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Developers will train bots on roughly 2,000 Standard-format cards, with eight teams advancing from Kaggle qualifiers to a streamed September final in Japan.
Entries close August 16, 2026 for two divisions testing AI deck-building strategy and simulated match execution, with cash prizes and potential invitations for winners.
Entries for the Strategy and Simulation divisions close August 16, 2026, with cash prizes and a possible invitation to an AI-only competition in Tokyo.
The 115-plus-card set arrives July 17, with prereleases from July 4 and six Mega Evolution Pokémon ex; Mega Darkrai ex’s gold and Special Illustration Rare cards lead the chase lineup.
NAIC will move from New Orleans to Chicago in 2027 after three years, while San Francisco hosts the 2026 World Championships with Paradise Resort and Pikachu promo distributions.
Four limited promos will accompany Worlds in San Francisco; two Pikachu cards are available through Play! Pokémon store tournaments from August 21–30, while two are attendee exclusives.
Worlds 2026 offers two Pikachu promos through Play! Pokémon events from August 21–30, plus Paradise Resort and stamped Ascended Heroes Rayquaza cards for San Francisco attendees.
The June 14 finale crowned James Kowalski as TCG Masters champion and unveiled 2026 Paradise Resort and PokémonXP promos, with local-store distribution planned for fans outside San Francisco.
Four Worlds promos were unveiled: League events run August 24–30, while badged San Francisco attendees get a foil-stamped Ascended Heroes Rayquaza and competitors receive Paradise Resort.
NAIC attendance in New Orleans rose more than 150% and all badge types sold out, prompting TPCi to choose McCormick Place for more competition and fan-programming space.
PokémonXP and Worlds attendees will receive an event-exclusive Rayquaza promo bearing a PokémonXP stamp during Worlds weekend in August.
From August 21–30, participants can receive a Pikachu promo with a San Francisco backdrop; age-division winners get a “WINNER” stamp plus TCG accessories, while supplies last.
Events run August 21–30 at Play! Pokémon Stores; entrants receive a San Francisco-themed Pikachu promo while supplies last, with stamped copies and accessories for division winners.
TPCi says the 2027 NAIC will move from New Orleans to McCormick Place in Chicago, enabling a larger event after three years in Louisiana.
Pitch Black’s July 17 release drew preorder queues of up to nine hours, while crashes, checkout failures and anti-bot bans left many buyers facing higher scalper prices.
Mega Chandelure ex features artwork by Rend and joins six Mega Evolution Pokémon ex in the 115-plus-card Pitch Black set, releasing July 17 after prereleases begin July 4.
The July 17 expansion has a 37-day preorder window, with ETBs offering nine packs and an exclusive stamped Zarude promo; prerelease events run July 4–12.
Series Nine arrives July 1, 2026, at participating Play! Pokémon retailers, with six logo-stamped cards per pack drawn from sets spanning Journey Together through Perfect Order.
Part 1 adds the underwater Bubbly Basin in August 2026, alongside a free Version 2.0 update with Dive; Parts 2 and 3 are planned for late 2026 and 2027.
Starting July 1, participating Play! Pokémon Stores will distribute six-card Series Nine packs drawn from a 100-plus-card pool, all Standard-legal and stamped for Play! Pokémon.