As a passionate Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) player from South Africa, I’ve always had the ambition to compete on the global stage. However, the lack of major events in our region often left me feeling isolated from the thriving TCG community worldwide. In this blog post, I’ll share my journey and experiences in participating in international tournaments, shedding light on the challenges and rewards of competing beyond my local scene.
Like many longstanding Pokémon TCG enthusiasts from South Africa, I’ve had ambitions of competing on a global scale. The opportunities I have had to connect with the thriving TCG community worldwide have tested my skills against some of the most skilled players in the world and have been most rewarding. My hope for this blog post is that sharing these experiences can serve as a useful guide in a country with otherwise limited exposure. The value and experience attached to playing in international tournaments at truly the highest level of competition far surpass the potential of winning prizes or earning championship points. Playing against some of the best players in the world facilitated a new development of mental strength and this exposure has been invaluable for honing my skills and gaining a deeper understanding of the evolving TCG meta.
An insider's view for 2023 EUIC
As I spend the next few days preparing for the Latin America International Championships (LAIC), I am reminded of why I do this; that with each international tournament I attend, I grow more determined to explore new opportunities and glean from each one. Not to mention, travel extensively meeting like-minded people. My journey into international Pokémon TCG events began with the World Championships in 2022 in London. Although I did not get too far in the main event, I was able to find my feet in the London Open which took place during day 2 of the main event and I ended with a 35th place finish. This result boosted my confidence and propelled me to attend the European International Championships (EUIC). Despite getting off to a rocky start at the EUIC, where after round 3 I was in a position where any loss would knock me out of the competition for day 2, I honed the mental strength to push myself and won another 6 rounds. In spite of the volatility that can come with this game, I managed to achieve my goal of a day-two finish and ended in the 77th position out of 1525 participants. Although I fell just short of the prize zone, it was an amazing experience and it further solidified my belief that I can compete on the global stage – going from strength to strength.
Although South Africa has one or two major events yearly with our Special Events (SPE), our competitions rarely compare to the impact or scale of the international tournaments. Unlike the World Championships, the international challenges much like the LAIC and EUIC facilitate a more accessible playing field – where we do not need to qualify to gain the value gained from simply participating. These events attract a much larger player pool, resulting in a totally different tournament experience.
One of the most surprising hurdles when participating in these international tournaments has been the registration process. The surging popularity of Pokémon TCG has led to events being sold out within minutes, leaving many players in a bind. I faced this issue when registering for both EUIC and LAIC, and it was a frantic race to secure my spot. This highlights the importance of considering the registration timeline and potential risks when booking flights and accommodations.
ZapdOak's Own Jonah & Harper at 2023 EUIC
At this level, it’s not enough to know your deck well. While local metagames allow for more leeway in deck choices, international events demand precision and adaptability. Selecting the right deck has been a crucial aspect of my tournament preparation. International events often coincide with the release of new sets, making it challenging to predict the evolving meta. However, by examining results from Japan and considering how they might apply to Western metagames, players can make informed decisions when choosing their decks. Typically, Japan has always played using the Best of 1 (Bo1) format, which has made it difficult to transfer the decks that perform well there to a Western metagame. However, the recent Elite 4 competition that took place in Japan was played in the Best of 3 (Bo3) format, which makes the results far more meaningful for those of us looking to see what is good in the Paradox Rift format.
As I gear up for LAIC, choosing the right deck has been a pivotal decision. I have considered a myriad of decks for this tournament, but have focused my efforts on the following few:
Chien Pao ex
One deck that caught my attention was Chien Pao ex with Baxcalibur. With its recent addition of Iron Hands ex, it has improved its matchups, including the historically unfavourable one against Lost Box decks. The ability to efficiently include the Iron Hands package without significant deck commitment makes it an attractive option. I have had little experience with this deck in the past, and have found that it does not quite suit my playstyle. With a rather linear game plan and a lot of moving pieces required to set up, I am leaning away from this deck for LAIC.
Lost Box Decks
Lost Box decks, known for their versatility, have always been a personal favourite. However, the introduction of a Jirachi that counters Sableye, an essential part of Lost Box strategies, has raised questions about the deck’s viability. It certainly isn’t the end of the archetype as many had thought when Jirachi was first announced. In order to fully protect yourself from Lost Box, decks often need to have Jirachi and Manaphy on the bench to protect your Jirachi from Radiant Greninja’s Moonlight Shurkien. This severely limits bench space and strategic flexibility, which can give the Lost Box deck room to gain an advantage with their other attackers.
With that said, I embarked to try to find which other attackers I wanted to play in my Lost Box deck, and have put the most time into the following options:
Lost Rift
In response to the changing meta, I’ve been testing a unique Lost Box deck, inspired by the Lost Box Giratina archetype. This version emphasizes cards like Roxanne, Counter Catcher, and Path to the Peak to come from behind and catch up. The deck features a variety of ex Pokémon from Paradox Rift, such as Roaring Moon ex, Iron Valiant ex, and Iron Hands ex, offering options against different matchups. On paper, the deck seems like it has all the tools it needs to compete. However, in practice, it is quite difficult to effectively utilise these 3 ex Pokémon. Iron Hands ex offers a very strong effect of taking an additional prize card, but it almost always requires you to use 2 Mirage Gates to set it up, which is not an easy feat against most decks. Iron Valiant ex is an efficient attacker for 200 damage, but the requirement for 2 coloured energies made it difficult to use at the right moment.
SableZard
The second Lost Box archetype I have been testing is Sableye with Radiant Charizard (commonly referred to as “SableZard”). This deck excels at trading favourably against popular meta decks like Chien Pao, Miraidon, Giratina, and Roaring Moon, efficiently trading into two-prize attackers. These are looking to be some of the top decks in the format, so having relatively favourable matchups into them is very appealing.
Lost Tina
Finally, there is old reliable Lost Box Giratina, which has consistently been a meta powerhouse for the past few set releases. This deck offers a blend of disruption, high damage output and consistency in executing its game plan, making it another very tempting option.
As you can see, the deck choice will play a crucial role in my performance, and the evolving meta adds an extra layer of complexity to the decision-making process. LAIC offers an exciting opportunity to test my skills, develop my understanding of the game and better my training on the international stage. I’m eager to represent South Africa as I face some of the world’s top Pokémon TCG players. After LAIC, I will share a post-event write-up detailing my experiences, insights, and the final deck choice that I believe will give me the best chance of success. If you have any questions about international tournaments, the preparation involved or deck choices, feel free to ask, and I’ll do my best to provide insight. Thank you for reading this article, and stay tuned for my post-LAIC report.
