Memories of the Pokémon European International Championship 2023
Memories of the Pokémon European International Championship by Leon Fletcher
The Pokémon European International Championships 2023 was an event hosted at the ExCeL convention centre in London, United Kingdom, between April 14th - 16th 2023. It marked the third international Championships event of the Championship Series season that year, and held competitions for the Trading Card Game, Video Game Championship, Pokémon GO and Pokémon Unite games. It was also host to the Pokémon UNITE European Aeos Cup Final, the first-ever International Championships to host a tournament for the game.
Attendees could also visit a pop-up Pokémon Center store and take part in side events, such as the Play Lab, to learn how to play the Pokémon TCG. Leon Fletcher, one of the Play Lab team members, tells us what it was like behind the scenes at one of the largest Pokémon events in the UK that year.
When I was a kid, I loved to collect Pokémon cards, yet I never actually properly played with them. I just collected at first, and later I would improvise how to play [with] them with my friends at school. This often came to mind while working at the Play Lab, teaching a new generation of trainers how to properly play The Pokémon Trading Card Game. Who knows, maybe someone I demoed to could become next year’s European Champion… or at the very least compete.
As far as I am aware, the Play Lab is a relatively new initiative The Pokémon Company has devised [and] designed to teach people how to play the game, something I would imagine could be held at various other gaming conventions. The main focus during this event was a teaching variant of the game called Poké Catch and Attack, where players catch Pokémon and then battle each other using Energy cards. Though the mode uses very simple mechanics, I found that it is an easy way to teach the basics of play; once you understand this, it becomes a lot simpler to learn the rest of the game. There were a couple [of] times I demoed this mode to experienced players, [and] a few even said they’ll use this as a way to teach new players too!
One unique aspect of the Play Lab was its location right next to the Pokémon Center. Usually, you’d have to book a time slot to attend the Center; these got booked up very quickly. There was an alternative way to enter however, and that was through us. After each demo, players would receive a pre-built deck of Pokémon cards, and this was a special ticket to enter the Pokémon Center without a time slot.
Leon then goes on to share their thoughts and highlights of the event and what they got up to during the three days it took place.
The main highlight of the Pokémon European International Championships is of course the opportunity to compete or watch the event unfold, but there were a couple other things to do. Of course, you could’ve come to visit myself or the rest of my team in the Play Lab to learn how to play. During my short roam around, I was very impressed with the production value of the event, especially the stage areas. It almost reminds me of the typical sports programmes you’d see in America.
There was also the chance to drop some coin on Pokémon merch, some of which was exclusive to the event, at the Pokémon Center… I’ll talk more about how I burned a hole in my wallet a bit later. Alternatively there were a couple third-party retailers selling items such as booster packs, accessories and other licensed merchandise. A Nintendo Switch booth also had an appearance, allowing attendees to try out various Pokémon games available to play on the Nintendo Switch.
Obviously, my favourite part was meeting Pikachu along with the Paldean starters: Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and, the best of the trio, Quaxly! Unfortunately I was not allowed to kidnap any of them… although I feel that Pikachu would’ve happily come home with me.
When Leon wasn’t contemplating abducting Pokémon and taking up a career with Team Rocket, they made some awesome purchases while visiting the Pokémon pop-up store! With so much choice on offer, what did they settle on buying?
Even though I wasn’t able to catch any live Pokémon, I was able to purchase some goodies from the Pokémon Center. I got a few exclusive pieces of merch, including an official play mat, a small drawstring bag, a box to store a deck of Pokémon cards, a SnapBack cap and a T-Shirt. I also splurged on a couple of sitting buddies, such as Bidoof, who sat on my shoulder during the final day, and Lucario. In addition to this, I got myself a Lucario hoodie too… Even though the only size they had left was a little too big, it’s still great for lounging around in.
There were various Pokéball replicas for sale, and I’ve been meaning to get one for a while. My eyes were instantly drawn to a replica [Pokéball] based on [the one seen in] Pokémon [Legends] Arceus. The Pokéball featured in that title is my favourite design to date with that sleek wooden bottom half, so it was a no-brainer that that was the one I would purchase… [but] it wouldn’t be the most damaging blow to my wallet.
No amount of resistance could stop me from this purchase; its temptation was super effective. I caught a 59” plush of Arcanine. Yes, I’m taking that good fire-type boy back home with me. There was no way I was dragging him onto the train back home, so my friend, who drives, had temporary ownership until I had some time to pick him up.
What advice would Leon give anyone thinking of attending one of these events, as a guest or working as a Play Lab team member?
A couple words of advice for anyone who intends to attend future events like this: Do your research and do it early. Both being an audience member for the main events and attending the Pokémon Center require booking prior to the Championships, and these run out fast so you need to be quick. If you go to the Pokémon Center, be prepared for them to run out of stock fairly rapidly. Even though they restock every day, there were several products that never lasted all three days, so it’s recommended to book a slot earlier during the first or second day. If you don’t have a booking and there’s a similar structure to this season’s Play Lab then make that your first priority (plus you get to learn how to play).
Other than that, just take your time and enjoy the show!
We want to thank Leon for taking the time to speak to us and give us an insight into what happens behind the scenes at these official events! It sounds like they had a lot of fun, and I hope some of the help and support they gave attendees will encourage future TCG fans to play the game and maybe enter a future championship themselves!
Here are some more photos that Leon provided from the event!
