View source for Pokémon League to be held in Russia for the first time

{{Article|
type=local |
picture=National Championships Logo.png |
caption=National Championships logo |
weekday=Thursday |
day=7 |
month=5 |
year=2015 |
time=15:05:13 |
discusstype=bmgf|
discusslink=175278 |
sourcetype=othersite |
sourcename=Russian Pokémon League website |
sourcelink=http://www.pokemonleague.ru/ |
user=SnorlaxMonster |
userlink=User:SnorlaxMonster |
tagline=Nationals to be held in Moscow on June 27 |
blurb=The first Pokémon League will be held in Russia this year. }}
{{CategorizeIn|Games|5|15}}{{CategorizeIn|TCG|5|15}}

[[File:National Championships Logo.png|thumb|National Championships logo]]

The first Pokémon League will be held in Russia this year. This series includes both the {{bp|Pokémon Trading Card Game}} and Pokémon video games (as separate competitions). Only players aged 18 and older can participate.

In the video game competition, players must use {{bp|Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire}} (with the latest update), and will play using [http://support.pokemon.com/FileManagement/Download/07294296edc545bca57c76266cef60fe standard VGC 2015 rules]. In the TCG competition, players must use cards from  ''{{TCG|XY}}'' onward with Russian text, and will play using [http://support.pokemon.com/FileManagement/Download/285237e1e815473dbac38d3a368f84a2 standard TCG 2015 rules].

Regional competitions will be held in 20 major cities across Russia from May 16 to June 7, 2015, with the National Championships held in Moscow on June 27, 2015. Each regional location will hold a tournament each weekend for four weekends, with one winner selected for the TCG and one for the video games at each location. The two winners will be invited to the National Championships. However, some tournaments in small cities may be cancelled if there is a lack of the participants.

The two winners of the Russian National Championships (for both the TCG and video games) will receive invites, flights and accommodation for the 2015 Pokémon World Championships. This year, the World Championships will be held in {{wp|Boston}}, {{wp|Massachusetts}} in the {{wp|United States}} from August 21 to 23, 2015.

Tournaments will be held in {{wp|Swiss-system tournament|Swiss format}} or a {{wp|Group tournament ranking system|group ranking system}} (to be determined by the organizers based on the number of participants), with a {{wp|single-elimination tournament|single-elimination}} top cut. At the end of each tournament, players will earn points, which will be totaled over their whole season. Both the video game and the TCG competitions will be played as best-of-3.