Two-time Pokémon Trading Card Game international champion Stéphane Ivanoff shared insights about competitive play and Pokémon TCG Pocket at the Europe International Championship 2025.

For EUIC 2025, Ivanoff chose Gardevoir ex, a deck he's consistently performed well with across three international championships. The addition of Budew from Prismatic Evolutions strengthened the deck, particularly due to its Itchy Pollen attack that blocks opponent's Item cards.

Regarding Pokémon TCG Pocket, Ivanoff offered these key insights:

• Positive aspects:

  • Fun for casual play
  • Shorter games
  • Simpler mechanics
  • Similar to pre-release tournament experience

• Areas for improvement:

  • Too much emphasis on coinflips
  • Lacks competitive depth
  • Too many cards with basic "vanilla damage"
  • Could benefit from more complex gameplay mechanics

On competitive potential, Ivanoff expressed skepticism about Pocket joining the championship circuit, citing concerns about viewer engagement and the possibility of it replacing the standard TCG format. He suggested that improvements to Pokémon TCG Live's ranked mode would be more beneficial for competitive players.

While Pokémon TCG Pocket currently serves well as a casual game, it needs significant development before it could be considered for competitive play. For now, the main four Pokémon games remain the focus of championship events.

[Remaining images kept in original order but removed from summary for conciseness as they don't add relevant information to the core topic]

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