Category: Announcements

  • Farewell Box Buster Sports Cards

    Farewell Box Buster Sports Cards

    It’s with great sadness that we bid farewell to Box Buster Sports Cards, which as been the home of the Western Slope Pokemon League in Montrose for the past 2 years, as they closed down for good on Saturday, August 3rd. 😢

    I want to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to Garrett and his family for hosting our events and helping us grow the Pokemon community here! It’s been such a joy getting to know them and working with them to help the community on the thrive. I hope and pray that they have a successful new store opening in their new home in Golden, CO!

    What does this mean for the league in Montrose? Unfortunately, because of TPCi’s rules, it means that since we’ll no longer be affiliated with a game store, we won’t be able to do any sanctioned League events, Challenges, Cups, or Prereleases in Montrose for the foreseeable future. So that means that the closest tournament and prerelease scene will be at Board Fox Games in Grand Junction (which I’ll be sure myself and Professor Rayne keep everyone updated on!).

    This doesn’t mean it’s the end of Pokemon in Montrose, though! I still have plenty of Prize Packs and promos left (with some new stuff already on its way!) that I want to make sure to give out. As often as I’m able, I’ll reserve the meeting room at the Montrose Regional Library for fun, casual hangouts to play and get promos. The first of which will be on Saturday, August 17th to celebrate the World Championships!

    Be sure to keep an eye out here and in our Discord for updates as I have them.

    –Professor Zack

  • World Championship Celebration in Montrose

    World Championship Celebration in Montrose

    We’ll be doing a Worlds Celebration event at the Montrose Library on Saturday, Aug. 17th! Join us at a party celebrating the Pokémon World Championships! To celebrate the spirit of competition, all arrivals get a special Pikachu promo card featuring an intense battle between Pikachu and Mew, a Honolulu-inspired backdrop, and the World Championships stamp.

    Play casual games, trade, and make new friends! There will also be other exclusive promotional items given out throughout the event.

    When: August 17, 2024, 1:00pm-5:00pm
    Where: Montrose Regional Library, 320 South 2nd St., Montrose, CO 81401

  • Ditto Draft in Montrose

    Ditto Draft in Montrose

    Join us at Box Buster Sports Cards in Montrose on Saturday, July 20th for a Ditto Draft! Check-in starts at 2pm and we’ll start drafting at 2:30pm. $20 entry fee for drafting 4 packs (exact packs will depend on store inventory at the time of the event). Prize Packs will be given to all players and extra Prize Packs awarded to the winners! Please bring your own sleeves, damage counters, etc. Basic energies and Ditto Markers will be provided by organizer.

    How Ditto Draft Works

    From the TCG Alternate Play Handbook

    Each player receives four predetermined booster packs. They can all be from the same expansion or from different expansions, as long as each player has the same four packs.

    Image of a Ditto Marker

    Players will also be provided with Ditto Markers to use along with the special Ditto Draft rules (see below). Ditto Markers can be placed on Basic Pokémon without a Rule Box to grant them the Ability to evolve into any Stage 1 or Stage 2 Pokémon that a player drafts and includes in their deck.

    Players will be seated in a circle to facilitate the draft. Once everyone is ready, the Organizer will signal the players to open their first booster pack. If using a combination of packs from different expansions, all players should open a pack from the same expansion at the same time. Each player selects one card from the pack and sets it aside to start their draft selection pile, along with the Pokémon TCG Live or Pokémon TCG Online code card and the basic Energy card or VSTAR marker. Players then pass the remaining cards from the booster pack, face down, to the person on their left. The cards selected by each player should remain secret during the drafting process.

    Each player continues to select one card from among the cards passed to them until all the cards have been selected. After all cards from a booster pack have been picked, players will have one minute to review the cards they have so far. This process repeats for each remaining booster pack, with the passing pattern alternating from left to right as each new pack is opened.

    Deck Construction

    After all the booster packs have been opened and all the cards have been selected, each player constructs a 40-card deck using the cards they picked from the booster packs, as well as basic Energy cards provided by the Organizer. Players have 20 minutes to construct their decks. Players may not trade the cards they selected in the draft with other players until the tournament ends. After everyone’s deck is completed, play begins.

    Gameplay

    Games will be played with 4 Prize cards instead of the usual six. Once the first round of the tournament begins, players may not alter the contents of their decks. All standard gameplay rules apply, with the following additional Ditto Draft rule:

    Once during your turn (before you attack), you may place a Ditto marker on 1 of your Basic Pokémon that doesn’t have a Rule Box. It gains the following Ability:

    Ability: EVOLUTIONARY ADVANTAGE
    Once during your turn, you may put any Stage 1 or Stage 2 card from your hand onto this Pokémon to evolve it. You can’t use this Ability during your first turn or the turn this Pokémon was put into play. If you put a Stage 2 card onto this Pokémon, your turn ends. Each Pokémon can use only 1 Evolutionary Advantage Ability per game.

