{"id":127626,"date":"2022-08-28T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-28T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-136570"},"modified":"2022-08-28T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-08-28T15:00:00","slug":"round-up-pokemon-world-championships-2022-was-it-worth-the-three-year-wait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2022\/08\/28\/round-up-pokemon-world-championships-2022-was-it-worth-the-three-year-wait\/","title":{"rendered":"Round Up: Pok\u00e9mon World Championships 2022 &#8211; Was It Worth The Three-Year Wait?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/8326edaeac175\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/8326edaeac175\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<figure class=\"picture ptris\"><a class=\"scanlines\" title=\"3 Trophies\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/8326edaeac175\/3-trophies.large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA5MDAgNjc1Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/8326edaeac175\/3-trophies.900x.jpg\" alt=\"3 Trophies\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption\"><em class=\"credit\">Image: Nintendo Life \/ Joe Merrick<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It has been three years since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2019\/08\/feature_pokemon_world_championships_2019_bidding_farewell_to_the_nintendo_3ds\">the last Pok\u00e9mon World Championships<\/a>, so the excitement for the 2022 event had been building for a long while.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time ever, the Pok\u00e9mon World Championships were held outside of North America, taking place in the UK at the ExCeL London and it brought massive crowds of Pok\u00e9mon fans together for the first time in a very long time.<\/p>\n<p>Due to the UK location, this year The Pok\u00e9mon Company International kept up with the motif and had Pikachu dressed in a Beefeater outfit, and even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2022\/08\/random-pokemon-takes-over-london-transport-for-world-championships\">took over the cable cars in London<\/a> with a Pok\u00e9mon theme.<\/p>\n<p>In this feature, we&#8217;ll recap all the main events and highlights of the Pok\u00e9mon World Championships 2022.<\/p>\n<nav id=\"toc\" role=\"navigation\" class=\"table-of-contents\">\n<h2><span class=\"icon icon-list-bullet\"><\/span> On this page:<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/features\/round-up-pokemon-world-championships-2022-was-it-worth-the-three-year-wait#what-are-the-pokemon-world-championships\">What are the Pok\u00e9mon World Championships?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/features\/round-up-pokemon-world-championships-2022-was-it-worth-the-three-year-wait#pokemon-center\">Pok\u00e9mon Center<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/features\/round-up-pokemon-world-championships-2022-was-it-worth-the-three-year-wait#what-was-there-to-do\">What Was There To Do?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/features\/round-up-pokemon-world-championships-2022-was-it-worth-the-three-year-wait#pokemon-go\">Pok\u00e9mon GO<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/features\/round-up-pokemon-world-championships-2022-was-it-worth-the-three-year-wait#the-tournament-winners\">The Tournament &#8211; Winners<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/features\/round-up-pokemon-world-championships-2022-was-it-worth-the-three-year-wait#next-year-n-to-japan-for-the-pokemon-world-championships-2023\">Next Year \u2013 To Japan For The Pok\u00e9mon World Championships 2023!<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/features\/round-up-pokemon-world-championships-2022-was-it-worth-the-three-year-wait#so-did-it-live-up-to-the-hype\">So, Did It Live Up To The Hype?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<h2 id=\"what-are-the-pokemon-world-championships\"><strong>What are the Pok\u00e9mon World Championships?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The Pok\u00e9mon World Championships are the final event in the season where players can compete against each other to gain the title of Pok\u00e9mon World Champion.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gallery\"><figcaption class=\"caption\"><em class=\"credit\">Images: Nintendo Life \/ Joe Merrick<\/em><\/figcaption><\/aside>\n<p>This started in 2004 with the TCG but over time expanded more and more with even more games. 2022\u2019s World Championships are the first and \u2014 for a while at least \u2014 only World Championships to feature five different games for players to compete in: VGC (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/pokemon_sword_and_shield\">Pok\u00e9mon Sword &amp; Shield<\/a>), TCG (Trading Card Game), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/pokken_tournament_dx\">Pokk\u00e9n Tournament<\/a>, and for the first time ever, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/mobile\/pokemon_go\">Pok\u00e9mon GO<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/pokemon_unite\">Pok\u00e9mon UNITE<\/a> were added in. Sadly it was the last year for Pokk\u00e9n Tournament DX.