POKÉMON UNITE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES OFFICIAL RULES

IF YOU ARE A MINOR IN YOUR PLACE OF RESIDENCE, YOU MUST HAVE PERMISSION FROM YOUR PARENT OR

LEGAL GUARDIAN TO PARTICIPATE. COLLECTION AND USE OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION WILL

BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ADMINISTRATION’S ONLINE PRIVACY POLICIES AS SET OUT IN THE PRIVACY

SECTION OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES.

REGISTERING FOR A TOURNAMENT THROUGH START.GG WILL BE DEEMED YOUR ACCEPTANCE TO THESE

“PARTICIPANTS”).

1. ELIGIBILITY: Pokémon UNITE is free to download. All players must agree to UNITE’s EULA. The Pokémon

UNITE Championship Series (“Tournament”) is open to players who are 16 years of age or older and in

accordance with the legal age in your jurisdiction* prior to the Official Start Date of any Tournament within the

Program and who meet the following criteria:

• Have a Start.gg account in good standing at the time of entry and throughout the Program;

• For online events, reside in a region supported by the Play! Pokémon Regional Zones for Brazil (BR),

• For players in BR, EU, LA-N, LA-S, NA and OC - must have a valid Player ID through a Play! Pokémon

account in good standing at the time of entry and throughout the Program (“Account”);

*The following Regional Zones will require a minimum age to participate in the Tournament:

• Brazil: minimum age of 18 years old.

**The following Regional Zones will have additional competition announced separately:

• Asia Pacific – East (AP-E)

• Asia Pacific – West (AP-W)

• India (IN)

all documents and agree to all obligations and undertakings required of a potential winner in these Official Rules,

both on your behalf and on behalf of themselves. Prize may be awarded in the name of, or to, parent/legal

guardian, at the discretion of Administration.

Employees, contractors, officers, and directors of The Pokémon Company International (“TPCi”), Microsoft

Corporation, and Esports Engine, collectively “Administration”, or their respective parents, subsidiaries,

affiliates, representatives, consultants, contractors, legal counsel, advertising, public relations, promotional,

fulfillment, and marketing agencies, website providers, and web masters (collectively, “Tournament Entities”)

and members of their immediate families (spouses, parents, siblings and children, regardless of where they live)

and those living in the same household are not eligible to participate in the Tournament.

Requests for exemptions from this rule must be made in advance of competition. Administration, at its sole

discretion, reserves the right to grant exemptions for this eligibility criteria.

Administration reserves the right to verify the eligibility of players at any time in its sole and absolute discretion.

3. CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION: Administration reserves the right in its sole discretion, to modify, cancel,

terminate, and/or suspend the Tournament and to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process,

the Tournament is terminated before the stated end date of the Tournament Period, the Administration in its

4. HOW TO PLAY: Pokémon UNITE is a 5-on-5 strategic team battle game. A team is a roster made up of at least

5 players to participate together within the Program (“Team”). The Team who has obtained the most Aeos points

by the end of a match will be declared the winner.

● Aeos points can be obtained by defeating either neutral or opposing Team Pokémon through battle.

○ Incapacitated Pokémon will drop Aeos energy and be unable to battle for a short duration which

will increase with level.

○ To score points, once Aeos energy is obtained, it must then be deposited in the opposing Team’s

goal zones.

● If both teams have scored the same amount of Aeos points at the end of a game, the Team that reached

5. FORMAT & STRUCTURE: The following Tournament Formats and Competitive Structures will be used

throughout the Program:

Tournament Formats: The Program’s Tournament formats are subject to change at any time. Tournament

formats will be announced ahead of registration for that specific Tournament. One or more of the formats

outlined below may be used in an event. A Team’s record of Matches won and lost is a Team’s “Match Record”.

● Single Elimination Bracket (“SE”): Each Match will be a Best-of-3 game series where the winning Team

will advance into the next round of the Bracket. If a Team loses a Match in the Bracket, the Team will be

eliminated from the Tournament. This portion of the Tournament progresses until completion, where a

Tournament. This portion of the Tournament progresses until completion, where a certain number of

teams remain, as defined in the Competitive Structure below.

● Round Robin (“RR”): Teams will be placed into groups where every Team will play against every other

Team in their group at least once. Each Match will be a Best-of-3 game series, unless instructed otherwise

by Administration. Final group placement will be determined by Match Record and as follows:

○ First Tiebreaker: Tardiness – Teams that arrived at the Tournament late are ranked below

Teams that arrived on time.

○ Second Tiebreaker: If two or more teams have the same Match Record (“Tied Teams”), teams

Percentage, teams will be ranked by Overall Game Winning Percentage (Games Won / Games

Played)

○ Fourth Tiebreaker: If the aforementioned methods cannot break a tie which does not determine

an advancement to the next stage, the tie will be broken by the Team’s initial seed. The highest

seed is 1.

tiebreaker.

