The Pokémon World Championships is one of the biggest stages in competitive Pokémon, bringing together the best Trading Card Game players from around the globe. Among this year’s competitors was Brendan Gan Pee Wei Jun, a Masters Division player from Hobby Lords Setia Alam, who represented Malaysia and placed 30th overall. We had the chance to catch up with Brendan during the tournament to talk about his run at Worlds, the deck he chose to play, and what this result means for the Malaysian Pokémon TCG community.

From Europe to Worlds

Brendan has been playing competitively for around two years. Before arriving at Worlds, he had already shown strong results on the international stage, placing 17th at the European International Championships. At Worlds, he continued that form, finishing 30th in the Masters Division, a result that puts him among the highest placing Malaysian players at the event. Brendan mentioned that friends had told him this could be one of the best results a Malaysian player has achieved at Worlds in recent years, though he was modest about it, choosing instead to focus on what it means for the wider community rather than his own achievement.

“As far as I know, my friends told me that this is one of the highest placements a Malaysian player has achieved at Worlds in quite a number of years.”

For this tournament, Brendan competed using Toxtricity Box, one of the newer decks to rise in popularity this year. He explained why he made the switch. “I’m playing Toxtricity Box. It’s one of the newer decks that emerged this year,” Brendan said.

“My previous deck was Gardevoir ex, but that deck was affected by rotation, so I had to move on to something else. Toxtricity Box has a somewhat similar playstyle to what I was used to with Gardevoir ex, so I decided to pick it up.”

Dealing With Pressure

Competing at Worlds comes with its own set of challenges, and for Brendan, the mental side of the game proved tougher than the physical toll of travel. “There has been some tiredness and a bit of jet lag, but I think the biggest challenge so far has mostly been the pressure,” he said.

“The stakes are very high, so every game feels like a must-win. If we are playing a best-of-three set and I lose Game 1, for example, I can immediately start feeling that pressure.”

When asked how newer players can deal with losses without losing motivation, Brendan pointed to mindset as the key factor, drawing from his past experience in competitive Dota 2.

“I think it mostly comes down to mentality. When I was younger, I tried playing Dota 2 competitively, so I think that helped me build up a certain amount of resilience and experience dealing with pressure,” he explained. “For newer players, they may simply not be used to high-pressure games yet, so even a bit of pressure can cause them to crumble. At the end of the day, I think it is about your mentality and how you prepare yourself to deal with losses.”

He added that staying level headed applies to winning as well as losing. “Even when you win, I still think it is very important to stay calm and collected and prepare for the next match. You cannot let either winning or losing affect you too much emotionally. For me, a big part of competitive play is simply learning how to control your emotions.”

A Message to the Malaysian Community

Given his standing as one of the top Malaysian players at this year’s Worlds, Brendan was asked if he had a message for the local Pokémon TCG community. His response focused on confidence and mindset when facing international competition. “I think it is proof that we are capable of competing on the world stage and at international events,” he said.

“I do not think we should always look at overseas professional players and immediately assume, ‘We can never beat them.’ Sometimes Malaysian players get paired against well-known international players and immediately feel a lot of pressure. They go into the match already thinking they are going to lose. I do not think that is the right mentality if you want to become a winner.”

He continued, “I think we actually have what it takes. What we need to change is this mindset that Western players are always better than us, or that Japanese players are always better than us. Once you sit down at the table, everyone is equal. What matters is whether you are skilled enough, and sometimes whether you are lucky enough, to win the game.”

The Pokémon TCG scene in Malaysia has expanded in recent years, with more players joining tournaments. Asked whether this growth in numbers also raises the overall skill level, Brendan gave a measured take. “I do not think quantity necessarily correlates with quality,” he said.

“For example, if a particular League suddenly gains 1,000 new players, that does not mean you suddenly have 1,000 strong competitive players. That said, having more players can still help. You may get people who are naturally talented at card games, or players coming from other card games who already have relevant experience. They might pick up Pokémon TCG relatively quickly and start performing well. But I think becoming genuinely better at a competitive level takes much more time than simply playing more games.”

Favorite Card

To close out the interview, Brendan was asked about his favourite card, and his answer tied back to the deck that helped shape his competitive journey.

“I really like Frillish. I used it a lot in my previous Gardevoir ex deck, so it became one of my favorite cards.”

Brendan Gan’s 30th place finish at the 2026 Pokémon World Championships marks a strong showing for Malaysia on the global stage, following his earlier 17th place result at the European International Championships. His run, along with his outlook on mindset and competition, offers a look into what it takes to compete at the highest level of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.