The 2023 Pokémon World Championships in Yokohama, Japan came to a close, followed by some exciting new announcements for the franchise.
From August 11-13, the Pokémon World Championships involved fierce competition between players from across the world. More than 10,000 players and fans gathered at the PACIFICO Yokohama Convention Center for this event, featuring the Trading Card Game, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Pokémon GO, and Pokémon UNITE.
Pokemon World Championship Winners Announced!
The winners of each division were announced as follows:
For the TCG, Vance Kelley won the Masters Division, with Tord Reklev as the runner-up. The Senior Division saw Gabriel Fernandez as the Champion, with Sydney de Bruijn taking second place. As for the Junior Division, Shao Tong Yen claimed the top spot, with Gabriel Borges Torres bringing home the silver.
In the VGC, Shohei Kimura became the Masters Division Champion, with Michael Kelsch as the runner-up. The Senior Division’s Champion was Tomoya Ogawa, with Robbie Schaaij taking second. Sora Ebisawa won the Junior Division with Kohei Ukai immediately behind.
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Pokémon GO saw ItsAXN as its Champion, with xXRubixMasterXx as its runner-up.
The winning team of Pokémon UNITE was Luminosity, consisting of Elo, Overlord, Kyriaos, Slash, and Rhinne. The runner-up team was OMO Abyssinian, comprised of Luisss, Tempezt, Shua, Jrabsent, and Miva.
Exciting Announcements!
During August 13’s closing ceremonies, The Pokémon Company presented new cards and mechanics for the TCG. Paradox Pokémon will be arriving in the Pokémon TCG beginning fall 2023, with cards such as Roaring Moon ex, Iron Valiant ex, and rare illustration versions of Brute Bonnet and Iron Moth. The ACE SPEC cards introduced in the Black & White Series will return to standard format in 2024.
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Additional details about The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were also revealed. Part 2 of the DLC, The Indigo Disk, will feature a Terrarium in Blueberry Academy, where players can obtain starter Pokémon from previous installments in the main series games. The Terrarium also recreates biomes allowing for regional forms to thrive outside of their native region. A 19th Tera Type and upcoming Pokémon HOME Connectivity were also announced.
Pokémon UNITE will have three Pokémon join the fray. Blaziken is to be added on September 14, with the debuts of Mimikyu and Meowscarada to be announced.
The Pokémon Company International released the first episode of their new animated series, Pokémon: Path to the Peak during an August 11 screening at the 2023 PWC. The series focuses on Ava and her Oddish aspiring to be the very best in the Pokémon TCG. The first episode can be viewed on the Official Pokémon YouTube Channel.
With the end of one Pokémon World Championships comes the announcement of a new one. On August 13, the location of the next Pokémon World Championships was confirmed to take place in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Pokémon Company International is making a $200,000 donation to its partners at GlobalGiving through the Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund.
This is an exciting year in the world of Pokemon! What has you most excited? Are you looking forward to the next Pokémon World Championships? Have you ever competed in a Pokémon tournament? Are you considering throwing your hat in the ring? Let us know your wildest Pokémon World Championships stories and memories over on social media!
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