<\/p>\n<p>In a change to prior years, the World Championships this year took place over four days, starting off on Thursday with VGC and TCG players trying to earn a place in the Day 2 competition, while Pokk\u00e9n Tournament and Pok\u00e9mon GO held Last Chance Qualifiers to gain a place in the main competition, which started Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Thousands of players qualified for the World Championships over the last few years, so it really was a showing of the very best.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"object object-youtube\">\n<figure class=\"youtube\" data-videoid=\"OBtw_zZu5g4\">[embedded content]<figcaption class=\"youtube-sub\">Subscribe to <a class=\"external\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/subscription_center?add_user=nintendolife\">Nintendo Life<\/a> on <span class=\"g-ytsubscribe\" data-channel=\"nintendolife\" data-layout=\"default\" data-count=\"default\"><a class=\"external\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/nintendolife\">YouTube<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n<h2 id=\"pokemon-center\"><strong>Pok\u00e9mon Center<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Like all past World Championships, there was a Pok\u00e9mon Center at the World Championships and this year it took lessons from the Pok\u00e9mon Center London pop-up store <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2019\/10\/pokemon_center_london_closes_entry_queue_9_hours_early_due_to_ridiculously_high_demand\">in 2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This year, you had to book an appointment to go into the Pok\u00e9mon Center in advance. These didn\u2019t fill up aside from the first day and you also had the opportunity to sign up for a virtual queue on the day. At first, things did look a bit iffy when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2022\/08\/people-are-queueing-for-hours-to-get-into-londons-pop-up-pokemon-center\">the queue system broke on the Wednesday<\/a>, but this was resolved fairly quickly and the rest of the weekend went smoother, though some products did sell out.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"picture ptris\"><a class=\"scanlines\" title=\"11 Pokemon Center Merchandise\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/58f6d691534d8\/11-pokemon-center-merchandise.large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA5MDAgNjc1Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/58f6d691534d8\/11-pokemon-center-merchandise.900x.jpg\" alt=\"11 Pokemon Center Merchandise\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption\"><em class=\"credit\">Image: Nintendo Life \/ Joe Merrick<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This Pok\u00e9mon Center was arguably the largest ever done and featured lots of room to move, as well as lots of photo opportunities. There was also plenty of exclusive merchandise, with the standard World Championships line featuring this year\u2019s motif of a Pikachu &amp; Roserade plush, deckboxes, playmats, Nintendo Switch cases, figurines, T-Shirts, hoodies, magnets, pins, and more, as well as two more unique lines featuring clothing; the Pink Line and the Gingham Line, meaning there was something for everyone.<\/p>\n<p>It also featured several collections that were recently added to the Pok\u00e9mon Center UK website, and more plushies than you can imagine, including some that had yet to be released in the UK.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-was-there-to-do\"><strong>What Was There To Do?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>So, you came to the Pok\u00e9mon World Championships but you\u2019re not competing, so what exactly is there to do?<\/p>\n<p>First, you can watch the matches. The staging area was set up in such a unique way this year that included full seating stands and the ability to watch all the streams from the stage on huge screens. It truly was a spectacular site and a big step up from prior years where you had folding chairs in front of a large screen.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gallery\"><figcaption class=\"caption\"><em class=\"credit\">Images: Nintendo Life \/ Joe Merrick<\/em><\/figcaption><\/aside>\n<p>There were side events throughout the weekend for VGC, TCG and Pok\u00e9mon GO. This allowed you to take part in small tournaments to win prize tickets which could be exchanged at the prize wall for a variety of items including plushies, playmats, and even some exclusive goods, ranging from \u201cDitto Draft\u201d and Gym Leader Challenge (where you used decks of just one type) in the TCG to Catch Challenges in Sword &amp; Shield (where you had 30 minutes to catch Pok\u00e9mon in a route and train them up before battling with only them). The Malamar Cup was a bit hit, too, where you have to play with your Switch upside-down.