January Events: New England VGC
The new year has brought a brand new Regulation of play for VGC players. This month we’ve got 2 different U.S. Regional weekends giving players some great opportunity at points in different areas. The first and 3rd weekends of January will be pretty calm in New England due to Portland and Charlotte Regionals, so be prepared for the busier 2nd and 4th weekends of January. Let’s take a look at the upcoming New England VGC local events.
Table of Contents:
Jan 6th-7th Portland Regionals (Gallery Games)
January 13th Cheese League PC 1 TO: Chalkey H.
January 13th Cheese League PC 2 TO: Gabby S.
January 13th Omar’s PC TO: Michael E.
January 14th Balance Patch PC TO: Marshall, G3rd Head Judge
January 20th-21st Charlotte Regionals (Overload Events)
January 27th Unsettled Geeks TO: Cesar
January 27th One Up Games PC TO: G3rd
January 28th Double Header PC 1 TO: Leaf
January 28th Double Header PC 2 TO: Ryan B Hebert
January 28th Endangered Hobbies PC TO: Ricardo
January 28th Awesome Gaming PC TO: Awesome Gaming Owners
Weekend of January 6th/7th
The first Regulation F regional in Portland, OR! While this is far from a New England local event, top VGC talent will be setting their sights on Portland this weekend! This event is organized by Gallery Games.
Weekend of January 13th/14th
A return to Excelsior Comics and Games in Maynard, MA! After a successful MSS in early November, Chalkey is back with a Bo3 Swiss, Bo3 Top Cut Premier Challenge at this venue. Excelsior is a comfy venue with a 24-32 player cap. A large array of snacks and drinks are available as well as local restaurants and food nearby! This is a community gaming center, a mom-and-pop type shop that is open and inclusive to all. This event is organized by Chalkey H.
A sign-up link can be found HERE (sign-ups currently full)
Congratulations to Gabby Snyder for her new official Tournament Organizer status! She will be changing her non-CP friendly to a PC after Chalkey’s event. This event is a Bo1 Swiss, Bo1 Top Cut Premier Challenge at Excelsior Comics and Games.
There is a 8 Player cap on this event.
Some key details from Gabby on this 2nd Premier Challenge from the New England Pokemon Discord Server:
“This PC will ONLY be open to those who formally drop the main Cheese League PC Chalkey is hosting that day, and is scoped so that we don't add any additional strain/time open to the venue. As a result, it will be Regulation F Best of One for Swiss/Top Cut, and will be capped to 8 players exactly.
There will be no additional registration fee to those who play in the first Cheese League PC earlier on in the day, and no prizing. Sign ups will be open starting at 4pm that day on site only.”
As mentioned, this event is a 2nd chance at points for players who drop from the first PC that is hosted by Chalkey.
Let’s head back to Omar’s! This event is hosted on the 2nd level of an out-of-this-world comic shop and gaming center. This event is a Bo1 Swiss, Bo3 Top Cut Premier Challenge. After attending the first couple of VGC events at Omar’s, make sure to leave extra time for parking around Lexington, MA. They also boast an extensive in-house food menu as well as hosting a variety of other games. This event is organized by Michael E, Omar’s Event Coordinator.
A sign-up link can be found HERE (scroll down on the home page)
We’re shipping up to Boston near the Boston University campus to visit Balance Patch! A one-of-a-kind eSports Cafe and play space. This cafe and eatery boasts an extensive tasty menu as well as full computer set ups for players looking to get some gaming on after the VGC event! This event is a Bo3 Swiss, Bo3 Top Cut Premierr Challenge hosted by Marshall and G3rd (Andrew).
A pre-registration link can be found HERE
This event has reached the 32 player capacity, however, they are encouraging folks to still pre-register in case folks drop out.
Weekend of January 20th/21st
The second Regulation F regional in Charlotte, North Carolina! While this is far from a New England local event, top VGC talent will be setting their sights on Charlotte! This event is organized by Overload Events.
