Bloomfield Pokémon League (BPL) is hosted at Mimic’s Market in the Bloomfield neighbourhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Edelgard “Cordy” Fox founded the League in 2023 to better serve Pokémon players who live in the city.
All player skill levels, including new and prospective players are welcome. Some of our League regulars have Day 2 Regional finishes; many played their first League Challenge at BPL.
The average age of a League attendee is 25 and the median age is 28.
What we do
We meet for trading card game (TCG) and video game (VGC) play every Tuesday afternoon! Folks generally arrive around 16:45 (4:45pm) for open play, with the evening’s tournament starting at 18:15 (6:15pm). Registration for tournaments closes at 18:00 (6pm)!
Our typical tournament rotation is:
- Week 1: TCG League Challenge
- Week 2: VGC League Challenge
- Week 3: Standard Friendly (TCG)
- Week 4: Gym Leader Challenge Friendly
- Week 5 (if present): VGC League Cup
TCG League Cups are held once a quarter on Sundays announced in advance.
During Prereleases, a sealed Prerelease takes precedence over the typical Tuesday tournament, and a draft Prerelease is held on a neighbouring Sunday.
We do not currently run tournaments for Pokémon GO, although several League regulars play GO and will happily coordinate group activities like raids and trades. If there is demand for GO tournaments in the future, this is something we can explore!
How to get involved
There are several ways that you can get involved with BPL!
- Join the Mimic’s Market Discord! We have active channels for TCG and VGC discussion as well as card trading. This is a great place to get notifications for our events and chat with League attendees.
- Attend an open play session! We have open play time before all of our events and they are a great space to try out a new deck, meet new people, and ask League staff any questions that you may have.
- Come to an event! Prereleases especially make for good first time tournaments. If you have a bit of experience, our monthly Standard Locals offer some lower stakes competition.
League ethos
If you are trying to determine whether BPL is a good fit for you, we invite you to consider our values:
❥ We follow the Play! Pokémon Standards of Conduct
Everyone who attends Pokémon League does so because we love Pokémon and have fun playing with others! This attendance is of one’s choice, and it is fair to expect fellow attendees to contribute to a positive play environment, even during competitive events.
❥ We follow the Play! Pokémon Inclusion Policy
Bloomfield is a very queer neighbourhood. Mimic’s Market, our host store, is owned and operated by queer folk. Our League Assistant (Tournament Organizer & Head Judge) is a Latina trans woman. League regulars include people of colour, people with disabilities, and gender-diverse persons. We have league attendees of all ages, including Juniors, Seniors, parents, and grandparents.
While it is not expected that you share the politics of any one person in attendance, we would remind you that intolerance with regards to race, disability, gender identity, and citizenship status is strictly prohibited by the Play! Pokémon Inclusion Policy, and these are values visibly held in the storefront.
❥We follow the Play! Pokémon Accessibility Policy
When registering for an event, players have the option to request static seating. Players are permitted to use sensory input aids, such as earplugs to dampen crowd noise. The store has a wheelchair ramp that may be installed for the entrance. Masking is highly encouraged for all attendees.
❥We value players’ time, efforts, and money
Mimic’s Market supports us well in this endeavour! Mimic’s Market sells Pokémon product at MSRP and releases new items for sale during League to ensure players have opportunities to find what they are looking for. Sealed product for sale to the general public and event prizing are kept separate.
For paid-entry tournaments, a publicly-viewable Prizing chart explains how much sealed product your entry fee pays for at each type of event and what you can expect to receive in sealed product based on your placement. Each player can expect to receive a Prize Pack (while supplies last) in addition to their sealed product payout. Everyone goes home from a paid tournament with something.
Our VGC tournaments have no entry fee as there is no material prizing beyond Championship Points.
We acknowledge the cost of trading card games can be a barrier to entry, especially when the metagame shifts several times a year. We encourage collaborating with other players who are happy to loan cards or even entire decks when deciding on what to play at League!