Throughout the weekend, the Pokémon Championships 2023-24 Malaysia happened at The Starling Mall, Petaling Jaya, where Pokémon fans gathered to compete to be the very best like no one ever was. 

The Pokémon Championships 2023-24 Malaysia was the tournament where fans competed to be crowned the country’s best in the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet video games and the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Not only did the winners win trophies and prizes but they also got an invite to compete in the Pokémon World Championships in Honolulu, Hawaii, from August 16 to August 18, 2024. The tournament has concluded and here are the winners for each category and how they feel about their achievements.

Pokémon Trading Card Game Junior League

Meet Vee Boon, the winner of the Pokémon Trading Card Game Junior League. He’s 10 years old this year and his favorite card is Greninja.

When asked about whether he’s ready to compete in Hawaii later this year, Vee Book said, “Although I’m not quite ready yet, I hope to see some unique things in Hawaii.”

Pokémon Trading Card Game Senior League

This is Cayne, the champion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game Senior League. He’s 16 years old and said he’s just a regular guy who happens to like Pokémon.

“I’m just a normal guy who likes Pokémon and football. I’m a very passionate football fan. I came across this game only at the beginning of this year, thanks to my brothers who introduced it to me. I’d like to thank them for teaching me how to play; I’ve had a lot of fun.”

As for when Cayne started playing the Pokémon Trading Card Game, he said, “I started in early January this year. My brothers asked if I wanted to learn how to play a card game, which got me interested.”

“I’m very happy but also a bit shocked. I didn’t expect this,” added Cayne as he expressed his feelings about winning the competition. 

In terms of strategy, Cayne explained “My deck is similar to the Nic champion’s deck, but I don’t play Boss’s Orders as a supporter. Instead, I rely on losing on purpose to use Counter Catcher, which lets me bring up my opponent’s Pokémon more easily.”

Cayne also described how he felt about his tournament in the championship, “I did pretty well compared to last time. I made a lot of mistakes in the regionals, which cost me a top spot. This time, I learned from those mistakes and faced some players I had battled before. Knowing how to counter them properly was a great experience.”

Regarding his readiness for the upcoming Pokémon World Championships in Hawaii, Cayne said, “I’m not well-prepared yet, but I plan to practice more from now on. I might stick with this deck for now, but if I find a better deck, I’ll definitely try it and maybe use it in the competition.”

Pokémon Trading Card Game Master League

The champion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game Master League is 21-year-old Yoong Kai Jian, who has been playing the card game for five years and has been competing since 2019.

“I feel very happy because I always worry and hesitate about my performance before the match. Overall, I’m very happy and grateful for the support from my friends and family.”

Kai Jian then shared his strategy, “My strategy focuses on direct offense without overthinking or trying to predict my opponent’s moves. This deck wins after three turns, so I believe in a swift and decisive approach.”  

“The main positions are Chien-Pao ex and Baxcalibur, which are crucial to my strategy.”

In his first match, he ended it in about 5-6 minutes, but the second match took around 20-30 minutes. To that, he explained his performance, “In the second match, I had anticipated my opponent’s next move but forgot about it later, which led to a mistake. However, my opponent had bad luck, which gave me an opportunity; otherwise, I might have lost the match.”

Regarding the upcoming Pokémon World Championships in Hawaii, Kai Jian expressed that he’s ready for it, saying “I’ve been ready for a long time. This competition is all about getting a higher score. In Hawaii, I might use the same deck as this match, but I’ll adjust based on the situation.”

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet Video Games Competition

Moving on to the video game championship, which is where Ng Yeong Jiang was crowned as champion. According to Yeong Jiang, he has been competing since 2015 and has been to the Pokémon World Championships in 2016. 

“This will be my second time going to Worlds. I got my invitations in 2019 and 2022, but I couldn’t attend due to personal commitments.” 

Thinking about his performance, Yeong Jiang said, “Frankly, I think my performance was a bit shaky. I think I could have played better. However, my years of competitive experience came in handy. I wouldn’t say I’m the best player around, but I’m certainly not the worst either.”

In a scenario with some boosters, Yeong Jiang chose to use Smeargle. Talking about his strategy, he said, “I chose Smeargle over Pokémon like Amoonguss because Smeargle is a fast Spore inducer. Compared to Amoonguss, which is quite slow, Smeargle can apply pressure quickly. Even in a meta with Safety Goggles and other counters, Smeargle is still useful as a Follow Me support and for Wide Guard. Wide Guard is particularly valuable against threats like Calyrex Shadow Rider, Ice Rider, Kyogre, and Groudon. So, I value Smeargle over Amoonguss for its versatility.”

Further talking about the meta of the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet right now, Yeong Jiang explained “I think the metagame will continue to see slight changes, but going into Worlds, we might see some unexpected strategies. My team isn’t perfect; it has some weaknesses, especially to Water-type moves.”

When it comes to the reason why not a lot of players are using offensive Tera Types, Yeong Jiang said “This often comes down to playstyle preference. I tend to be more conservative and don’t go fully offensive, even though my team is quite aggressive. I believe having a defensive Tera Type can be very helpful to balance the team’s offense.”

Adding on to his strategy of using Smeargle, he said “I’d like to mention that Smeargle may not seem like the best choice, and it didn’t perform well in some of my streamed matches, but it does have a psychological impact on opponents. And I’m very happy to be going to Hawaii and looking forward to the competition.”

Congratulations to all the winners of Pokémon Championships 2023-24 Malaysia. We wish them to best in competing in the Pokémon World Championships in Hawaii from from August 16 to August 18, 2024.

Speaking of the Pokémon Championships 2023-24, we got an opportunity to speak with Karmen Loh, the Malaysian artist behind the tournament’s key art in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines – the full interview can be read here.