The Pokémon World Championships is finally back for its first edition since 2019. After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the event is taking place over four days, from Aug. 18 to 21, at the ExCeL center in London, England. Fans who want to attend in person can purchase spectator badges now, but the event will also be broadcast worldwide on Twitch and YouTube to those who can’t be there.
Both the fans on site and those watching online get some gifts for showing up. When picking up your badges in person, you get a couple of boosters packs for the Pokémon TCG, but players watching the World Championships TCG stream get an even better digital perk. During the online stream of the event, a code will be distributed for all those who play Pokémon Trading Card Game Online or Pokémon Trading Card Game Live that allows them to get a free digital copy of the card Path to the Peak.
Path to the Peak, an uncommon card from the Sword & Shield Chilling Reign expansion set, is considered by many to be one of the best cards in that set. An upgraded version of similar Stadium cards like Power Plant, Path to the Peak will shut down all Abilities for Pokémon in play that have Rule Boxes, both the opponent’s and your own. That includes Pokémon V and VMAX, Pokémon EX, and Pokémon GX.
To redeem a digital code, open the game app and navigate to the shop (for TCGO, click the shopping cart icon), then find the button that says “Redeem” or “Redeem code.” Within the game app, you can either scan the QR code or type the code manually. Then, click “Submit code” to get your content.
Players also have the option of redeeming codes for both games from the official Pokémon website (this is also the only option for iOS users). You can do so by logging into the website, both for TCG Live and TCGO. After logging in, players can type the code and submit it, and in the following section, they can click “Claim now” to complete the process.
The Pokémon World Championships start on Aug. 18. You can watch online on Twitch, with a general channel for the event as a whole and separate channels for each game—including the Pokémon TCG.