A sign-up link can be found HERE
Registration for this event is currently full, Overload Events also recently mentioned on X that they will not be opening new spots, however, people may drop from the event so be sure to recheck RK9 every now and then for a random spot to open up.
Weekend of January 26th/27th
Unsettled Geeks is back at it again with another killer event! This gaming venue is on the 2nd floor of The Shoppes at Buckland Hills. This event will be a Bo3 Swiss, Bo3 Top Cut Premier Challenge. This event is organized by Cesar, the owner of Unsettled Geeks. Cesar is one of the OG Video Game TOs going back to the pre-COVID era of Pokemon locals in New England.
A sign-up link can be found HERE
At the time of writing, we couldn’t find a specifc event on the website, but the event should still be happening. We’ll update this when the event is made on the site.
Congratulations to G3rd (Andrew Tham) on his official Touranment Organizer status. We’re headed to a new venue in Massachusetts where the event is expected to be a Bo3 Swiss, Bo3 Top Cut Premier Challenge. G3rd is regularly attending events as a VGC Player, Judge, and Live Stream Producer/Caster. He is doing all that he can to expand the VGC scene while also occasionally going back to his roots by attending local Smash events in the New England area.
A sign-up link can be found HERE
Congratulations to Leaf (Matt) on his official Touranment Organizer status. We’re headed to a new venue closer to central Massachusetts in Leominster! From looking at some photos, this venue is spacious, clean, and very promising for future events. This event will be a Bo3 Swiss, Bo3 Top Cut Premier Challenge.
A sign-up link can be found HERE
This event has hit the 32 player capacity. Players who wish to be added to a waitlist can contact the Tournament Organizer via Discord or email (trapperoftheperish@gmail.com).
Some extra info from the Tournament Organizer:
“SUPER excited to announce the Plastic City Double Header which will take place on January 28th at the Leominster Veterans Memorial Center. This is a super spacious venue which will allow us to make this a pretty sick and sizable event. I will be capping my event at 32 players (with potential to increase cap). For $15 entry you have your chance at winning not only Championship Points, but a statue posted for $200 on the Pokemon Center website (cash payout to the rest of top3(4).
Followed by my event, likely during top cut due to time, there will be another PC that will be taking place. So there's always a second opportunity at points!
This event will also not only be STREAMED, but it will be CASTED as well! I have been working really hard behind the scenes to make this stream setup look SICK and I honestly can’t wait for it. Think of it as a mini regional. This is going to be HYPE”
This is the 2nd Premier Challenge after Leaf’s event in Leominster! This event will be a Bo1 or Bo3 Swiss, with a Bo3 Top Cut depending on the number of players in attendance. This event is hosted by Ryan B Hebert. There will be no cap for this event. The first event of the day hosted by Leaf does have a 32 player cap.
Sign-ups are done in person, $5 entry, Cash or Venmo/PayPal accepted!
Take a trip over to Natick to see the new store location for Endagered Hobbies! This event should be a a Bo3 Swiss, Bo3 Top Cut Premier Challenge. This venue is within the Natick Mall, and will require folks to park and then find the venue in the mall. The venue is on the 2nd floor of the mall. This event is organized by Ricardo.
A sign-up link can be found HERE
Be prepared to have an awesome time. Head down to Fall River, MA, and play in the intimate Awesome Gaming and Collectibles venue. While the location may be small, their sheer number of Pokemon events is mighty! This venue will typically cap at 16-20 players for events so be sure to sign up early! This will be a Bo3 Swiss, Bo3 Top Cut Premier Challenge. This event is organized by the Awesome Gaming Management. Awesome Gaming is one of the OG venues for VGC locals pre-COVID.
A sign-up link can be found HERE
New England has a LOADED month in January, but none of you are prepared for Midseason February and March!
Stay tuned for more local event coverage!