Western Slope Pokémon

Author: Professor Zack

  • Learn to Play Workshops

    Learn to Play Workshops

    Are you interested in learning how to play the Pokémon Trading Card Game, but not sure how to start? Box Buster Sports Cards in Montrose will be hosting three Learn to Play TCG Demo Events! Attend any one of these events to learn how to play the game and receive one of three different 30-card demo decks featuring Lucario V, Umbreon V, or Greninja V!*

    *while supplies last

    Come during any of the times listed below to meet our local Pokemon Professor, learn to play the game, get an official Play! Pokémon ID card and start your Pokémon trainer journey!

    Monday, September 25th 4-6pm

    Wednesday, September 27th 4-6pm

    Friday, September 29th 4-6pm

    Location: Box Buster Sports Cards, 16367 S. Townsend Ave Unit 7, Montrose, CO 81401

  • The First League Cup on the Western Slope!

    The First League Cup on the Western Slope!

    We’re incredibly excited to announce that we’ll be hosting the first League Cup on the Western Slope!

    League Cups are a step up from the League Challenges we’ve been holding every month, featuring increased Championship Point payout and giving players more opportunities to test their skills in preparation for larger events. The champions of each age division will receive an exclusive Champion playmat featuring terastalized Gyarados!

    Location: Box Buster Sports Cards, 16367 S Townsend Ave Unit 7, Montrose, CO 81401

    Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023

    Registration/Check-in: 9am

    Tournament starts: 10am

    Entry fee: $25

    Format: Standard, Single Game Swiss rounds (30 minutes) with Best-of-3 Top Cut (60 minutes). Number of rounds and prizing for each age division to be determined by total number of players.

    Players must have a Pokémon Trainer Club account with a Player ID attached, and must have opted in to the Play! Pokémon program in order to receive Championship Points. Player IDs can be issued at check-in if needed. Please bring a completed decklist at check-in to ensure things move at a good pace so we can start on time. Please reach out with any questions, and let us know if you plan on attending so we can have an idea of how many players to expect and be sure we can accommodate everyone!

  • Obsidian Flames Prerelease!

    Obsidian Flames Prerelease!

    Box Buster Sports Cards in Montrose, Colorado will be hosting its prerelease event for the Obsidian Flames expansion to the Pokémon TCG! Join us Saturday, August 5th to be among the first on the Western Slope to get these brand new cards!

    Check-in begins at 12pm, with the tournament starting no later than 12:30pm.

    Date: August 5, 2023 Cost: $25 per person Check-in: 12:00 pm Tournament starts: 12:30 pm Address: Box Buster Sports Cards, 16367 South Townsend Ave, Unit #7, Montrose, Colorado 81401

    Pre-register online here.

    If you’ve never attended a Pokémon prerelease event, here’s how it works:

    At the beginning of the event, each player will receive 1 Build & Battle Box, which will include:

    • A 40-card ready-to-play deck
    • 1 of 4 alternate-art promo cards
    • 4 Obisidian Flames booster packs
    • 1 deck-building tip sheet

    Players will then be given about 20 minutes to open their boxes and packs, and build a 40-card deck with the contents. (No trading with other players yet!) Players will be paired for a short, 3-round tournament of single-match games played with 4 prize cards rather than the usual 6. At the end, all players will receive 3 additional Obsidian Flames booster packs!

    Registration is $25 per person, and you can register in-store at Box Buster Sports Cards in Montrose, or register online here. Space is limited, so we highly encourage registering beforehand, though you may register on-site the day of the event if there are any spots remaining.

    When registering, please provide your first and last name, Play! Pokémon Player ID number, and date of birth so that you can be paired in the appropriate age division for the tournament. If you do not have a Player ID number, you can receive one by attending any of our twice-monthly Leagues and speaking with Professor Zack, or when you check in the day of the prerelease event.

    IMPORTANT: Kits MUST be picked up in-store during the event! Staying for the tournament is optional (but encouraged!). If you opt to not stay for the tournament, you will only receive a Build & Battle Box and no additional booster packs! Any Build & Battle Boxes and booster packs that are remaining after the event will be available for early purchase on Monday, August 7th!

  • Paldea Evolved Prerelease!

    Paldea Evolved Prerelease!

    Box Buster Sports Cards in Montrose, Colorado will be hosting its prerelease event for the Paldea Evolved expansion to the Pokémon TCG! Join us Saturday, May 27th to be among the first on the Western Slope to get these brand new cards two week before they release!

