Pokémon TCG players around the world are traveling to London, United Kingdom, for the 2023 Europe International Championships. It’s the third International Championships of the year and the first premier event to feature the new Scarlet & Violet set and the brand-new Standard rotation. The dominant decks from the previous Standard format continue to rank highly as EUIC approaches, but Trainers will still have to look out for powerful cards from Scarlet & Violet if they want to become an International Champion.

Our Power Rankings panel of experts believes in the power of the heavy hitters from the previous Standard format, but it remains to be seen which decks will perform best in London this weekend. Speculate along with them and catch a full weekend of action on Twitch.tv/PokemonTCG from April 14–16.

Despite winning the recent Oceania International Championships, the Lost Zone Box deck has been overshadowed by Lugia VSTAR for most of the previous format. With the Standard rotation, this is about to change! While most decks are losing multiple key cards, the Lost Zone theme around Comfey, Cramorant, and Sableye is still close to full power, making it an obvious favorite going into EUIC.

One of the deck’s main strengths is its flexibility. Thanks to Mirage Gate, there’s a very long list of attacking Pokémon that the deck can utilize. Some popular options include using Raikou V, Galarian Zapdos V and Drapion V to cover different weaknesses, or Dragonite V for its unconditional high damage output. Most of the time, these Basic Pokémon V will be combined with Sky Seal Stone, which makes the deck’s Prize trade very hard to keep up with.

An alternative approach is to rely on Radiant Charizard for big damage, and focus the deck exclusively around single-Prize Pokémon. That version has fewer moving pieces and executes its gameplan very consistently, but not having access to Radiant Greninja and its Moonlight Shuriken attack could be a problem against other Lost Zone decks.

Is there a strategy that can handle all these different options and stop this deck from claiming another International title? It might depend on whether players find a good way to utilize the new Klefki and its Mischievous Lock Ability. If there’s anything a Lost Zone player does not want to see, it’s cards that block their Abilities! — Robin Schulz

Standard rotation always creates an interesting dynamic for the decks that are left behind. As is the case this year, a lot of the top decks often remain around in some form but are “worse” due to the loss of key cards. At the same time, decks that were lagging the rest of the format can catch up—and even rise to the top—simply by losing fewer key pieces.

That’s what our panel is envisioning for Giratina VSTAR: A key contender since its launch in the Sword & Shield—Lost Origin expansion last fall, it’s essentially fallen off the map since LAIC. What’s going to facilitate its revival? Largely, it’s about the rest of the format slowing down and hitting less hard. For example, Lugia VSTAR is no longer capable of summoning any attacker in the game out of thin air, but instead, it’s more limited to attacking with Lugia VSTAR itself and other Colorless attackers.

Giratina VSTAR does lose some important pieces. Scoop Up Net is the big loss—the same Comfey can no longer be reset and played multiple times in the same turn. While Beach Court out of Scarlet & Violet will help replace some of the overall mobility, it does limit the potential of high-impact turns. Giratina VSTAR is unique among Lost Zone decks in its capacity to replace that, though, with Abyss Seeking on Giratina V providing a great way out of weak hands while also accelerating a player’s Lost Zone progress.

In short, being able to hit 280 damage relatively easily, having a VSTAR Power that can deal with pretty much anything, and retaining the Cramorant/Sableye Lost Zone suite means that more good things are in store for Giratina VSTAR. — Christopher Schemanske

Mew VMAX does not have any secret tricks. The primary attacker gives up three Prize cards when it is Knocked Out. The archetype has not even made it to the final of an International Championships. And yet, since it was first printed, Mew VMAX has been featured in every edition of the Power Rankings. The strengths of this deck make it easy to see why.

This deck features a powerful attacker, damage modifiers, hand disruption, and a variety of instantly useful Trainer cards, all tied together by an Ability-based draw engine that fires every turn from the first turn of the game. It is ruthless and relentless in the execution of its strategy; opponents must play flawlessly if they want any chance at a victory. The deck has even gained a new card in Arven from the Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet expansion, which will boost consistency by enabling easy access to Forest Seal Stone and whichever Item card is required in the given situation.

It will be interesting to observe whether competitors at the 2023 Europe International Championships use Meloetta in their Mew VMAX decks. With the rising popularity of Sky Seal Stone in Lost Box decks, and its anticipated inclusion in Gardevoir ex builds, Meloetta may be the best way for Mew VMAX to keep up with the Prize trade. — Ellis Longhurst

Lugia VSTAR was the most powerful deck prior to the Standard rotation, and it was expected to remain relevant post-rotation, even after losing powerful tools such as Powerful Colorless Energy, Aurora Energy, and Yveltal.