● Swiss: Each round, Teams will be assigned matches against other teams with the same or similar Match

Record until there is only one undefeated Team. After the final round of Swiss, rankings are determined

based on Match Record. In situations where Teams have identical Match Records, tiebreakers are used

to determine the final ranking of each Team. After all Teams are ranked by final Match Record,

tiebreakers are applied in the following order:

○ First Tiebreaker: Tardiness – Teams that arrived at the Tournament late are ranked below

Teams that arrived on time.

○ Second Tiebreaker: Opponents’ Win Percentage (“Op Win %”)– Teams who remain tied are

now ranked in order of their Op Win %, from highest to lowest.

○ Third Tiebreaker: Opponents’ Opponents’ Win Percentage (“Op Op Win %”) – Teams who

remain tied are now ranked in order of their Op Op Win %, from highest to lowest. A Team’s Op

Op Win % is the average of the Op Win % of all that Team’s opponents.

○ Final Tiebreaker: Head-to-head – If exactly two Teams are tied in the final standings, and those

the Tournament, then those Teams will play a Best-of-1 Match. The winner of that

match is ranked higher than the loser.

Competitive Structures: The Program’s competitive structure contains the following primary competition types,

and are subject to change at anytime. Some Tournaments may feature multiple formats as designated phases of

● Open Qualifier: DE bracket that will progress until 8 Teams remain. Maximum number of Teams by

● Finals: Top 8 from Open Qualifier compete in a continued DE bracket until only 1 team remains.

Monthly Cup – Tournaments open to all eligible Teams. Monthly Cups will have two phases:

● Open Qualifier: DE bracket that will progress until 8 Teams remain. Maximum number of Teams by

Regional Zone: 256 (BR, EU, LA-N, LA-S, and NA) and 64 (OC).

● Finals: Top 8 from Open Qualifier compete in a continued DE bracket until only 1 team remains.

Regional Championships – Tournaments open to all eligible Teams. An annual event awarding cash

prizes and World Championship qualification. Top Championship Point earning Teams will earn

advanced placement in this event. All matches will be best-of-3. See Section 12 for more information

on Regional Championships.

● Open Qualifier: DE bracket that will progress until 4 Teams remain. Maximum number of Teams by

The Semifinals and Grand Finals matches will be best-of-5. Top teams from each Regional Zone will

earn invitations to the 2025 Pokémon World Championships.

IN-PERSON EVENTS (ALL REGIONS)

International Championships or IC(s) – Tournament open to all eligible teams from all Regional Zones.

Some teams may earn invitations and/or qualification to later phases of the event, such as via Play-Ins.

Teams will compete for cash prizes and 2025 Pokémon World Championship qualification. All Matches

will be best-of-3.

● Open Qualifier: Teams will be placed in groups of up to 4. Each group will play until Teams are

clearly ranked. The top Teams from each group will advance to the Bracket Stage.

● Bracket Stage: The top Teams from the Open Qualifier will be placed in a SE bracket until two

teams remain. Semifinals matches will be best-of-5.

● Finals – The top 2 Teams from the Bracket Stage will compete in a best-of-5 Finals match to

North America International Championship (NAIC) - Final Stretch: 64 maximum Teams.

Champion Team qualifies for 2025 Pokémon World Championship.

2025 Pokémon World Championships (WCS) – Invitation-only Tournament to determine the 2025

Pokémon World Champion. See Section 13 for more information on the 2025 Pokémon World

Championships and Qualification Methods.

IN-PERSON TOURNAMENTS & REQUIREMENTS

Intent to Participate: Qualified Teams invited to In-Person Tournaments must confirm their intent to

securing their own essential travel documentation. If a Qualified Team is unable to travel and attend, their

invitation may be passed down to another team as determined by Administration. For information on

Travel Awards, see Section 23.

Participation Prohibition: A Qualified Team may be prohibited from participating in the event in any of the

following situations:

• Any member of the Qualified Team is unable to travel to the event due to local / global travel

restrictions or fails to obtain necessary documentation for travel.

• The Qualified Team is unable to fulfill roster requirements by the deadline specified by Administration.

• Any member of the Qualified Team does not comply with the COVID-19 protocols outlined on the

• Other situations that Administration deems necessary to prohibit a Qualified Team from participating

o (ii) Opt into Play! Pokémon to participate in any sanctioned Pokémon UNITE event.

Instructions may be found at https://support.pokemon.com/hc/en-

us/articles/360043974292-How-do-I-opt-in-for-Pok%C3%A9mon-GO-and-or-

Organized-Play-in-my-Pok%C3%A9mon-Trainer-Club-account-

lobby mode. Game and match settings should follow the guidelines below unless instructed otherwise by

Administration.

Timeliness Of Match Start: It is expected that Players will resolve any issues with the setup process within the

allotted time, and that match will begin at the scheduled time. Delays due to setup problems may be permitted,

but only at the sole discretion of Administration. Penalties for tardiness may be assessed at the discretion of

Administration.