    Click here to reserve your spot now!

    Check-in begins at 12pm, with the tournament starting no later than 12:30pm.

    Date: May 27, 2023 Cost: $30 per person Check-in: 12:00 pm Tournament starts: 12:30 pm Address: Box Buster Sports Cards, 16367 South Townsend Ave, Unit #7, Montrose, Colorado 81401

    If you’ve never attended a Pokémon prerelease event, here’s how it works:

    At the beginning of the event, each player will receive 1 Build & Battle Box, which will include:

    • A 40-card ready-to-play deck
    • 1 of 4 alternate-art promo cards
    • 4 Paldea Evolved booster packs
    • 1 deck-building tip sheet

    Players will then be given about 20 minutes to open their boxes and packs, and build a 40-card deck with the contents. (No trading with other players yet!) Players will be paired for a short, 3-round tournament of single-match games played with 4 prize cards rather than the usual 6. At the end, all players will receive 3 additional Paldea Evolved booster packs!

    Registration is $30 per person, and you can register in-store at Box Buster Sports Cards in Montrose, or register online by clicking here. Space is limited, so we highly encourage registering beforehand, though you may register on-site the day of the event if there are any spots remaining.

    When registering, please provide your first and last name, Play! Pokémon Player ID number, and date of birth so that you can be paired in the appropriate age division for the tournament. If you do not have a Player ID number, you can receive one by attending any of our twice-monthly Leagues and speaking with Professor Zack, or when you check in the day of the prerelease event.

    IMPORTANT: Kits MUST be picked up in-store during the event! Staying for the tournament is optional (but encouraged!). If you opt to not stay for the tournament, you will only receive a Build & Battle Box and no additional booster packs! Any Build & Battle Boxes and booster packs that are remaining after the event will be available for early purchase on Monday, June 5th!

  • League Challenges are Coming to Montrose!

    League Challenges are Coming to Montrose!

    I’m excited to announce that the Western Slope Pokémon League in Box Buster Sports Cards will be holding our first ever TCG League Challenge on Monday, April 24th!

    League Challenges are small, entry-level events on a local scale held by most Play! Pokémon Stores. In League Challenge tournaments, players can earn Championship Points and work toward earning an invitation the World Championships!

    The tournament will be in the 2023 Standard Format, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the requirements here. Entry fee will be $10 per player, which will be collected at time of registration, with prizing for top players in each age division. We will be playing best-of-one swiss rounds. Number of rounds will be depend on number of players.

    IMPORTANT! Players must provide a decklist at time of registration. Blank decklist sheets will be available at our regular League play on April 21st, or you can download one here.

    DATE: Monday, April 24, 2023

    REGISTRATION START: 4:00pm

    TOURNAMENT START: 4:30pm

    ENTRY FEE: $10 per player LOCATION: Box Buster Sports Cards, 16367 South Townsend Unit 7, Montrose, CO 81401

    Hope to see you there!

  • Scarlet & Violet Prerelease

    Scarlet & Violet Prerelease

    Box Buster Sports Cards in Montrose, Colorado will be hosting its first-ever Pokémon TCG Prerelease event for the much-anticipated Scarlet & Violet set! Join us Saturday, March 18th to be among the first on the Western Slope to get these brand new cards two week before they release!

    Check-in begins at 12pm, with the tournament starting no later than 12:30pm.

    How it works:

    At the beginning of the event, each player will receive 1 Build & Battle Box, which will include:

    • A 40-card ready-to-play deck
    • 1 of 4 alternate-art promo cards
    • 4 Scarlet & Violet booster packs
    • 1 deck-building tip sheet

    Players will then be given about 20 minutes to open their boxes and packs, and build a 40-card deck with the contents. (No trading with other players yet!) Players will be paired for a short tournament of single-match games played with 4 prize cards rather than the usual 6. At the end, all players will receive 3 additional booster packs!

    Space is limited, so we highly encourage registering beforehand, though you may register on-site the day of the event if there are any spots remaining.

    Registration is $30 per person. Click here to register online to reserve your spot today, or register in-person at the store!

    When registering, please provide your first and last name, Play! Pokémon Player ID number, and date of birth so that you can be paired in the appropriate age division for the tournament. If you do not have a Player ID number, you can receive one by attending any of our twice-monthly League nights and speaking with Professor Zack, or when you check in the day of the prerelease event.

