USD ($)
EUR (€)
Relive Europe’s First Time Hosting Worlds!
After taking two years out due to the pandemic, the Pokemon World Championships were held in August 2022, playing host to events in five different Pokemon disciplines. This event wasn’t just important because it marked a return from hiatus, it was also the first time in history that a Pokemon World Championship had been held outside of North America. The venue chosen for this honour was our very own ExCel London, to which Pokemon recently made a return visit for the European International Championships in April 2023. We must have made excellent hosts!
If you missed out on the trip to the capital (like me), or if you want to re-live the magic of the event, then The Pokemon Company have released a marvellous set of products for you; the 2022 World Championships Decks! These are commemorative products that release around 6 months after each Worlds event, highlighting four of the best TCG decks, designed and used by the strongest (or most innovative) players around. These include Sebastian Lashmet’s unconventional, Urshifu-based ‘Cheryl Again’ (2nd place, seniors), as well as Rikuto Ohashi’s Palkia V deck (world champion, juniors). For this feature, I have obtained André Chiasson’s ‘The Shape of Mew’, which may be the best name for a Worlds deck ever (top 8, masters), and Ondřej Škubal’s world-conquering deck, ADP (world champion, masters).
What’s In The Beautiful Box?
Firstly, this box art is some of the best I have seen on a Pokemon product, especially something on the cheaper end. Each deck is complemented by a unique colour, there is a huge amount of different posters and designs on the back, and the cardboard is strong and sturdy (we know I like sturdy cardboard).
Each box contains the following:
- The deck in a cardboard deck box
- A pin featuring Pikachu in his 2022 Worlds outfit
- A jumbo coin featuring Pikachu
- A booklet containing details about TCG/VCG teams
- A 2022 Worlds paper playmat, with a poster on the reverse
- A code for TCG Live
It’s important to note that these decks feature special re-prints of the cards used, which are not eligible for use in official Play! Pokemon events. However, they do feature a silver border (like the ones from Scarlet/Violet era cards) and bear the signature of the player who used them. For TCG Live fans, the code card gives the coin, as well as a London 2022 card back and a deck box.
Contents Review
Contrary to what my track record on Zatu would suggest, I rarely pre-order TCG products. I wanted to pre-order some of these to give myself some piece of mind, but the pre-orders kept selling out when I wanted to get them. Thankfully, supply seems to be steady now, but I’ve been waiting for a good excuse to open them (even though they look so nice on the shelf). Perhaps my request to cover these products was that excuse...
I’m pleased to report that I’m not disappointed at all with my decision. The booklet is richer in information and great images than I had expected, and the coin is possibly my favourite in my collection. The print quality on the cards is consistently good, and the colour theme continues onto the deck back. It also feels particularly good to hold the decks that did well in such big events. Yes, the deck lists can be studied online, but there is something much more intuitive and exciting about being able to physically go through the cards. The box that the cards come in has a great texture and design, although some minor damage has appeared after opening and closing it a few times.
Why Do They Take So Long To Come Out?
An interesting question, but with a fairly boring answer. Some have claimed that the World Championships decks have only come out 6 months down the line because The Pokemon Company didn’t want people to try to copy the decks whilst they were still meta, but the deck lists at major events are made publicly available at the time of the event. Also, many of the cards in these decks are now out of rotation, so couldn’t be used now even if they were tournament legal, which they are not. The gap is simply the amount of time that it takes for a product like this to go from a design idea to a product on shelves. It isn’t like these are normal Pokemon products either, they are really quite special...
Previous World Championship Decks & Legacy
Products celebrating the decks, competitors, and locations of World Championship events have a history going back to 2007 (as far as my research goes), each one serving as a time capsule for the meta of that era. As they celebrate one unique event, re-prints of these products likely do not happen. This, combined with the commemorative nature of them, make the older ones desirable collector’s pieces.
The Pokemon TCG is larger now than ever before, with Play! Pokemon attendance records being broken on a regular basis. Naturally, decks like these will be printed in far higher volumes than their predecessors, so will not reach the same lofty heights of value. However, these decks will hold a special place in the hearts of those who were there, who watched it live on stream, and for UK fans who want a reminder of this landmark event.
Looking To The Future
Next August, Pokemon will break new ground again by hosting the World Championships in Yokohama, Japan. It will be the first time the tournament will occur in the birthplace of Pokemon, which is amazing when you consider how huge the game is there, and that Japanese players have claimed 16 TCG world championships across all age divisions. From there, Worlds will likely visit Australia, Spain (Paldea), Brazil, and other countries/continents with a big Pokemon culture. With that in mind, London is unlikely to play host to Worlds again in the near future.
If you’d love to get your hands on some UK-themed Pokemon merch (or know someone who would), these decks are a fantastic pick up! Now, I wonder if I should by another to replace the one I opened...