Pokémon GO has been with us for years, getting us out and about collecting hundreds of Pokémon and discovering interesting landmarks in our neighbourhood.

But did you know there’s a thriving competitive scene for the game… and that you can be a part of it? Your days of catching Pokémon in the wild could lead you to the main stage in a thrilling competition.

We spoke to Tom Dack, one of the Pokémon GO judges at the Pokémon Europe International Championship finals and a member of the Professor Program, who told us all about the competition – and how at its core is a friendly and helpful community, and a chance to meet others with common interests.

If you’re interested in joining the ranks of Pokémon Masters, you can start from within the app itself. Dack explains how it works.

“You’ve got the Go Battle League, the online PvP system inside the game. Within the game, you pick your three Pokémon and you get matched against a random opponent and see who wins. Within a tournament, you build a team of six Pokémon that you match against your opponent. Be a bit tactical with your choices. Go Battle League definitely helps you to pick up the basics of PvP and learn how the moves work and how battling works.

“I think the way to get into the scene is to find a local league that is starting a Go Battle scene where you can play and learn from local players. And, of course, there’s a huge range of resources available from content creators and streamers, including how to play the game and tutorials about how to improve,” Dack says.

There are hundreds of Pokémon to collect and train, with new additions being added each year. With so much choice, how do you get to pick which ones to train and bring with you into your first Pokémon battle?

“There’s always part of the game that is playing for fun,” says Dack. “If you’re picking up the game for your first try, why not start with your favourite and give it a go? Learn how the game plays and then you can start getting more tactical with your choices.”

“Once you’ve got a feel for the battle mechanics, you can start looking at powerful Pokémon that the top players are using. But remember to hold on to your collection!

“The thing about Pokémon GO is you never know what move might change. That might mean some obscure Pokémon that no one ever thought of is suddenly really strong! So it’s worth keeping hold of those old Pokémon that you think ‘oh this is never going to be used’ because who knows what might change in the game?”

Finding friends to play with is a big part of any Pokémon game. If you manage to make it out to a local league, or even the finals, you might not know what to expect. But we’re told the Pokémon community is welcoming to newcomers and eager to help.

“Everyone attending has a favourite Pokémon, has their own story about how they got into it, what it meant to them in their childhood, etc. There’s always that common ground wherever you’re trying to build your team or speak to people at events. I think it’s a very welcoming community in that way,” Dack says.