With Scarlet & Violet, the Lugia VSTAR deck is not only losing its strongest attacking options, but also important consistency cards, such as Evolution Incense and Quick Ball. Getting Archeops in the discard pile is now more challenging. The loss of these cards will without a doubt leave a noticeable dent in the deck’s power. Archeops’s Primal Turbo Ability is still arguably the strongest Ability of all time, and it can fuel otherwise difficult-to-use attackers.

The Single Strike archetype has so far been overshadowed by its Rapid Strike counterpart, but it looks like that is about to change—even if it’s without the originally most anticipated Single Strike cards like Urshifu VMAX, Gengar VMAX, or Houndoom. Tyranitar V provides the deck with a powerful attacker that, with the help of Single Strike Energy, can easily Knock Out any Pokémon VSTAR and most Pokémon VMAX in the format. Its Darkness typing also helps a great deal against Gardevoir ex and Mew VMAX and could surely make the deck as one of the top contenders going into the Europe International Championships. I have a feeling that we could see some Lugia VSTAR decks make a deep run. — Tord Reklev

Scarlet & Violet marks a first in our power ranking series: an actual Stage 2 deck in our top five! For far too long, slow setup decks were unviable in metagames dominated by powerful TAG TEAM Pokémon or Pokémon VMAX. Finally, it looks like one is good enough to make the cut: Gardevoir ex.

Gardevoir, Gallade, and their pre-evolved forms have received a lot of recent attention from the game’s designers: one Kirlia has the Refinement Ability that turns it into a draw engine, and a different Kirlia is another strong option for the early game thanks to its Mirage Step attack. Gallade from Sword & Shield—Astral Radiance gives the player access to the Supporter of their choice every turn, and a Gardevoir from Sword & Shield—Chilling Reign acts as card draw, Energy acceleration, and an attacker all at once.

These Pokémon finally work together thanks to Gardevoir ex’s powerful Psychic Embrace Ability. With it, you can move plenty of Energy in one turn from your discard pile to your Gardevoir ex and use it to K.O. even a powerful Pokémon V. There are many more Pokémon that can be played in combination with Gardevoir ex, such as Cresselia, Zacian V (which can benefit from Sky Seal Stone). Even Mewtwo V-UNION would work.

Gardevoir does have to contend with a fast metagame—and the threat of Radiant Greninja and Sableye in Lost Zone decks—so it’s a risky deck to play. In theory at least, it has the tools to beat any deck in the format. — Stéphane Ivanoff

Ellis Longhurst — Rotation. It’s a word that is music to the ears of competitive Pokémon TCG players (and Inkay enthusiasts). Rotation of the competitive card pool heralds a new era of the Pokémon Trading Card Game and usually promises a major shake-up of the established metagame. Adding even more complexity, the Europe International Championships will be the first opportunity for most players to compete using cards from the Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet expansion. Many are hoping that the new Pokémon ex will find places at the top tables, with Gardevoir ex a particular favorite for the Championship title. Results from this event will certainly set the tone for the latter half of the 2023 Championship Series season.

Conspicuously absent from this edition of power rankings is Miraidon ex. On paper, this Pokémon has the hallmarks of a high performer. However, Miraidon ex decks only achieved middling results at Championships in Japan and Southeast Asia until the deck’s recent victory at Champions League Miyagi. There continues to be efforts to improve upon early iterations of this archetype, so I think it is unwise for competitors at the Europe International Championships to dismiss it during their preparation for the event. If not, a finely tuned Miraidon ex deck could give them a shock.

Christopher Schemanske — Ordinarily, the first format after the Standard rotation is not my favorite. Historically, there are often only a handful of expansions in format. This means that most decks need to rely on the same Supporter suite because there aren’t that many deck options available.

Thankfully, that’s not the case this year! I am thrilled about the timing of this rotation, both as a way to freshen up after an extended showing of Lugia VSTAR’s dominance and because it genuinely looks like a fun format filled with interesting cards. The last time we had a Standard rotation before a major event was the 2019 World Championships, which did not really generate a major shake-up. I think this time could be different, and I’m eager to see how Gardevoir ex, Miraidon ex, and the other Scarlet & Violet stars impact the game. My current feeling is that they will slot in around the middle of the pack, giving the format new options without overpowering what’s already there. Regardless, it’s going to be an exciting breath of fresh air, and I’m excited to see where players go with it!

