The Pokémon 2020 Oceania International Championships marks the second major tournament of this year’s Championship Series, as players flock to Melbourne, Australia.

Competitors are playing for points toward qualification for the Pokémon World Championships 2020 in London later this year, with Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Galar region inspired by the UK.

So how can you catch the best Pokémon trainers the world has to offer? Here’s what you need to know for the tournament.

When is the Pokémon Oceania International Championships 2020?

The Pokémon Oceania International Championships takes place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in Victoria, Australia from 21-23rd February.

Across the weekend, tournaments will span the Pokémon trading card game (TCG), Sword and Shield (VGC) and Pokken Tournament DX on Switch. Each tournament is split between age divisions from Juniors (age 10 and below), Seniors (11-15), to Masters (16+).

What are the format and rules?

This is the first International Championship to fall under the 2020 ruleset for Pokémon Sword and Shield introduced in January. This won’t include any of the new 35 Pokémon transferable from Pokémon Home, who are elligible for tournaments from 1st March.

The TCG tournament will see the first time the Sword and Shield expansions can be included, which features over 50 Pokémon from the Galar region.

You can check out the full list of rules for VGC and TCG here.

For Pokken Tournament DX, players will compete in age-separated double-elimination brackets in the Team format – with standard matches best-of-three while the finals are best-of-five.

The top 2 Masters Division and first place Senior Division player will qualify for the Pokken Tournament World Championships in London.



Pokemon Sword and Shield's top players are heading to Australia (Picture: Nintendo)

What are the prize pool and rewards?

VGC

Along with championship points, Master Division players will receive a cash prize of up to $5,000 depending on player attendance. Players below 18 years of age will receive gift cards worth an equivalent amount.

You can check out a breakdown of the player rewards for VGC below.

TCG

Prizes are distributed the same across the different ages like the VGC, although cash and gift card prizes are larger in size across the board.

You can check out the breakdown of player rewards of TCG below.

Pokken Tournament DX

Masters Division

1st place: $1,250 and Worlds invitation

2nd place: $1,000 and Worlds invitation

3rd place: $750

4th place: $600

5th place tie: $450

7th place tie: $250

Senior Division

1st place: Nintendo Switch console, 72 Pokémon trading card game booster packs, and a Worlds invitation

2nd place: Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, 36 Pokémon trading card game booster packs

3rd place: 36 Pokémon trading card game booster packs

What is the schedule and how can I watch?

The Pokémon Oceania Championships take place across Friday to Sunday in Australia, but due to the time difference, streams in the UK and US will start each day before.

For the VGC and TCG, the first day will be dedicated to the Masters Division, the second day to all divisions, while the third day will stage the finals across all divisions.

You can check out the breakdown of when each stream begins for UK and US below.

VGC

Thursday 20th February:

2.30pm - 1.30am PST/10.30pm - 9.30am GMT

Friday 21st February:

2.30pm - 1.30am PST/10.30pm - 9.30am GMT

Saturday 22nd February:

After the TCG finals approx 6.30pm PST/2.30am GMT

The VGC tournament will be streamed on the official Pokémon Twitch channel.

TCG

Thursday 20th February:

2.30pm - 3am PST/10.30pm - 11am GMT

Friday 21st February:

2.30pm - 12.30am PST/10.30pm - 8.30am GMT

Saturday 22nd February:

Finals begin 2.30pm PST/10.30pm GMT

The TCG tournament will be streamed on the dedicated trading card game channel.

Pokken Tournament DX

Friday 21st February:

2.30pm - 11.30pm PST/10.30pm - 7.30am GMT

Saturday 22nd February:

Finals start 2.30pm PST/10.30pm GMT

Pokken Tournament DX will be streamed on their dedicated channel.