Thousands of trainers came to London this weekend for the Pokémon World Championship, which revolves around the famous anime monsters and the games they appear in. But at the end of the day, only one can be the best. A report.
In 1996, video game giant Nintendo presented Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green for the Game Boy (Red and Blue in Europe and America), in which players embark on a journey to capture as many cute monsters as possible to form a strong team and defeat opponents. The game quickly became a monstrous success, and it wasn’t long before serious players were pitted against each other in tournaments.
This year the world tournament will be held in London. There are competitions in five categories: Pokémon Sword & Shield (the most recent version of the game series that started with Red and Green), the collectible card game, the more action-based Pokémon Unite, the mobile game Pokémon Go and the fighting game with the Dutch ears what unfortunate name Pokkén Tournament.
Honor, glory and a hefty cash prize
The biggest attractions are the Nintendo Switch game Sword & Shield and the card game. It’s not just about the honor and the cup, there are big cash prizes to be won. The best card player walks away with $25,000 and the best Sword & Shield player can expect $10,000 in the account.
Games such as Pokémon Unite, Pokémon Go and even a digital version of the card game can be easily played on your phone. Looking for a new model? On Best Tested you will find the best devices of 2022.
The Dutch also participate, such as Steffen Eriksen (32) from Groningen and Mike de Goed (26) from Vriezenveen. The latter is here with his fiancée Lisanne, who is not that deep into the Pokémon world herself. She has come to this tournament for moral support. And for the fun and the parties.
Economy, Statistics and Pokémon
Steffen and Mike have both grown up with Pokémon and are entering the collectible card competition. It started with Steffen seventeen years ago, when a friend taught him how to play it. At the time he still lived in Denmark, his native country. ,,I took part in the Danish championship pretty quickly and was twelfth.”
How do you play the Pokémon card game?
The players compose a deck of forty cards from a list approved for the championship. They take turns laying down cards. The monster cards can attack the opponent’s monsters. Special cards give the monsters stronger powers or hinder the opponent. There are several ways to win, for example by taking out all the opponent’s monsters.
What’s so great about it? “The collectible card game is very tactical”, explains Steffen. “You have to be able to think far ahead and there is a good dose of probability involved.” As a lecturer at the University of Groningen, he knows all about this. “I teach economics and statistics. And yes, I also use Pokémon as an example in my classes.”
When asked if they put a lot of time and money into it, Mike’s fiancé laughs meaningfully and loudly – yes. The costs are not so much in collecting the cards, but mainly in the travel and participation costs of tournaments. They also have to pay for this trip completely out of their own pocket. “No, there are no tensions in our relationship about that,” says Lisanne. “We make agreements about it. That fits well between us.”
No success
At the end of the first day, Steffen and Mike have completed the qualifying rounds. Unfortunately unsuccessful. In any case, there are no Dutch successes at the tournament. Not a single Dutchman has even managed to reach the top 8. ,,I had to win six rounds, but that became five”, says Steffen. “The last game was against a deck that my cards couldn’t compete with.”
With Mike it was less close. He only won three rounds, so it was clear that he too was finished after the first day. “But I’m having a lot of fun,” he says. “I don’t feel like it was a waste of money. We also went into London and saw a musical. And I still participate in some small side tournaments, just for fun.”
And Lisanne? “It’s so nice to see how much fun Mike is having,” she says.
Giant Pikachu
However, that loss does not diminish what they believe is really all about London: sharing a hobby and connecting with like-minded people. On the street you might get some strange looks if you walk around with a giant yellow Pikachu under your arm. But here in the London Excel, no one has to explain the fascination with Pokémon. Mike: ,,At work they don’t really get it, no. They think it’s for kids. When I tell them that I am traveling to London for this, they look at me a bit strangely.”
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