Pokemon Scarlet and Violet get competitive in a fresh trailer from the Pokemon World Championships

Fighting with friends (and strangers)

It’s been a banner couple of days for Pokémon fans as this weekend marked the return of the Pokémon World Championship. Like with most everything else that’s fun in the world, the long-running tournament was postponed in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. This was a year of change for the event with Pokkén Tournament DX making its final appearance at the show while Pokémon Unite and Pokémon Go both made their official debut. As the PWC is all about competition, the Pokémon Company used the occasion to debut a new trailer for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet that highlights some of the new items players can use to turn the tide of battle.

The Loaded Dice item seems a tad unfair, but I have to say I’m excited about the possibilities something like Mirror Herb will have on my, admittedly, poor competitive Pokémon play.

If you’re more into the Pokémon Trading Card Game than its video game brethren, there is news for you too. Pokémon TCG will be getting new cards based on Scarlet/Violet starting in 2023. I haven’t been paying attention since Pokémon cards were red hot during the pandemic and guys with terrible YouTube channels would strip the shelves bare at Target and Walmart, but I hope these will be easy to find next year. Though, if this story about adults buying Happy Meals to get the Pokémon cards inside is anything to go by, you should probably start making plans now.

As for the next Pokémon World Championships, during the closing ceremonies of the year’s event, it was announced the 2023 showcase will be held in Yokohama, Japan, marking the first time the PWC will take place in Japan.

Now announcing the destination for #PokemonWorlds 2023… pic.twitter.com/A30tFZoybW

— Play Pokémon (@playpokemon) August 21, 2022