Battle for the Burgh!
Presented by the Tekko Trainer Festival
Welcome to the Battle for the Burgh, by the Tekko Trainer Festival. Throw down on the streets of Pittsburgh and explore everything iconic about our proud city, Pokemon style! Check out the secret life of the Pokemon living in the city in challenge games, then test your skill against the local gym leaders to earn a badge. There’s something for everyone, from challenges for experienced competitive players, to lessons for newcomers, as well as coloring contests for the kids. Yinz’ll have a great time!
Starting Your Journey
To make your way through Pittsburgh, you’ll need a Trainer ID card. This card is customizable to your preference and will be laminated as a souvenir after completion. You can use these cards as stand-ins so nobody has to wait in line; you can simply place your Trainer ID in the holder for the activity you wish to do, then sit to enjoy the streaming gameplay or smaller, no-line activities while you wait. You are encouraged to add your Trainer ID behind your Tekko badge for easy carrying.
Our flagship activity is our League Challenge, with four badges to earn across four days in a symbolic city tour. Complete any part of the challenge for a ribbon, or any two for a badge button to keep. You can complete these in any order on any day, but our Spotlight Gyms will have less wait as they will be prioritized over the other gyms on their respective days. You can choose between ‘Tourist’ or ‘Yinzer’ difficulty for most things so that you can choose the challenge that best suits you, though ‘Yinzer’s will see more prize tickets as a reward. If that’s not your vibe, there are other pokemon activities if you click here.
Thursday’s Spotlight Gym
The Anthro Badge
On Thursday, we’re visiting Anthrocon! The biggest furry convention in the world, held only in Pittsburgh. Sort luggage based on a glimpse of the pokemon inside of Airport Sort, so that the furries don’t lose their suits on their way to the convention. Then, take on a gym leader who uses Human-Like pokemon in battle in a Regulation M-B VGC match in Pokemon Champions. If Pokemon Go is your vibe, look for the Pokestop near Con Ops on the third floor.
Friday’s Spotlight Gym
The Athletic Badge
For Friday, take a tour of Pittsburgh’s famous sports teams! Play ball with a passel of Pokemon in Sportball and score the winning goal before the buzzer, then go for the hat trick by playing against Pokemon that use ‘Ball’ or ‘Bomb’ moves in a Regulation M-B VGC match or a TCG half-deck game. Finish your victory lap by searching for the Pokestop at Meetup 1.
Saturday’s Spotlight Gym
The Transit Badge
As you cross the city on Saturday, you should take a moment to appreciate the incredible (though sometimes crumbling) infrastructure and public transportation that runs like veins through the heart of the city. Try your hand at engineering by stretching an Archaludon across a river as precisely as possible in Archaludon’s Mighty Span. After that, take the T down to our gym for a match with Pokemon who use moves that could be used outside of battle in previous games in either a Regulation M-B VGC match or a TCG half-deck game and hunt around for the Pokestop hidden near Cosplay Repairs.
Sunday’s Spotlight Gym
The Industry Badge
Finish your trip on Sunday by honoring Pittsburgh’s industrial past. Give Crazy Carkol Calamity a try and ship coal to the foundries via some… unique… Carkol through a tunnel and around a bend without spilling it. Take down our steel-forged pokemon in a TCG half-deck game or find the Pokestop at Stage Uzume for your last badge!
Tournaments
Each day we will hold tournaments periodically, both in the official formats and in niche ones. Even if you don’t win, you’ll get tickets for a second chance while winners can pick up some pokemon card packs.
Featured Streamers
Hail
Everyone's favorite lumpfish mermaid is coming to you virtually this year. You can battle for badges against a Master Ball ranked NAIC competitor on stream! Even if you aren't at Tekko, you can still play Pokemon with us- and with them.
Cush
Welcome to Cush! Cush is a PokeTuber, known for collaborating on Gameshows and Board Games. Using his wits and humor, he has created a dedicated community of 50,000+. Whether hosting or playing as a contestant, he does his best to provide a playful, goofy experience for all!
Panther’s Den Pokemon Go Collaboration
Our friends at the Panther's Den are coming around again for Friendship Friday and a few walks on Saturday.
Stop by and join the local PoGo community!
Play Lab
If you want to learn how to play the TCG or VGC, this year we have an area dedicated to teaching. During select hours, all attendees are invited to stop by for a small group training session. While supplies last, attendees new to the card game can build their own half-deck to use in the gym challenge that they get to keep afterwards.
Coloring Contest
Our content is for all ages, including folks just old enough to hold a colored pencil. For this reason, we are holding a coloring contest! All program participants may vote on a favorite from the under 12 division, the 12-17 division, and the 18+ division, with the winners announced on Saturday at 4. Winners will receive pokemon card packs and extra tickets to win more prizes later.
Pokopia Party!
If you prefer to pal around in Pokopia, we've got you covered! We've put together a hide and seek island and we'll have occasional contests for prize tickets. In between, try out our collaboration island, which will be started fresh on Thursday morning and run through the close of the convention on Sunday.
Prizes N’at
We have a ton of cool things to win again this year! All prizes are raffled, and the only way to get tickets is to have fun with Pokemon at the Tekko Trainer Festival. Different items will be raffled each day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Drawings will be in the last half hour that the Festival is open each day, and winners must pick up their prizes in person before the end of the convention. If you submit your email address to sign up for a survey after the convention, you will receive an email if your ticket is pulled for a prize.
New for this year, we are also raffling the opportunity to be on a game show, either against or hosted by our featured guest. You must be present in the panel in order to win.
Accessibility Statement
Pokemon is for everyone! However, we realise that some of our neighbors may not have the physical, mental, or social ability to complete some activities. Everyone, regardless of ability, may request an accommodation, and we will take all reasonable steps to ensure that every attendee can participate in as many things as possible.
All questions can be addressed to our Tour Guide, natalie.itzelle@teamtekko.us. See yinz out there!
