GameCentral reports from Yokohama on this year’s Pokémon World Championships – surprisingly, the first one ever to be held in Japan.
Last August saw half of south London decked out in everything Pokémon and while Londoners were lucky enough again this year, to see Pokémon Go Fest taking place in Brockwell Park a couple of weeks ago, this week all eyes turned to Yokohama in Japan, as the Pokémon World Championships finally came home.
While Brockwell Park was hit by typically rainy English weather, Yokohama sweltered under temperatures soaring into the high 30s but that didn’t stop more than 10,000 players and fans from around the globe gathering at the PACIFICO Yokohama Convention Center, for the world’s most prestigious Pokémon event. Trainers visiting Yokohama could also shop at the exclusive Pop-up Pokémon Center and, in the evening, watch the sky be lit up by drone displays of their favourite Pokémon characters.
The Pokémon World Championships first began in 2004 and focused primarily on the Pokémon Trading Card Game; it has since grown to include dedicated competitions for Pokémon video games, including the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Pokémon Go, and Pokémon Unite. The World Championship are an extremely competitive tournament, with each game having its own format and set of rules, including different divisions for pros, seniors, and juniors.
This year, trainers from across the globe competed in four different games for the chance to claim the top spot. This year’s winner of the Trading Card Game top spot was US trainer Vance Kelley, who took home a nifty $25,000 (£19,600).
The Pokémon Trading Card Game competitions took place across the three days, with rounds lasting just under an hour and culminating with the Finals on Sunday afternoon, where Kelley defeated Tord Reklev (runner- up for a second year) wielding an impressive Fusion Mew deck. Kelley’s deck showcased two of the most sought-after cards in the current meta: Mew V and Mew VMAX.
Junior division winner Shao Tong Yen finished his winning game by playing whale Pokémon Kyogre, who generates a huge Aqua Storm. This captured the nautical theme of the World Championships perfectly, with a cruise ship docked in Yokohama Bay and decked out as a replica of the SS Anne – which has appeared in Pokémon games since the days of Red and Blue.
In order to qualify for the Pokémon TCG World Championships, a player must earn an invitation by gaining enough Championship Points (CP) by the end of the competitive season, through placing high enough or winning official Pokémon tournaments.
I spoke to Isaac Webster from Chesterfield, a senior player who had travelled all the way from the UK to compete. He’d qualified for all three World Championships since starting to play, namely Washington DC in 2019; London in 2022, where he came 25th; and this year in Japan. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it to day two but is now working towards Hawaii in 2024.
‘I started Pokémon TCG when I was seven. I had watched my brother play for a few months and I wanted to play alongside him too. My first event was a gym leader challenge where your deck has to consist of only one pokémon type. I lost every match, but I was determined to get better. I started making my own decks and only won once or twice at events, until I realised maybe I should try a popular deck for once.
‘I tried a deck that was considered good in the format, and I started to win a lot more often. Then that year, I managed to qualify in 2022! I was able to come 25th in day two of the event, with Arceus-Flying Pikachu in the junior division.
‘Moving up to seniors for the 2023 season was tough, however this led me to get my first ever top eight in a tournament, which allowed me to qualify for Yokohama this year! Now I’m one day away from the event and I’m so excited, the atmosphere is always amazing in these events, and I can’t wait to try and do even better this year!’
As well as being a competitive category in the World Championships, the mobile game Pokémon Go allowed non-professional players to spin stops around the convention centre for special field research tasks. These gave players the chance to catch a shiny Pikachu in a Yokohama World T-shirt and unique in-game Championships postcards that can be sent to friends or stored in a virtual album.
Pokémon coming home meant huge queues for the exclusive merchandise in the pop-up Pokémon Center. Most sought after were the Yokohama Worlds backpack and playmats feature Pikachu riding the iconic Great Wave off Kanagawa, which sold out within minutes each day and are right now going for high prices on eBay.
Free-to-play MOBA Pokémon Unite, which always seems to have the most raucous fans, had its grand final showcase on the Saturday night. This was a best-of-three showdown between Luminosity Gaming, from Toronto and underdogs OMO Abyssinian, representing the Philippines. This popular game saw the crowd go wild as Luminosity Gaming clinched the Pikachu trophy with some impressive strategy revolving around calculated Pokémon choices such as Blastoise, Trevenant, and Hoopa.
They took a strong lead by the end of the second match and exceptional teamwork and aggressive gameplay completely overpowered their opponents. Then, at the closing ceremony, there was news that three Pokémon are scheduled to join the fray in Pokémon Unite later this year: Blaziken, Mimikyu, and Meowscarada.
The event as a whole was not without controversy, as the video game category saw some disqualifications early on, as organisers banned players competing with hacked pokémon, meaning they might have been modified or generated using third party tools.
This was seen as overly zealous by some competitors, but others argued it was necessary to maintain cohesion and integrity at a professional level. Fittingly, the winners of all three categories of the video game championships were from Japan, led in the Masters by Shohei Kimura, alongside Tomoya Ogawa in the Senior Division and Sora Ebisawa in the Junior Division.
As the new champions left the stage, details of the 2024 Pokémon World Championships, to be held in in Honolulu, Hawaii were confirmed. The Pokémon Company was conscious that this might have been bad timing, considering the devastating wild fires that have ravaged the island and announced they would be making an immediate monetary donation of $200,000 through the Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund.
I spoke briefly to Shintaro Ito, the 2016 Pokémon TCG World Champion and 2019 runner-up, about the experience of Worlds being held in his home country,
‘I am here today to observe and see what’s going on. It is very exciting to have the Pokémon World Championships here in Japan. I am very proud to be a part of it and, so far, it looks like everything is working very well. I would like to thank the oversees players for coming to Japan, there are many fun and interesting places to visit, so please enjoy your stay.’
In Japan, Pokémon isn’t just a game, it is weaved through the fabric of society, with pocket monsters seen and advertised everywhere. There really is no better place to feel like you are part of a community of like-mined trainers.
Being in Yokohama will leave everyone who attended or competed with unforgettable memories, with the moment Pokémon came home etched into the annals of competitive Pokémon history. As trainers and spectators alike depart, they carry with them not only cherished memories but also a renewed enthusiasm for the boundless possibilities that the world of Pokémon offers.
The latest expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Scarlet & Violet – Obsidian Flames is available now.
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