For me, the deck to watch is Mew VMAX, and especially the Fusion Strike Energy variant that fell out of favor late last year. Its speed remains dangerous, and its consistency is still entirely unmatched. If I were playing in London, I’d be seriously considering it as a potential deck choice and paying attention to it as a potential threat. Drapion V, anybody?

Tord Reklev — Scarlet & Violet brings a couple new archetypes to the game, and I’m very excited to see how the loss of some of the most relevant cards from the previous format will impact this tournament, especially because we usually only see a rotation before the World Championships or before a new season begins. This time it happens right in the middle of the season, and players will have to adapt to these changes.

Compared to the formats of the last two International Championships in São Paulo and Melbourne, London will look very different. This is true even if most of the familiar decks, such as Lost Zone, Mew VMAX, Arceus VSTAR, and Lugia VSTAR, stick around.

A deck that didn’t quite make it all the way into our Top 5 list is the new Miraidon ex. In combination with Regieleki VMAX, Flaaffy from Sword & Shield—Evolving Skies, and the new Electric Generator Item card, this deck might be a dark horse for the Europe International Championships. These cards are all individually strong and provide the deck with coverage for various matchups.

I’m looking forward to seeing how Scarlet & Violet will impact the metagame and to the new beginning of the Pokémon TCG that awaits us.

Stéphane Ivanoff — I’m incredibly excited to attend the Europe International Championships and have the opportunity to play with the new cards from Scarlet & Violet expansion (and not just because of their cool new gray borders!). One card that I especially like is Klefki, which can slow down the game and disrupt decks that rely on Basic Pokémon such as Comfey, Radiant Greninja, or Genesect V. Currently, the top tier decks can’t really make good of use of it, so Klefki’s presence is limited. The card does have some downsides, such as shutting down your own Manaphy‘s Ability and being a liability against Sableye (arguably the best attacker of the format) in the late game.

However, Klefki’s potential is huge against top tier decks such as Lost Box and Mew VMAX. If someone finds a way to exploit it, it could lead to great results. One possible way to do so would be to combine it with Hatterene V from the recent Crown Zenith expansion, which can hit for 80 damage with Teleportation Burst, go back to the Bench, and then send Klefki to the Active Spot instead. This way, it’s possible to K.O. Pokémon such as Comfey and Sableye while keeping the Ability lock in place.

I doubt that that combination is good enough to really make a dent in the metagame, but it’s one of many ideas to keep an eye on when playing the new format!

Robin Schulz — There are a lot of reasons to be excited for this year’s EUIC! Not only will it be the biggest European tournament we’ve ever had, but it’s also the first major tournament of the Scarlet & Violet era! Since we’ve just had rotation, it’s basically impossible to accurately predict how the metagame will look. This will make it a very fun event to follow; I’m particularly interested in how the new Pokémon ex perform. Gardevoir ex made it straight into our Top 5, and just outside there’s the powerful Miraidon ex, which makes for a formidable deck in combination with Regieleki VMAX. The established contenders like Lost Zone or Mew VMAX might still be the favorites to win, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw one of the new decks come out on top instead.

Another story that must be followed is that of Gustavo Wada. After winning the last two Europe International Championships, I’m sure he’ll try his absolute hardest to get the three-peat! It would be an incredible achievement that might never be repeated, like Tord Reklev’s three consecutive wins back in 2016–2017. Speaking of Tord, he’s also a player to watch—he’ll be trying to defend his current spot as number one on the European rankings!

Watch all the action live from London when the Pokémon TCG Europe International Championships begin on April 14. And be sure to check Pokemon.com/Strategy for more Pokémon TCG strategy and analysis.

The 2023 Europe International Championships is set to be the biggest Pokémon GO competition to date. Taking place in the same venue as last year’s World Championships—ExCel London—EUIC will be the first International Championship with a full bracket of 256 competitors. Play! Pokémon tournaments in Europe consistently showcase some of the highest caliber play for Pokémon GO the world over; in fact, reigning World Champion DancingRob qualified for the World Championships with a third-place finish at last year’s EUIC—a testament to the incredible depth of Europe’s player pool.

For European competitors, there are only three tournaments left in the Play! Pokémon season that will award invitations to the 2023 World Championships slated to take place in Yokohama, Japan this August. Four of the remaining eight invitations from those three tournaments will be awarded this weekend, in addition to thousands of dollars in prizes. You’ll be able to catch all the action at Twitch.tv/PokemonGO on Saturday, April 15, 2023, and Sunday, April 16, 2023.

