 : 2/25
Tampa, FL (Westfield Citrus Park Town Center) 2/18-2/26 : 3/4
Atlanta, GA (Southlake Mall) 2/18-3/5 : 3/11
Houston, TX (The Galleria) 2/25-3/5 : 3/15
Dallas/Ft.Worth, TX (The Parks at Arlington) 2/25-3/12 : 3/18
Albuquerque, NM (The Cornado Center) 2/25-3/19 : 3/25
Los Angeles, CA (Westfield West Covina) 3/11-3/19 : 4/1
S.F. Bay area, CA (Westfield Valley Fair) 3/11-4/2 : 4/8
Portland, OR (Clackamas Town Center) 3/11-4/9 : 4/15
Seattle, WA (Westfield Southcenter) 4/1-4/16 : 4/22
Salt Lake City, UT (Fashion Place) 4/1-4/23 : 4/29
Denver, CO (Southwest Plaza) 4/1-4/30 : 5/6
Houston, TX (Space Center Houston) 4/1-4/30 : 5/6
Kansas City, MO (Independance Mall) 4/22-5/7 : 5/13
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (Mall of America) 4/22-5/14 : 5/21
Chicago, IL (Westfield North Bridge) 4/22-5/21 : 5/27
Detroit, MI (Great Lakes Crossing) 5/13-5/28 : 6/3
Pittsburgh, PA (Century III Mall) 5/13-6/4 : 6/10
Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati Mills) 5/13-6/11 : 6/17
Memphis, TN (Wolfchase Galleria) 6/3-6/18 : 6/24
Raleigh, NC (Crabtree Valley Mall) 6/3-6/25 : 7/1
Washington D.C. (Westfield Montgomery Mall) 6/10-7/2 : 7/8
Philadelphia, PA (King of Prussia Mall) 6/10-7/2 : 7/12
Boston, MA (South Shore Plaza) 6/17-7/9 : 7/15
New York, NY (Roosevelt Field Mall) 6/17-7/16 : 7/22
New York, NY (Nintendo World Store, Rockefeller Center) 6/17-7/17 : 7/23
*Sorry I am unable to check the status of the 12 and under seating during open tests. This is because I am not exactly a parent or legal guardian of any kid. However because of this safety block by Pokemon USA (which is perfectly reasonable in any case) I believe this will allow the lower age group to be open throughout the entire testing window.

Second Chance Online Qualifer 7/1-7/8

The qualifer tournament
If you pass the online exam then you are in the qualifer tournament for that location. Once you pass you need to spend as much spare time as possible for your Pokemon game to get your team ready. The more time training you do the better chance you have to win! Here are the tournament rules for both the qualifers and the National Championships

Game Play Specifics:

• Players are required to bring their own Game Boy Advance ("GBA") games (including Pokémon Ruby™, Sapphire™, Emerald™, FireRed™ and LeafGreen™). All battles will be held on a TV screen with a Nintendo Game Cube console playing Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. GBA games will be connected to the Game Cube.
• Tournament structure consists of a series of elimination tournament rounds in which players will be randomly paired against one other player to engage in a Pokémon battle until only one winner remains. Winning players will move up in the ranks to the next opponent.

Official Game Play Rules:
Battle Rules:

• Each battle will be a double (2-on-2) battle.
• Players must have their battling team of up to 6 [FONT=Arial,Arial]Pokémon [/FONT]set up in their party before play begins. Each player will select 4 of the 6 [FONT=Arial,Arial]Pokémon [/FONT]to use at the beginning of each Battle.
• All Pokémon GameBoy Advance games must be saved at a Pokémon Center before the tournament starts.
• There will be a 30-second time limit to select each move
• There will be an 8-minute overall time limit for each Battle

Entry Pokemon:

• Only characters readily obtainable in the following games may be used: Pokémon Ruby, Pokémon Sapphire, Pokémon FireRed, Pokémon LeafGreen, Pokémon Emerald, Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD.
• Players may not use the following Pokémon characters; Mew, Celebi, Jirachi or Deoxys.
• It is recommended that all Pokémon be at level 100.
• Players may not have more than one of any Pokémon characters on their team. All four must be different Pokémon characters.
• Players may not enter two Pokémon with the same nickname
• Players may not enter a Pokémon nicknamed with the name of another Pokémon character (ex: a Treecko nicknamed "Torchic")
• Players may not use games containing inappropriate or offensive language.
• Players may not use any Pokémon created or altered by "game altering devices," such as Action Replay or Game Shark WARNING: All winning GBA paks will be collected for testing to prevent altered paks from collecting prizes!