<\/p>\n<p>There were demo pods for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/pokemon_legends_arceus\">Pok\u00e9mon Legends: Arceus<\/a> throughout the event, as well as a lot of photo opportunities everywhere.<\/p>\n<p>In another of the halls, there was also a Pok\u00e9mon TCG Play Lab where people could learn how to play the TCG with specialised decks, as well as see a demo for the upcoming <strong>Pok\u00e9mon Trading Card Game Live<\/strong> Mobile\/PC game.<\/p>\n<p>There was also something for people who hadn\u2019t got a Spectator Pass. Outside the ExCeL was Pok\u00e9mon Worlds Square, a small area where you could go in and participate in a variety of activities including face painting, getting some special food, customising bandanas, and creating custom TCG cards. Nearby on Friday, there was also a special showing of <strong>Pok\u00e9mon The Arceus Chronicles<\/strong>, a special episode of the anime that is due for release on Netflix in September 2022.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"cols\">\n<div class=\"col\"><a title=\"4 Cable Cars\" class=\"scanlines\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/cfd0e54adb3b7\/4-cable-cars.large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA0NDUgMzM0Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" width=\"445\" height=\"334\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/cfd0e54adb3b7\/4-cable-cars.445x.jpg\" alt=\"4 Cable Cars\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"col\"><a title=\"10 Movie Screening\" class=\"scanlines scanlines\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/b47da8723072e\/10-movie-screening.large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA0NDUgMzM0Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" width=\"445\" height=\"334\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/b47da8723072e\/10-movie-screening.445x.jpg\" alt=\"10 Movie Screening\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"caption\"><em class=\"credit\">Images: Nintendo Life \/ Joe Merrick<\/em><\/figcaption><\/aside>\n<p>In many ways, this year had the most things to do at the Pok\u00e9mon World Championships than in any prior event.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"pokemon-go\"><strong>Pok\u00e9mon GO<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>As with prior years, Pok\u00e9mon GO had a tie-in event with the World Championships.<\/p>\n<p>As it was the first year with Pok\u00e9mon GO as a major arm of the competition, there was a global event that brought <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/pokemon-go-how-to-battle-a-challenger\">the special Pikachu<\/a> to the game as well as Zacian &amp; Zamazenta raids.<\/p>\n<p>However, there was also a secret event at the World Championships themselves, just like every year since 2017. Here, there were over 20 stops or Gyms around the event hall to spin and they all came with unique Field Research to get either Pikachu, or the Regional Exclusive Throh &amp; Bouffalant and raids were running every hour at all event gyms.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-tournament-winners\"><strong>The Tournament &#8211; Winners<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"pokken-tournament-dx\"><strong>Pokk\u00e9n Tournament DX<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This year was the final year for Pokk\u00e9n Tournament at the World Championships, and it was bittersweet.<\/p>\n<p>This year continued the Team Battle format where you brought three Pok\u00e9mon and battled with all three of them to determine the match winner, in a best-of-five double-elimination format. It started on Thursday with the LCQ, then had the full tournament on Friday. As always, the atmosphere among those playing and those watching was electric.<\/p>\n<p>The finals ended up being Shadowcat versus Mewtater. Shadowcat, a well-known face in the Pokk\u00e9n Community had come in through the LCQ the day before and just kept pushing through the Winners Bracket before hitting the Grand Finals.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"object object-youtube\">\n<figure class=\"youtube\" data-videoid=\"pfNrB2sdU4k\">[embedded content]<figcaption class=\"youtube-sub\">Subscribe to <a class=\"external\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/subscription_center?add_user=nintendolife\">Nintendo Life<\/a> on <span class=\"g-ytsubscribe\" data-channel=\"nintendolife\" data-layout=\"default\" data-count=\"default\"><a class=\"external\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/nintendolife\">YouTube<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Facing Mewtater, Mewtater managed to reset the bracket and made it an unbelievably close battle until Shadowcat managed to clinch victory and be the fifth and final Pokk\u00e9n Tournament World Champion.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ncmKb32KF78\">Pokk\u00e9n is powerful.