Let’s walk through some of the top teams this season and analyze what made them successful. While most Trainers you see on stage may not be using these exact lineups, you’ll likely notice patterns of three or four Pokémon that frequently appear together.

MagicMayson – Toronto (December 2022)

MagicMayson’s team includes many of the most used Pokémon since the last major move rebalance in December—and with good reason. Not only is each Pokémon strong individually, but all six have efficient Charged Attacks that provide wide coverage and high bulk (aside from Trevenant), which allows them to power through neutral matchups.

Medicham and Noctowl form a near-unbreakable core, as Noctowl covers the Ghost-type Pokémon that give Medicham trouble, and in turn, Medicham covers Steel-type Pokémon that clip Noctowl’s wings. Galarian Stunfisk curbs Trevenant’s Flying-type weakness. Lanturn is one of the few Pokémon that can counter Noctowl as well as cover a major weakness for both Medicham and Trevenant. In addition, Lanturn has flexibility with its available Fast Attacks, Water Gun and Spark, depending on whether a Trainer wants Ground-type coverage or faster energy generation. Rounding out the team is Umbreon, a solid generalist that reliably deals neutral damage to almost every Pokémon players are likely to face.

This particular combination of six Pokémon has become one of the most commonly seen teams over the last few months, most notably used by MagicMayson and Brownballer10, and by Yacobervitch in his victory at the Oceania International Championship.

HumancatcherBug – Liverpool (January 2023)

Humancatcherbug won Pokémon GO’s first-ever 256-person tournament in Liverpool in January with this team. Notice how similar it is to MagicMayson’s, with Lanturn, Umbreon, Medicham, Galarian Stunfisk, and Trevenant all prominently featured. The only difference is Shadow Charizard. Whereas Charizard was rarely used prior to the energy generation buff Wing Attack received in a recent move update, it’s now featured in nearly every format where it’s eligible. Wing Attack’s ability to quickly generate energy allows Charizard to set up Blast Burn, one of the most efficient Charged Attacks in the game in terms of damage and energy cost.

Reis2Occasion – Knoxville (February 2023)

By late February, Trainers had begun to move away from teams based solely around the ever-prevalent Noctowl-Medicham-Trevenant-Umbreon quartet. One catalyst for this shift was the debut of Shadow Alolan Vulpix in early February, paving the way for Shadow Alolan Ninetales to storm the Great League. Trainers had been searching for a reliable source of Ice-type coverage, using Abomasnow and Froslass to varying degrees of success, but Alolan Ninetales now fills that niche comfortably. Its Ice-type attacks allow it to counter Noctowl and Trevenant, and its Fairy typing means it can menace Umbreon and Medicham as well. Alolan Ninetales is often seen alongside Swampert, which almost perfectly covers Alolan Ninetales’s primary weaknesses to Steel-type Pokémon and Fire-type Pokémon. Other Water-type Pokémon, such as Lanturn with the Fast Attack Water Gun, can also accompany Alolan Ninetales with relative ease.

Reis2Occasion’s team also marked one of the first major successes for a team that didn’t include a Pokémon with Fighting-type attacks. Trainers have increasingly begun to utilize Pokémon such as Swampert or Trevenant as counters to Steel-type Pokémon. Rounding out Reis2Occasion’s team are Noctowl, Galarian Stunfisk, and Trevenant—some of the usual suspects in the Great League—as well as Azumarill, whose Defense and type have made it a long-time staple in the Great League.

23EJB – Bochum (February 2023)

On the same weekend that Reis2Occasion won the Knoxville regional in the United States, 23EJB—who we’ll see at EUIC—earned his ticket to Yokohama by winning the Bochum Regional Championship in Europe. Once again, 23EJB’s team contains the familiar Noctowl-Medicham pair plus Azumarill, Umbreon, and Azumarill. However, 23EJB opts for Registeel as their Steel type of choice. Most Trainers team up with a Steel-type Pokémon to counter Flying-type Pokémon and Ice-type Pokémon. While Galarian Stunfisk is more popular, Registeel is a strong alternative—so strong that some Trainers bring both. Additionally, Registeel’s Zap Cannon Charged Attack can lower the opponent’s Attack stat, which can often mean the difference between victory and defeat against an opponent’s final Pokémon.