Items:

• All Pokémon may hold Items. Players may not use two of the same Hold Items.
• Players may not use the Soul Dew item or Enigma Berry items
• Players may not use a Wobbuffet holding the Leftovers item.

Attack Moves:

• Players may not cause two or more [FONT=Arial,Arial]Pokémon [/FONT]on the same team to be affected by the Sleep Special Condition
• Players may not cause two or more [FONT=Arial,Arial]Pokémon [/FONT]on the same team to be affected by the Freeze Special Condition
• User will lose if all [FONT=Arial,Arial]Pokémon [/FONT]faint due to "Self Destruct" or "Explosion".
• Destiny Bond and Perish Song may not be used by the final [FONT=Arial,Arial]Pokémon [/FONT]on a team.
• Anyone using games altered with so-called "game enhancers" (to give [FONT=Arial,Arial]Pokémon [/FONT]moves they cannot legally learn or stats that are higher than legally possible, among other things) will be disqualified. WARNING: All winning GBA paks will be collected for testing to prevent altered paks from collecting prizes!

This tournament is single-elimination, meaning there are no room for mistakes! Be careful! Now for the F.A.Q. here:

Can I use any Pokemon except Jirachi, Deoxys, Mew, and Celebi?
Yes, whether you use them or not only the best trainers with the best team will win! Choose your Pokemon wisely!

Why no game enhancers?
Well that is really considered cheating. Now I don't give a darn for whatever propose you used the dark thing for it just not fair for those who dedicate their time to actually be Pokemon trainers and raise their Pokemon with dedication.

Also starting with the Los Angeles stop all top 2 winning GBA Pokemon from each age-division will be collected to verify the data is authentic and not altered with an illegal device. If you game pak fails you will be disqualifed and dishonored from the general Pokemon community. So it is worthless to use a Game Shark for any reason!

What do I win for each qualifer?
(64) Sixty-four National Qualifer Paricipant Prizes: A trip for two to New York City to compete in the POKÉMON® Video Game National Championships. Trip includes round-trip coach air transportation for two (2) from the major commercial airport nearest winner’s residence in the U.S. to New York, NY on a date specified by Sponsor to coincide with the National Championships. Winners residing within 200 miles of New York City will receive ground transportation in lieu of air transportation, without compensation. Includes 3-day/2-night double occupancy hotel accommodations (standard rooms) and transportation to and from a New York area destination airport (unless ground transportation has been substituted as set forth above), $500 spending cash, a POKÉMON® prize pack consisting of a GAME BOY MICRO game system, branded apparel, bag and plush toy. ARV: $2,660.00.

During a match say if I freeze one Pokemon? Am I not allowed to use [insert attack capable of freezing Pokemon here] again?
There should be no problem. The XD:Gale of Darkness game has a protocol which is turned on in these matches to prevent freezing if another is already frozen. Same goes for sleep effects as well.

What are Enigma Berries?
These are berries that are downloaded to Ruby and Sapphire versions through the use of the Pokemon Battle-e Cards for the Nintendo e-Reader. Each of these berries however have no battle effects and are primarly used for contests. So there is no point to attaching them to your Pokemon.

I don't have a sixth Pokemon on my team, can I replace it for an Egg?
No you cannot the XD:GoD game will not let you. You must have six Pokemon.

The National Championships
32 from each age-division will earn the right to compete in the National Championships. I bet that is going to be a huge party. In any case be ready as the competition will be tough. Pretty well the same rules will apply as the qualifers and here are the prizes:

TWO (2) POKÉMON® VIDEO GAME NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS GRAND PRIZES: A trip for four to Tokyo, Japan. Trip includes round-trip coach air transportation for four (4) from the U.S. international airport closest to winner’s residence to Tokyo, Japan. Trip includes 6-day/5-night double occupancy hotel occupancy accommodations for four (in two standard rooms), US$2,000 in spending cash, a $500 gift certificate for POKÉMON® Center in Tokyo, a Nintendo GAME BOY DS game system, five (5) future POKÉMON® video games to be released in the U.S., a POKÉMON® 10th anniversary watch and jacket, a cell phone loaded with POKÉMON® content and 5,000 minutes of prepaid cellular service expiring after 365 days, signed memorabilia signed by a POKÉMON® artist and a POKÉMON® prize pack. Approximate retail value ("ARV"): $11,750.00.