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Winners:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Masters: Shadowcat<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Seniors: Fruitprime<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"pokemon-go2\"><strong>Pok\u00e9mon GO<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>It was the first year for Pok\u00e9mon GO to truly be at Worlds, following the 2019 Pok\u00e9mon World Championships.<\/p>\n<p>Although it had some issues on Day 1 with the network connection, this was mostly gone by Day 2 and the battles carried on. With many varied teams on show, the battle ended up between Gudenhada and DancingRob where the match went to the bracket reset and then went down to the wire with all matches being played. With there being a Ninetales VS Alolan Ninetales matchup, DancingRob ended up claiming the victory.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"object object-youtube\">\n<figure class=\"youtube\" data-videoid=\"h0GbQrQruLY\">[embedded content]<figcaption class=\"youtube-sub\">Subscribe to <a class=\"external\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/subscription_center?add_user=nintendolife\">Nintendo Life<\/a> on <span class=\"g-ytsubscribe\" data-channel=\"nintendolife\" data-layout=\"default\" data-count=\"default\"><a class=\"external\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/nintendolife\">YouTube<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n<p><strong>Winners:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Masters: Dancing Rob<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Seniors: MEweedle<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"pokemon-unite\"><strong>Pok\u00e9mon UNITE<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This was the first year Pok\u00e9mon UNITE was in the World Championships and was the first official competition where teams from different regions collided, with all the qualifiers being region specific. As such, the clash of strategies became clear. The UNITE setup was a classic esports affair, with all the teams up on stage at separate desks to battle, and spectators were enthralled.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, the finals ended up being between Noun Esports from Europe and BLVKHVND from the Americas. BLVKHVND had got through the tournament undefeated, not even losing a game, and the Grand Finals followed that with the team taking full control and dominating the opponents and ended up swiping a quick victory and becoming the first Pok\u00e9mon UNITE World Champions with their team of Aegislash, Hoopa, Trevenant, Blissey and Cinderace.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Winners:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"pokemon-tcg\"><strong>Pok\u00e9mon TCG<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Pok\u00e9mon TCG continued going from strength to strength this year and there have been many cores used throughout competitive, most recently and most notably was the Origin Palkia V setup.<\/p>\n<p>However, in the Grand Finals of the Pok\u00e9mon TCG, this was nowhere to be seen. Instead, we ended up with a mirror match of a different deck, one built around Arceus VSTAR and Flying Pikachu VMAX, a card that previously was dismissed as a bad card but has risen to prominence in recent months.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"object object-youtube\">\n<figure class=\"youtube\" data-videoid=\"ZjSnjLdbcGQ\">[embedded content]<figcaption class=\"youtube-sub\">Subscribe to <a class=\"external\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/subscription_center?add_user=nintendolife\">Nintendo Life<\/a> on <span class=\"g-ytsubscribe\" data-channel=\"nintendolife\" data-layout=\"default\" data-count=\"default\"><a class=\"external\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/nintendolife\">YouTube<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n<p>In the final, Ondrej Skubal faced off against Daichi Shimada, and throughout the match, Ondrej managed to maintain the upper hand, using many disruptive cards, like Boss\u2019s Orders, so that he could control which Pok\u00e9mon he did damage to, and eventually won the battle.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Winners:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Masters: Ondrej \u0160kubal<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Seniors: Liam H.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Juniors: Rikuto O.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"pokemon-vgc\"><strong>Pok\u00e9mon VGC<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This year was the first and final year of the World Championships on Pok\u00e9mon Sword &amp; Shield \u2014 a game that\u2019s based all around Pok\u00e9mon battles \u2014 for tournaments. It\u2019s an unfortunate situation but after an enforced hiatus, it\u2019s good to see it back once more.<\/p>\n<p>The battles in-game all took place in a modified version of Wyndon Stadium. The ruleset allowed for two Legendary Pok\u00e9mon to be on each team, a ruleset typically reserved for three years into the generation and not the first World Championships, but it did bring some massive battles. The standard teams were shown throughout, with many Groudon or Kyogre lynchpins in teams creating weather and players fighting it.