  • VGC Comes to Montrose!

    VGC Comes to Montrose!

    The 2024/2025 competitive season has officially begun! Box Buster Sports Cards in Montrose will be having its first League Challenges Saturday, July 27th.

    That’s right, that’s “Challenges” plural! As announced by The Pokémon Company last week, the local-level Video Game Championship series have been renamed to Video Game League Challenge and Video Game League Cup… and Montrose is now able to hold those events! So if you’ve been wanting to try your hand at competitive video game play in Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet, now’s your chance!

    We will be holding the TCG League Challenge and Video Game League Challenge simultaneously, with staggered start times to help with logistics. Here’s the info:

    TCG League Challenge

    • Check-in: 2:00pm
    • Tournament start: 3:00pm
    • Format: Standard
    • Entry fee: $10
    • Rounds: Best-of-1, 30 minute Swiss

    VG League Challenge

    • Check-in: 2:30pm
    • Tournament start: 3:30pm
    • Format: Double battles, Regulation Set G
    • Entry fee: None
    • Rounds: Best-of-3 Swiss rounds

    Please bring completed deck lists or team lists to speed up the registration process. Otherwise, blank list sheets will be provided when you check in. If you are able to print your own lists, I recommend using RK9 Labs’ deck list creator or team list creator.

    Remember that if you are earning Championship Points, you can only earn points for one type of game! CP do not transfer from one game to another, so be sure your Play! Pokémon account is set to earn points in the correct game that you want. (Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t play in different types of tournaments throughout the year if you want! Just make sure you’re aware of your account settings so you can plan your season accordingly.)

    If this will be your first time competing in an official tournament, be sure to familiarize yourself with the Play! Pokémon Rules and Resources. Though, even if you’re an old hand at the competitive scene, it wouldn’t hurt to look over them again since they were updated recently. 😉

    I’m super excited to be able to provide more competitive opportunities for our local players, and I look forward to seeing all the decks and teams you come up with this season! Please reach out if you have any questions.

  • New Schedule for Montrose

    New Schedule for Montrose

    Hello Montrose Pokémon trainers!

    Due to changes in Box Buster Sports Cards’ hours this summer, our regular league sessions will be changing days and time! Starting June 27, casual Pokémon League will be moving to every other THURSDAY from 5-8pm! That’s right, league is finally returning to 3-hour sessions, which means more time to earn prize packs and have fun!

    Also, our free Gym Leader Challenge tournament is moving to SATURDAY, June 22nd at 2:00pm! In addition to the exclusive Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Super Rod, and TM Evolution promo cards all participants will get, the winners in each age division will also receive a Champion playmat!

    We hope you’ll continue to join us for a summer filled with all kinds of Pokémon fun!

  • 2024 Trainer Highlights

    2024 Trainer Highlights

    We had a jam-packed 2023/2024 competitive season in Montrose! With 4 League Cups and 7 League Challenges and players from all over Colorado’s Western Slope, it was hands-down the best year we’ve ever had!

    I’d like to highlight two of our players who had amazing accomplishments this year: Eduardo Ambriz and Calvin R. These two trainers each had the most Top 3 finishes in Montrose events, with Eddie landing 8 and Calvin getting 7 (plus another significant win, but we’ll get to that in a moment).

    Eddie’s known for playing Chien-Pao, though he did play some other decks throughout the year, such as Mew VMAX/Genesect (before rotation) and a Blastoise ex/Palkia VSTAR deck.

    In the Junior division, Calvin absolutely CRUSHED it with five first place wins, the most of any of our players! He piloted decks like Charizard ex and Lugia VSTAR/Cinccino with great success. And to top it all off, he placed in the Top 64 at last weekend’s North America International Championship, which secured him his invite to the 2024 World Championship! That’s a huge accomplishment in and of itself, but what makes it extra special is that Calvin is officially the first trainer on the Western Slope EVER to qualify for Worlds! I’m absolutely one proud Professor, and so excited to see where Calvin’s trainer journey takes him next!

    In closing, I want to congratulate and thank everyone that has participated in our events in Montrose throughout the year. Your continued support and involvement are helping us build an awesome community across the Western Slope, and I’m looking forward to more to come in the coming year!