    IMPORTANT: Kits MUST be picked up in-store on March 18th during the event. Staying for the tournament is optional (but encouraged!). If you opt to not stay for the tournament, you will only receive a Build & Battle Box and no additional booster packs.

    UPDATE 2/18: Any Build & Battle Boxes and booster packs that are remaining after the event will be available for early purchase on Monday, March 27th!

    Date: March 18, 2023 Cost: $30 per person Check-in: 12:00 pm Event starts: 12:30 pm Address: Box Buster Sports Cards, 16367 South Townsend Ave, Unit #7, Montrose, Colorado 81401

  • Team Challenge Season 4 Qualifiers!

    Team Challenge Season 4 Qualifiers!

    The Western Slope Pokémon League at Box Buster Sports Cards in Montrose, Colorado is looking for players to join us for our online Qualifier rounds of the Play! Pokémon Team Challenge!

    The Pokémon Team Challenge is a global online event designed to offer Play! Pokémon Stores new ways to engage with their local Pokémon Trading Card Game Community and compete with other stores around the world to see who will be the very best.

    The tournament is open to Masters Division only (players born in 2006 or earlier. Sorry kiddos!) Players must have a Pokémon Trainer Club account and a valid Pokémon Player ID. (Let Professor Zack know if you need help setting that up.)

    Prizes include physical playmats (like the one pictured below), digital booster pack codes and more!

    Each of our four Qualifier rounds will be held online using the Pokémon TCG Online game. The winners of each Qualifier will form a four-person team representing our local game store, Box Buster Sports Cards, to compete for prizes and glory! Once the teams are in place for each store, they will compete against other Store Teams in an elimination bracket. Each bracket match will be a 3v3 round-robin competition against another team, with the team that earns five or more wins advancing to the next round. Initially, teams will play other stores from their city, and then will be reseated at regional, national, and global levels if they progress. This round will also take approximately 10 weeks.

    The Team Challenge culminates in a Grand Final between the top two Store Teams.

    Our Qualifier rounds will take place on the following dates:

    • Qualifier 1: Sat. Nov. 19, 2022 at 12:00pm MST
    • Qualifier 2: Sun. Dec. 4, 2022 at 1:00pm MST
    • Qualifier 3: Sat. Dec. 10, 2022 at 12:00pm MST
    • Qualifier 4: Sat. Dec. 17, 2022 at 12:00pm MST

    To register, go to: https://rk9.gg/tournament/f9zh0kHEt2V4xmf5B8va

    Join our Discord server for more information and to coordinate participation: https://discord.gg/7m33ypesH9

  • Halloween Party!

    Halloween Party!

    This Friday, the Western Slope Pokémon League will be having a Halloween party! We’ll do a Pokémon costume contest (with some prizes from Box Buster!), have activities and crafts for the younger trainers, goody bags, and more! Join us at Box Buster Sports Cards this Friday, Oct. 28th, from 4-6pm!

  • League Now at Box Buster Sports Cards!

    League Now at Box Buster Sports Cards!

    I’m so excited to announce that the Western Slope Pokémon League will be relocating to the new Box Buster Sports Cards store in Montrose, Colorado! They’re a new addition to our community, and I’m personally stoked and grateful to partner with them to grow the hobby, trading card, and gaming community in Montrose.

    With the new location, our schedule will be changing to Friday evenings, twice per month. For the month of October 2022 we’ll be meeting on the 14th and 28th, from 4-6pm. See the Upcoming Events page for the schedule for the remainder of 2022.

    The store is located at 16367 South Townsend Ave, Unit #7, in Montrose and I encourage everyone to check them out and show your support for this much-needed addition to the Montrose community! You can follow them on Facebook and learn more about them at their website.

    And, as always, feel free to contact me with any questions. And be sure to join our new Discord Server here to stay in touch with the league between meetups.

  • The Return of the Western Slope Pokémon League!

    The Return of the Western Slope Pokémon League!

    Hello trainers! It’s been far too long since we were able to get together for a friendly game of Pokémon… but the wait is finally over!

    The Pokémon Company recently announced that they are allowing in-person Leagues to resume in the United States… which means we are officially back in action!

    We will resume our League sessions twice per month in July and August. We will once again be gathering at the Meeting Room at the Montrose Library from 2-5pm July 9th and 23rd and August 6th and 20th.

    So dust off those damage counters, train your teams, and we’ll see you at the Library in July!