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"object object-youtube\">\n<figure class=\"youtube\" data-videoid=\"aX6Oqk56Pag\">[embedded content]<figcaption class=\"youtube-sub\">Subscribe to <a class=\"external\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/subscription_center?add_user=nintendolife\">Nintendo Life<\/a> on <span class=\"g-ytsubscribe\" data-channel=\"nintendolife\" data-layout=\"default\" data-count=\"default\"><a class=\"external\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/nintendolife\">YouTube<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n<p>In the Grand Finals, the battle ended fittingly as we go into the Scarlet &amp; Violet era, with Portugal\u2019s Eduardo Cunha and Spain\u2019s Guillermo Castilla Diaz facing off. Eduardo having chosen to ignore the weather aspects with his team, bringing Zacian and Shadow Rider Calyrex as his Restricted Pok\u00e9mon, faced Guillermo\u2019s sun-focused team built around Groudon, Lunala, and Gigantamax Charizard.<\/p>\n<p>Eventually, Eduardo managed to come through, with an undefeated record, and became the World Champion<\/p>\n<p><strong>Winners:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Masters: Eduardo Cunha<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Seniors: Yasuharu S<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Juniors: Kosaku Miyamoto<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"next-year-n-to-japan-for-the-pokemon-world-championships-2023\"><strong>Next Year \u2013 To Japan For The Pok\u00e9mon World Championships 2023!<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>At the end of the Closing Ceremony, as they often do, they gave us <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2022\/08\/new-pokemon-revealed-for-scarlet-and-violet-at-2022-world-championships\">a sneak peek at competitive play<\/a> in the upcoming Gen 9 pair, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/pokemon_scarlet_and_violet\">Pok\u00e9mon Scarlet and Violet<\/a>, and announced where the 2023 Pok\u00e9mon World Championships will be. While many expected a return to the Americas after the London one, a huge surprise was dropped; the Pok\u00e9mon World Championships next year are to be held in Yokohama, Japan.<\/p>\n<p>This is the first time that they have been held in Japan and you could tell how well this went down by the huge applause and celebration throughout the event hall.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"so-did-it-live-up-to-the-hype\">So, Did It Live Up To The Hype?<\/h2>\n<aside class=\"gallery\"><figcaption class=\"caption\"><em class=\"credit\">Images: Nintendo Life \/ Joe Merrick, The Pok\u00e9mon Company<\/em><\/figcaption><\/aside>\n<p>This was arguably the best and busiest Pok\u00e9mon World Championships yet.<\/p>\n<p>The staging was massively improved, there was a lot to do and if this shows the path the organisers are on, next year will be even bigger. Meeting so many people who share the same passion is always good and was much needed after the last few years.<\/p>\n<p>The atmosphere was one of pure joy and excitement. After years apart, with Pok\u00e9mon once again shooting up to prominence with Sword &amp; Shield\u2019s success and the surge in popularity of the Pok\u00e9mon Trading Card Game, this was the first time since that Pok\u00e9mon fans from across the world would come together to celebrate their passion, and it was glorious. The ExCeL was kitted out beautifully, with people playing, cosplaying, and so much more. There was a real sense of happiness about the place.<\/p>\n<p>It was a long time coming but we finally got there, and this is undoubtedly just the beginning. If you&#8217;re a huge fan and you&#8217;re wondering whether to head to Japan next year (global travel restrictions notwithstanding!), don\u2019t hesitate. This is truly the Pok\u00e9mon haven.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside class=\"object object-youtube\">\n<figure class=\"youtube\" data-videoid=\"VT3UFab3grA\">[embedded content]<figcaption class=\"youtube-sub\">Subscribe to <a class=\"external\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/subscription_center?add_user=nintendolife\">Nintendo Life<\/a> on <span class=\"g-ytsubscribe\" data-channel=\"nintendolife\" data-layout=\"default\" data-count=\"default\"><a class=\"external\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/nintendolife\">YouTube<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image: Nintendo Life \/ Joe Merrick It has been three years since the last Pok\u00e9mon World Championships, so the excitement for the 2022 event had been building for a long while. For the first time ever, the Pok\u00e9mon World Championships were held outside of North America, taking place in the UK at the ExCeL London [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127626\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}