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The annual Pokemon International Championship's European tournament has come to a thrilling conclusion, showcasing the talent and skill of some of the best players in the world. With competitions in Pokemon GO, Scarlet and Violet VG, and the Trading Card Game, the three-day event was packed with non-stop action.
This year's European Championship had something for every type of Pokemon gameplay enthusiast. The best performers in this tournament have qualified to participate in the upcoming World Championship, testing their skills against the best from around the globe. Between each game, there were plenty of intense and memorable moments that should carry over into the World Championship as an overarching storyline.
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It may not be a bad time to take a look at some of the most impactful in this year's European tournament.
Highlights from Pokemon's European International Championship in 2023
1) TontonBatteuse takes Pokemon GO Grand Finals
The push to the Grand Finals in Pokemon GO was a long one for TontonBatteuse in the Winner's Bracket and Nesabethan in the Loser's Bracket. However, by the time the Grand Finals arrived for the mobile title, TontonBatteuse's team formulation shone through, thanks to the use of several anti-meta Pocket Monsters. Tonton's use of Shadow Forms of Alolan Ninetales and Charizard countered the straightforward meta-heavy team by Nesabethan, which was quickly placed on its back foot and had a hard time recovering.
Although Nesabethan put forward his best effort to bounce back, TontonBatteuse powered to victory with a 3-0 sweep of the Grand Finals. Fortunately, these two players may very well see each other again in the World Championship, and Nesabethan will surely learn from this crucial set of battles in the future.
2) Paul Chua's clutch Palafin wakeup in VG
The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet VG Grand Finals between Paul Chua and Gabriel Agati Madeira was down to the wire, and the two were deadlocked in the doubles match, with Paul having already lost his Arcanine and Gabriel down a Baxcalibur. With Flutter Mane and Hero Form Palafin on the field, Paul was in trouble when both his Palafin and Flutter Mane were put to sleep by Gabriel's Amoonguss.
Just as Gabriel began to mount his comeback, Paul's Palafin woke from its slumber and defeated Amoonguss with a Wave Crash attack. Knowing that his remaining Arcanine and Hero Palafin couldn't overcome Paul's remaining roster of Pokemon, Gabriel conceded the match, making Paul Chua the EUIC champion in Scarlet and Violet VG for 2023.
3) Only two Lugia VSTAR Decks in TCG Top 8
It's certainly no secret that Lugia has been heavily favored in the TCG meta since its Silver Tempest VSTAR version arrived in the Sword and Shield collection. However, the creativity of the top eight competitors in the EUIC's shone through with a diverse collection of decks that had nothing to do with the popular Lugia card. As a matter of fact, the Grand Finals battle featured an Arceus VSTAR/Duraludon VMAX focus and a Gardevoir EX bout.
Alex Schemanske would finally overcome his difficult run against Tord Reklev, breaking the curse of previous losses and defeating Reklev's Cresselia to lock up the EUIC championship title for the Pokemon Trading Card Game.
4) Talibobo Believers clutch the Pokemon Unite Grand Finals
The Talibobo Believers had already locked up the European Championship for Pokemon Unite in 2022, but Nouns Esports gave them the fight of their lives after resetting the Grand Finals bracket by wiping out Talibobo's players and flipping Rayquaza to secure a 596-318 win. However, the 2022 champions wouldn't be deterred even as they entered the match point game 1-2 down by close to 200 points.
After a staunch defense of their scoring zone, Talibobo made a heavy push in bot lane, removing one of Nouns' final score zones and pushing into the Nouns Esports base scoring zone with ten seconds left on the clock.
Talibobo managed to bank their remaining points in the final moments, but it wasn't clear as to whether that would be enough to overcome the point deficit. A 24-point score by Urshifu just as time expired managed to put Talibobo over Nouns Esports with a 562-549 score, making the Talibobo Believers the EUIC Aeos Cup Champions for a second consecutive year.
5) ADESu's Decidueye pentakill in Pokemon Unite's Losers Finals
Decidueye certainly has plenty of offensive potential when it comes to KOs in Pokemon Unite, but fans don't tend to see as many multikills in high-stakes competitions like the EUIC Aeos Cup. That certainly didn't stop ADESu of Nouns Esports though, as he singlehandedly pushed back into the top lane against the Time To Shine team after they attempted to take out Nouns Esports' Dodrio. After softening Time To Shine up a bit, Dodrio fell back to the scoring zone, and ADESu took the limelight.
By combining masterfully placed skill shots with the heavy damage of Decidueye's Nock Nock Unite Move, ADESu knocked out Time To Shine's entire team and marched onward to score, which swung the momentum hard enough for Nouns Esports to eventually win the Losers Finals and proceed to the Grand Finals against the Talibobo Believers.