    –Professor Zack

  • New Gym Leader Challenge coming to Montrose!

    New Gym Leader Challenge coming to Montrose!

    Are you ready for a new way to play the Pokémon Trading Card Game? Then take on the Gym Leader Challenge!

    Gym Leader Challenge (“GLC” for short) is a fun, challenging, and diverse format that lets you use a much larger pool of cards than the typical Standard format we use in tournaments! In Gym Leader Challenge, players specialize in a single type of Pokémon and build their deck only using that type of Pokémon, like a Gym Leader would!

    While we don’t have any GLC tournaments sanctioned yet (though, we hope to hope to have one in June!) we do have some fun rewards for trainers who want to take the Gym Leader Challenge during our biweekly casual league sessions in Montrose! Any player who defeats Professor Zack in a GLC battle at League will be given their pick of official Pokémon Prize Pack promo cards to commemorate their success!

    Gym Leader Challenge Victory Tracker Card - Western Slope Pokemon League, Montrose, Colorado

    And for those wanting to take their Gym Leader Challenge to the next level, starting April 19th, challengers can be given a Victory Tracker card by Professor Zack. Use this card to track when you win a GLC match with anyone at League with each type of deck. Win with all 11 types, and you’ll receive a special award for mastering them all!

    Learn more about the deckbuilding rules of the GLC format, including what cards are and are not allowed to be used, on our Gym Leader Challenge page, and join our Discord server to discuss decks and strategies with the local community!

  • First League Cup of 2024

    First League Cup of 2024

    Our first League Cup of 2024 has been scheduled! Join us Saturday, March 23rd at Box Buster Sports Cards in Montrose!

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

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

    Date: Saturday, March 23, 2024

    Registration/Check-in: 9am

    Tournament starts: 10am

    Entry fee: $25

    Format: Standard, Best-of-1 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 into 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!

  • What’s Ahead for 2024

    What’s Ahead for 2024

    Happy New Year! I want to start off by giving a tremendous THANK YOU to everyone that has made 2023 the most successful year we’ve ever had! Thanks to you, we’ve been able to bring Premier events to Montrose, giving you all the chance to earn Championship Points towards a shot at the World Championship!

    In 2023, we had players from across the Western Slope, from Montrose to Grand Junction to Telluride, play in…

    5 prerelease events!

    8 League Challenges!

    2 League Cups!

    It’s been so awesome seeing the Pokémon community grow on the Western Slope, and I’m looking forward to even more in the coming year!

    The schedule for the beginning of 2024 can be seen on the Upcoming Events page. Our regular bi-weekly league sessions will resume Friday, January 12th from 4-6pm. We will also continue holding monthly League Challenge tournaments, and quarterly League Cups.

    Earn Exclusive Prize Packs at League!

    With the new year, we’ll be making some changes to our Achievement Board system that allows players to earn exclusive Play! Pokémon Prize Packs.

    To earn points on the board, players must battle with other trainers at league, whether in the TCG, video games, or Pokémon GO. Win or lose, both players will receive a point on the board, which is tracked by the position of the Poké Ball magnet next to your name. One point per unique opponent, per week! When you’ve earned 2 points, you’ll receive a sticker sheet, and once you’ve earned 8 points, you’ll receive a Prize Pack**!

    Players will also receive an activity card that will give you a chance to earn a second prize pack! Each card includes activities for the TCG, video games, and Pokémon GO. You can complete activities in any order, and for any of the games. Once you’ve completed 8 activities, you’ll receive a Prize Pack!

    **While supplies last. Due to limited supplies, there will be a limit of 2 prize packs per person, per month at league sessions. However, you can have other chances to earn prize packs by playing in our League Challenges and Cups.

    Gym Leader Challenge

    This year I’ll continue to accept Gym Leader Challenges, with the prize of an exclusive Professor’s Research card featuring Pokémon GO’s Professor Willow** if you defeat me!

    The Gym Leader Challenge is a fun and challenging TCG format with strategies all its own! GLC decks have specific rules to follow when being built, such as no Pokémon with a rule box (such as Pokémon ex or Radiant Pokémon), all Pokémon must be the same energy type, and decks can only have a single copy of each card (except for basic Energy).

    You can learn more about the format in the TCG Alternative Play Handbook.

    **While supplies last. Again, due to limited supplies, there will be a limit of 1 Professor’s Research card per person to ensure as many players as possible get the chance to earn one.

    Thank you all again so much, and I look forward to an exciting new year of more Pokémon fun! If you have any questions, or want to stay connected with the community between events, I highly encourage you to join in our Discord server here.

  • 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!