Match Procedure: For the avoidance of doubt, all Players should consider all game lobbies with their scheduled

opponents as an official Tournament Match unless expressly instructed otherwise.

o All battle items unlocked

o Servers selection should be set to Auto, unless otherwise approved by an Administrator.

• All Matches will use Draft Pick.

• Each Match will be a Best-of-3 game series, unless instructed otherwise by Administration. The first Team

to win two (2) games will win the Match.

• Each Team must check-in during the designated Match check-in period prior to the start of each

Tournament. Failure to check in may result in forfeiture from the event.

• The Team on the top side of the viewable match on the bracket (“Hosting Team”) will create the lobby

and then share their Lobby ID with their opponents via the Start.gg match chat feature.

• Alternates: Before a Match starts, Teams are permitted to use their Alternate and request changes to

code for the Match.

o Then, the other Team’s Captain must state their roster change request if they choose to activate

their Alternate, as outlined above.

o Upon the conclusion of that Match, the removed Starter returns to the Active Roster.

• Side Selection:

o Various methods of Side Selection will be used across competition. Seeding methods per event

or Tournament phase will be announced ahead of registration for that event:

flip handled by Administration. Teams will be randomly assigned heads or tails, and the

winner of the coin flip will select their choice of side for Game 1. For each subsequent

game in the same Match, the team defeated in the most recently played game will

select their choice of side for the next game. During a bracket reset, Game 1 side

selection will be randomly determined.

seeding tie or a Grand Finals bracket reset, Game 1 side selection will be chosen by a

random coin-flip. For each subsequent game in the same Match, the team defeated in

• The Hosting Team is expected to use Start.gg Match chat to check if their opponent’s Team is ready to

start. The Hosting Team will start the Game once all players have joined the lobby.

• At the conclusion of the Game, both the winning and losing Teams must report the Match results on

Start.gg.

• Players are encouraged to take and upload screenshots of their Games to Start.gg as evidence of their

Match outcome in the event of a dispute.

o The Hosting Team will be required to ensure boost emblems are disabled before the start of

their Game through the Game Lobby Settings.

o Both Teams will be responsible for reporting any use of a boost emblem.

o If a boost emblem is reported after the completion of a Game or Match, a replay will not be

granted, and the results will stand.

GAMEPLAY ELEMENTS:

Selection Error: Once a game has started, Player Pokémon selections are considered final. No games will be

remade in the event of an unintentionally or erroneously-selected Pokémon.

Forfeiting: Players are expected to always play to the best of their skill. Game and/or match forfeits,

including use of the in-game surrender feature during a Tournament Match, may be viewed as cheating.

See Section 18 for more information on Cheating and Tournament Integrity.

Pausing: Pausing the game without express permission from Administration may result in a game forfeit.

Slow Client Load: If any disconnect or failure occurs which interrupts the loading process and prevents a player

from joining a game upon game start, the game may be remade but only with review and approval by

Administration.

Stoppage of Play: Throughout the course of competition, events may occur that warrant a Stoppage of Play,

such as Player(s) disconnecting from the game, equipment failures, environmental factors, etc. Administration

in its sole discretion will determine what warrants a Stoppage of Play and will communicate directly to the

players if one occurs. Administration will investigate the issues or events that caused the Stoppage of Play and

determine the appropriate course of action. Players should always continue playing, unless expressly instructed

Unintentional Disconnection: A player losing connection to the game due to problems or issues with the

game client, platform, network, or device.

Intentional Disconnection: A player losing connection to the game due to a player’s actions (i.e. closing

the application). Any actions of a player which lead to a disconnection shall be deemed intentional,

regardless of the actual intent of the player.

Server Crash: All players losing connection to a game due to an issue with a game server or venue internet

instability.

If a player disconnects without notifying Staff, Staff is not required to enforce a pause or remake of

the game. During any troubleshooting of a game, players may not leave the match area unless

authorized Staff.

MATCH TROUBLESHOOTING

PROMPT REPORTING: Once a player is aware of a bug or issue (which, as defined, includes presumed

hardware failures), the player must escalate that issue as soon as possible. A player may alert Staff during

a match that a bug or issue is observed by raising their hand at the time the bug or issue occurs.

ILLNESS, INJURY OR DISABILITY: Minor player illness, injury, or disability is not an acceptable player issue

to request to be replaced with an Alt. In the case of an underlying and/or pre-declared medical condition,

the player may inform Staff prior to the match, who may in its sole discretion provide a player with an

evaluation or assistance to determine whether the player is ready, willing, and able to continue playing

within a reasonable period of time.

Administration will make reasonable efforts to confirm a replacement team with the next qualified team

available. In this effort, Administration may use Championship Points, prior Tournament placement,

responsiveness, or other factors in determining the next qualified team. Administration also reserves the right to

not replace a team.

12. 2025 POKÉMON UNITE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS:

The Regional Championships is the final online Tournament of the Program and offers World Championship

• Open Qualifier

• Group Stage

• Regional Finals

For more details on Format and Structure, see Section 5.

All Teams who intend to compete in the Regional Championships are expected to register for this event. Upon