Jonya – Utrecht (March 2023)

Jonyoa won the recent Utrecht Special Event in Europe using the team above. Once again, the trio of Noctowl, Lanturn, and Medicham reigns supreme. However, they are accompanied by Alolan Ninetales, Sableye, and Registeel. Sableye, like Azumarill and Registeel, has been a solid Pokémon in the Great League for many years. This Pokémon threatens Medicham and Trevenant with its Ghost-type shenanigans and is able to quickly deal damage to most other Pokémon types.

While a small core of popular team picks was established a few months ago, the most successful Trainers at each event tweak that formula to make it their own—just like Jonkus does.

Jonkus – Utrecht (March 2023)

Jonkus, a content creator known for running unconventional GO Battle League teams, placed third at the Utrecht Special Event with the above lineup. He opted not to select the six most-used Pokémon, instead reaching for less conventional picks. Mew’s versatile moves leave opponents guessing what will come next (and when to use their Protect Shields) and can provide virtually any type of coverage to round out a team. Jonkus’s team also features two alternatives to the ever-popular Noctowl: Charizard and Altaria. While Altaria is less flexible than Noctowl, its oppressive Dragon Breath Fast Attack can quickly shred through opponents.

Since EUIC will be the largest International Championship yet for Pokémon GO, there will undoubtedly be incredible players in every group. While the full player pool is too deep to dive into here, let’s highlight a few frontrunners worth keeping an eye on.

• AMindJoke placed third at the first-ever Pokémon GO regional in Liverpool and placed fifth at Liverpool 2023.
• Zzweilous placed in the Top 16 at Liverpool 2023 alongside his signature Pokémon, Ampharos.
• Sandodou is a top player from France who has done exceptionally well on grassroots circuits.
• Fr43ka finished in the Top 12 at the 2022 World Championships after qualifying through a second-place finish at EUIC in 2022.
• PvpDavid07 is the 2022 Lille Senior Champion.
• Paulasha97 topped the GO Battle League leaderboard in the current Great League. She accomplished this with the unconventional picks of Shadow Gliscor and Tapu Fini, which may make an appearance on her EUIC team as well.
• StoneCollection qualified for the 2022 World Championships after winning the 2022 Last Chance Qualifier at the very venue where EUIC will be held.
• Scafo99 topped the GO Battle League leaderboards multiple times.
• lDexxBl made the Top 12 of the 2022 World Championships and has already come extremely close to another World Championships appearance with a third-place finish in Bilbao and a fourth-place finish at Liverpool this season.
• Maxy1000000P placed fourth at Liverpool 2023 and Top 16 at Utrecht 2023.

As if that list of previous Worlds competitors and well-known GO Battle League warriors wasn’t impressive enough, there are also some competitors who have already qualified for this year’s championships in Yokohama, but who will nonetheless compete at EUIC to vie for prizes and the coveted title of EUIC Champion.

• MEweedle is the Senior-division 2022 World Champion. Although this accomplishment automatically qualified him for the 2023 World Championships, this young Trainer won the Stuttgart regional in his Masters division debut. When asked about adjusting to the Masters division, he noted only that “the players are a lot taller.”
• Statastan recently qualified for the 2023 World Championships via a second-place finish at Utrecht and competed at last year’s World Championships.
• Colin6ix won the Lille 2023 regional tournament.
• LurganRocket finished fourth at the 2022 World Championships and will be returning to the 2023 World Championships after placing second in Bochum this season.
• ThoTechtical qualified for the 2023 World Championships with a second-place finish at Lille earlier this season.
• Inadequance qualified for the 2023 World Championships with a third-place finish at Stuttgart and has more recently been participating in regional championships as part of the broadcasting team. Although he played an exhibition match against friend and fellow Dutch content creator ThoTechtical at Utrecht, fans are undoubtedly excited about his return to competition at EUIC.

Reigning World Champion DancingRob will not be competing, but he will be staffing to help the competition run smoothly.

Competitive battling in Pokémon GO is not often a journey that Trainers successfully embark on alone. Most of the high-profile Trainers who top these tournaments frequently compete and train together. In fact, many of the competitors mentioned above are teammates and friends outside of Play! Pokémon tournaments. ThoTechtical, Inadequance, 23EJB, AMindJoke, Scafo99, Maxy1000000P, and lDexxbl are all teammates in GO’s premier grassroots team format, as are Statastan, MEweedle, Colin6ix, and PvpDavid07. So look forward to these battles between besties on April 15 and April 16 at Twitch.tv/PokemonGO—it’s sure to be one of the best GO tournaments yet.