TWO (2) POKÉMON® VIDEO GAME NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SECOND PLACE PRIZES: A Nintendo GAME BOY DS game system, five (5) future POKÉMON® video games to be released in the U.S., a POKÉMON® 10th anniversary watch and jacket, 5,000 minutes of prepaid cellular service expiring after 365 days, signed memorabilia signed by a POKÉMON® artist and a POKÉMON® prize pack. ARV: $1,750.00.

FOUR (4) POKÉMON® VIDEO GAME NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIRD PLACE PRIZES: Five (5) future POKÉMON® video games to be released in the U.S., a POKÉMON® 10th anniversary watch and jacket, signed memorabilia signed by a POKÉMON® artist and a POKÉMON® prize pack. ARV: $500.00.

Gotcha excited? I hope so but you better give it your all because there is hundreds of trainers out there including myself ready to take you and anyone else on to win that trip!

Best of luck to everyone and I will answer any questions about the rules which I have posted here:

Related links:
http://www.pokemon.com/pokemonchallenge
Link to quiz, contest rules, official rules, locations.

 

[bullados]

Wow... That's a lot of stuff. 3 day-2 night and $500 spending cash? Geez. I can eat those days for $50 and have $450 to waste at PCNY. Sounds like fun!!!

Just as an afterthought, does the National team HAVE to be the same team that you qualify with?

 

[mysterioustrainer]

Wow... That's a lot of stuff. 3 day-2 night and $500 spending cash? Geez. I can eat those days for $50 and have $450 to waste at PCNY. Sounds like fun!!!

Just as an afterthought, does the National team HAVE to be the same team that you qualify with?

I do not believe you have to have the exact team. You can continue to develop your team for the big one, just like you would have to make a better deck for Worlds once you won a Gym Challenge.

Secondly I might remind you that technically there is no more Pokemon Center in New York. There is the Nintendo World Center though.

 

[bullados]

Same place, different name. Isn't PCNY still in there, tho?

 

[mysterioustrainer]

Yeah sort of but more of a consolidated department in comparison to the japanese Pokemon Centers which you can win money to shop there if you are the champion by the ways.

 

[Alex]

Alright, I went to the site, selected my state, but I couldn't register, and all the locations were"unavailible". What do i do?

Back to back posts merged. The following information has been added:

It just dawned on me now to mention it....I'm only 10 minutes drive away from century III mall. This is awesome! :smile: :thumb: :lol: !!!A few quick questions.
1.why can't I take the exam?
2.Does anyone know if breeding helps a pokemon's stats?
3.Does this team seem too weak?:
Tentacruel
Lanturn
Ludicolo
Swampert
Pelliper
Starmie

Once I have Emerald, this is the team I'll be building.

 

[Metagross_Ex]

Alright, I went to the site, selected my state, but I couldn't register, and all the locations were"unavailible". What do i do?

Back to back posts merged. The following information has been added:

It just dawned on me now to mention it....I'm only 10 minutes drive away from century III mall. This is awesome! :smile: :thumb: :lol: !!!A few quick questions.
1.why can't I take the exam?
2.Does anyone know if breeding helps a pokemon's stats?
3.Does this team seem too weak?:
Tentacruel
Lanturn
Ludicolo
Swampert
Pelliper
Starmie

Once I have Emerald, this is the team I'll be building.

Just a bit of adivce, odds are that everyone is going to use a team of legendary pokemon, so you might want some too.

 

[Ancient Pokemon Trainer]

Those Pokemon are all water types... =/ No legendaries or ubers in it either...

Answer: YES IT IS TOO WEAK

 

[Water Pokemon Master]

Stupid tests for CA have not been working since yesterday when they were supposed to. :/

 

[Alex]

So, that's all that matters isn't it! Strong rare pokemon? In a battle with evenly matched pokemon who do you think is gonna win? Some wannabe trainer with a team of legendaries, or a seasoned trainer that can win with his favorite pokemon at any time! Answer that!

