The Pokémon TCG competitive circuit is welcoming a new format. The Pokémon Company has announced Pokémon Team Masters, a Trading Card Game tournament played in teams of three. It is the first time such a format has been organized on this scale, and South Korea is kicking things off.
See you in Seoul in January 2027
The first edition, Pokémon Team Masters 2027 in SEOUL, will take place on January 23 and 24, 2027 at KINTEX, the large exhibition center in the Seoul area. Up to 2,000 players from several countries and regions of Asia will be able to take part.
Registration has been open since September 28, 2026 and ends on October 23, 2026. Each player registers on the dedicated platform, then the captain validates the team once all three members are registered. The tournament is played in an open division, with no age category.
Three players, three decks, no duplicates
The rules add a constraint that is the whole appeal of the format. Matches are played in the Standard format, with 60-card decks and 6 Prize cards, but each team must register three different decks, and no two decks may contain Pokémon with the same name.
So it is impossible to field the same archetype three times. A team can only play one deck based on a given Pokémon, which will force teammates to spread their strengths carefully. This should bring out collective strategies you do not see in individual tournaments.
A World Championships qualification at stake
The stakes are high: the four best teams will earn a qualification for the TCG division of the 2027 Pokémon World Championships. As a reminder, these Worlds will be held in Singapore, as announced at the end of the 2026 World Championships in San Francisco.
For now, Pokémon Team Masters is reserved for players in Asia, and there is no indication yet of whether the format will be organized elsewhere. But a team tournament on the official circuit would be a real novelty for European players. Would you like to see this format come to Europe? Tell us in the comments!
Sources: The Pokémon Company, Inven Global, Serebii.net.
