5 major highlights from Pokemon NA International Championships

Pokemon's trainer community came together in Columbus, Ohio, over the past weekend for the North American leg of the franchise's international championships. Over the course of three days, players from around the world battled in different Pocket Monsters games. From the Trading Card Game to Scarlet and Violet to GO, there was something for every fan to enjoy.

Even though the Pokemon NA International Championships (NAIC) was a three-day event, there was so much activity that it can be difficult to catch up. Sure, all three days of action were streamed and split among the different games, but it's a lot to watch in one sitting.

However, if Pokemon fans are searching for a quick set of highlights, it doesn't hurt to take a look at some of the most impactful moments from the NAIC this year.

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Five awesome highlights from the Pokemon North American International Championships 2023

1) Wdage takes Pokemon GO crown after grand finals reset

As far as Pokemon GO grand finals go, this year's NAIC bout was one to remember. Hartford's regional champion Wdage faced off against Knoxville's regional champion Reis2Occasion.

Wdage got off to a quick start in the win count, but Reis2Occasion stormed back to reset the grand finals count back to an even 0-0. In the end, the final bout resulted in a 2-2 count coming down to the wire.

Shadow Charizards clashed, but Wdage had an ace up his sleeve in the form of a Dewgong with access to the move Drill Run. This helped him take out Reis2Occasion's sturdy Altaria and Lickitung.

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2) Cyrus Davis tears through TCG Masters Top 8

By the time Niagara Falls native Cyrus Davis made it into the TCG Masters Top 8, watchers were calling her Inteleon/Urshifu VMAX a veritable buzzsaw. It countered many popular deck picks, such as Lost Zone Box and Gardevoir ex, and had multiple avenues to achieve victory thanks to its overall flexibility.

This proved to be the case even more than Cyrus even expected, as she secured 2-0 wins against both Victor Aung and Calvin Connor to reach the grand finals. Although Ian Robb put up a fight with his Arceus/Duraludon/Umbreon deck, Cyrus took the deciding set to become the Masters TCG North American Champion.

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3) Álex Gómez Berna breaks his VGC curse

Álex "Pokealex" Berna has been a longtime Pokemon VGC competitor but hadn't won a major championship for roughly seven years. Having risen to the grand finals of the Scarlet and Violet VGC, Pokealex came face-to-face with his friend Raghav Malaviya, who had already secured a Top 4 ranking in the Oceania International Championships (OCIC).

Despite an admirable last stand by Raghav's Iron Hands in both rounds, Pokealex's Dragapult took control early on by terastallizing and never gave up the momentum.

By combining Dragapult's Phantom Force with Chien-Pao and Flutter Mane's Protect and Substitution moves, Pokealex finally overcame his years-long curse and hoisted the trophy for the NAIC Scarlet and Violet VGC champion.

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4) TTV ends Luminosity's Pokemon Unite dream run

Pokemon Unite's North American regionals during the NAIC looked as though they had a clear-cut future champion. Luminosity looked like the team of destiny as they defeated Amaterasu and Team YT 2-0 in the winners' bracket before knocking TTV into losers 2-1 in the winners' finals.

TTV was down, but certainly not out. After overcoming Amaterasu in the losers' finals 2-1 and reaching Pokemon Unite's grand finals, the team made a statement by resetting the finals bracket by beating Luminosity 3-0. After the reset, Luminosity pushed back with an early win thanks to shutting down TTV after a Rayquaza flip for a 435-56 point tally.

TTV must've taken that round to heart, as the dedicated team turned the tables immediately afterward. An admirable tanking performance by Zugrug's Lapras, paired with Otter and Lutano's offensive picks like Espeon, Venusaur, Gardevoir, and Mew, proved to be insurmountable. Celestial's Zoroark also helped turn the tide in a big way.

In the final Unite battle, Luminosity started strong with a 200+ point lead. They couldn't quite hold on, though, as Lutano's Gardevoir secured the Rayquaza takedown and allowed TTV to overcome its point deficit to ultimately hoist the NA Regional trophy for Pokemon Unite.

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5) Unconventional decks still win in TCG

It's no secret that the NAIC's Pokemon TCG standings featured plenty of hard-hitting meta decks. From Lost Zone Box to Gardevoir ex to Arceus/Duraludon/Umbreon, many of the same dominant decks seen in previous championships returned in full force in the North American championship.

However, Cyrus Davis' Inteleon/Urshifu deck proved that creativity still pays in the Pokemon TCG. Inteleon/Urshifu hadn't placed particularly well past the Lima Special Event, where it ranked sixth overall. Furthermore, Cyrus had picked up the deck just a few days prior to the championship.

With the unconventional deck pick, Davis became the first Canadian to take the NAIC crown in the TCG since its inception in 2017. Her deck choice will undoubtedly resonate at the upcoming World Championship in August, but her unexpected victory proves that the best deck isn't always the top-ranking meta pick.