 

[Shiloh Phoenix]

Favorite pokemon? pfft. if you want to win, then hey, might as well abuse the legends.

 

[Alex]

Way to put someone down,Shiloh! I still think my teams capable of winning battles

 

[~Blazi-King~]

So, that's all that matters isn't it! Strong rare pokemon? In a battle with evenly matched pokemon who do you think is gonna win? Some wannabe trainer with a team of legendaries, or a seasoned trainer that can win with his favorite pokemon at any time! Answer that!

Its not that hard to beat someone using your favorite pokes. For me, a while ago, I used Alakazam, Aerodactyl, and Metagross and won quite a few tournies against people who used semi-legendaries.

So yes a seasoned trainer can use his/her fav pokes and win. :thumb:

 

[Alex]

Thank you Blazi-king! You've completely rejustified my faith in an all water team.:smile:

 

[mysterioustrainer]

First off sorry for not updating, I got busy job hunting lately. So I will take care of that in a minute. Secondly tests that say unavalable may just be already filled up the few minutes they just open. Not sure so I will test the exam out a little more and come back with a definate answer.

a few minutes later...

Well acording to the websites the California locations are now showing open, beyond that I do not know what to say. If you are a California resident plan carefully as each of your avalable locations are pretty well back to back to back to back on each weekend from now until your last shot. Good luck!

It just dawned on me now to mention it....I'm only 10 minutes drive away from century III mall. This is awesome! :smile: :thumb: :lol: !!!A few quick questions.
1.why can't I take the exam?
2.Does anyone know if breeding helps a pokemon's stats?
3.Does this team seem too weak?:
Tentacruel
Lanturn
Ludicolo
Swampert
Pelliper
Starmie

1. Your locations are not yet open! Check the calendar above I worked hard to build for all of you!
2. Right now I will say a simple yes. I will be going into Pokemon Breeding a later on in my tip of week series I have been writing.
3. I am not going to say what is a good team and what is not. You as a trainer can only make that decision for yourself. Also you Alex did not read the very first paragraph evidently as I have said this is not the place to be posting your team. Now with that lecture out the way I will say this: "Pikachu I choose you!"

 

[Metagross_Ex]

So, that's all that matters isn't it! Strong rare pokemon? In a battle with evenly matched pokemon who do you think is gonna win? Some wannabe trainer with a team of legendaries, or a seasoned trainer that can win with his favorite pokemon at any time! Answer that!

As much as I disagree with the use of ubers, I'm in this to win; therefore, I'm going to use ubers if I make it.

 

[mysterioustrainer]

As much as I disagree with the use of ubers, I'm in this to win; therefore, I'm going to use ubers if I make it.

There are pros and cons to using instantly powerful legendary pokemon (a.k.a. ubers). Some regular Pokemon can cause a devestating effect especially if raised properly and its parents raised properly, but that can take an enormous amount of time. However this does not mean you can't raise ubers properly too. In any case we will see what happens by who comes out on top in National won't we?

"Well if you just try hard enough things will work out right?"
"No Ash, I am afraid things will not work out if you just try hard enough. The first thing to know about being a trainer is strategy, and unfortunatly for you the Pokemon Trainer has to have a brain!"

QUICK UPDATE!
I have finally figured out a way to determine if the 13 and up window has filled each qualifer during the active testing section so once a week I will be updating that info!

 

[Metagross_Ex]

Well, let's face it: stat for stat, ubers are more powerful an overwhelming amount of the time. i believe if Nintendo wanted a more interesting tournament, they'd not allow the use of ubers.

 

[mysterioustrainer]

Okay Dallas' testing session is now closed. I hope you 12 and unders had the chance to make it in. Don't forget for each closed session to not give up but show up anyways because you may be selected as an alternate if qualified players don't show.

LATE NIGHT UPDATE!
Out of boredom I checked the two remaining locatiosn and I discovered that San Fransico is now closed to 13+ players. Hurry everyone, the chance to get in is going fast. Oregon however is still open to 13+ players.

 

[lukerc10t4]

so let me get this right 4/1/06 will be the time when you can start taking the test for this area.
Seattle, WA (Westfield Southcenter) 4/1-4/16 : 4/22