Pokémon Trading Card Game AI Battle Challenge: AI Agent Development Contest Announced

Matsuo Laboratory Inc. (headquartered in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter 'Matsuo Laboratory') announces the launch of the AI agent development contest 'Pokémon Trading Card Game AI Battle Challenge' (Japanese abbreviation: Pokéka ABC, English abbreviation: PTCGABC) on Kaggle, the world's largest data science platform, in collaboration with The Pokémon Company (headquartered in Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Tsunekazu Ishihara) and HEROZ Inc. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takahiro Hayashi).

This competition is an AI agent development contest focused on battles in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, played in 16 languages across over 90 countries and regions. Participants will develop and build AI agents capable of battling in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, pitting them against agents developed by other participants to compete in strength.

The goal is to provide a new way to experience the strategically rich Pokémon Trading Card Game.

The first round will begin on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 20:00 Japan time, with the second round scheduled for late 2026 or later. Prize money will be awarded to the top 8 teams in the Strategy category of the first round and the top 2 teams in the second round.

AI’s New Challenge: Entering the Pokémon TCG Arena

Games such as chess, shogi, and Go—classified as 'perfect information games'—have played a crucial role in advancing AI by serving as key benchmarks for testing AI capabilities.

In contrast, the Pokémon Trading Card Game is an example of an 'imperfect information game,' where elements such as the draw deck and the opponent’s hand remain hidden.

Beyond type matchups, the game features deep strategic complexity arising from combinations of over thousands of different cards. Skilled players make decisions while considering countless possibilities. The interplay of random elements like card draws and coin tosses further complicates the environment, making it a challenging task for AI to determine optimal moves.

This competition aims to explore how submitted AI agents handle these complex challenges faced during actual gameplay, opening up new ways to enjoy the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Key Features

Hosted on the 'Kaggle' Platform

We welcome participation from a broad range of AI developers, researchers, engineers, and students worldwide, including those unfamiliar with the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

The first round will be hosted on Kaggle, a leading machine learning and data science platform.

Support from Three Leading Organizations

The first round on Kaggle will be organized and operated jointly by Kaggle Inc. as host, and Matsuo Laboratory Inc., The Pokémon Company, and HEROZ Inc. as co-organizers.

Prizes and Development Support

To support participants' passion and innovation in Pokémon TCG strategy research, prize money will be awarded in both the first and second rounds.

<First Round>

Simulation Division

※ No prize money will be awarded in the Simulation Division.

Strategy Division

1st to 8th place: $30,000 each (per team)

Top 8 teams qualify for the second round

※ Participation in the Strategy Division requires prior participation in the Simulation Division.

<Second Round>

Champion team: $50,000

Runner-up team: $30,000

All second-round participants: $3,000 Google Cloud coupon per individual

※ Please carefully review the full official rules posted on the Kaggle competition page. In case of discrepancies between this summary and the official rules, the rules shall prevail.

Comments from Organizers

Matsuo Laboratory Inc.

Technical Advisor

Yutaka Matsuo

“This project represents a novel and challenging initiative—enabling AI to learn decision-making within the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

While AI learning in decision-making has been widely explored in games like Go and shogi, applying AI to games with 'imperfect information,' diverse card effects, and randomized elements like Pokémon TCG is extremely rare worldwide.

We aim to leverage the fun of the game to provide AI developers and researchers with an opportunity to explore how cutting-edge AI technologies can be applied, allowing fans worldwide to experience the Pokémon TCG in a completely new way.”

Yutaka Matsuo, Technical Advisor, Matsuo Laboratory Inc.

Matsuo Laboratory Inc.

Executive Officer

Shigeki Shimizu

“We are delighted to co-host the 'Pokémon Trading Card Game AI Battle Challenge' with The Pokémon Company and HEROZ.

For this project, we have carefully collaborated with all parties to design a competition that captures the deep strategic nature of the Pokémon TCG, ensuring it is both challenging and enjoyable for participants.

We believe this event will appeal not only to Pokémon TCG enthusiasts but also to AI developers, researchers, engineers, and students as a new technical challenge.

We sincerely hope for broad participation and look forward to exploring together how AI will engage with the game and what innovative strategies it will produce.”

Shigeki Shimizu, Executive Officer, Matsuo Laboratory Inc.

HEROZ Inc.

CEO and Representative Director

Takahiro Hayashi

“The 'Pokémon Trading Card Game AI Battle Challenge,' co-hosted with The Pokémon Company and Matsuo Laboratory, is a stage where researchers and developers worldwide can experience the new possibilities born from the fusion of AI and entertainment.

We aim to go beyond a mere technical competition—creating an exciting event where spectators can enjoy the clash of AI and human intelligence as entertainment.

Watch closely as AI reads the cards and formulates its strategy.”

Takahiro Hayashi, CEO and Representative Director, HEROZ Inc.

Competition Format

The competition consists of two stages: 'First Round' and 'Second Round.'

For detailed formats, please visit the official Pokéka ABC website: https://ptcg-abc.pokemon.co.jp/

<Rules>

All matches in the 'Pokéka ABC' will follow the official Pokémon Trading Card Game battle rules (https://www.pokemon-card.com/howtoplay/) with unique adjustments made specifically for this competition.

Only cards listed in the official card list provided by the organizers may be used. Each player has a maximum of 10 minutes of playtime; exceeding this time results in a loss for that match.