Honolulu was basically a sea of blue and yellow last August. If you weren't there, it’s hard to describe the sheer humidity mixed with the smell of expensive cardboard and the frantic clicking of Nintendo Switch buttons. The Pokemon World Championships 2024 wasn't just another tournament; it was the moment the competitive scene finally felt like it grew up, even if we were all still playing with pocket monsters.
The Hawaii Convention Center stayed packed. Fans traveled from everywhere—literally everywhere—to see if the meta would finally shift or if we were stuck in another year of predictable play. People think Pokemon is just for kids. They’re wrong. Dead wrong. When you see a grown man nearly hyperventilating because his Incineroar took a critical hit from a Wellspring Mask Ogerpon, you realize the stakes are higher than most professional sports.
The Chaos of the VGC Finals
The Video Game Championship (VGC) is usually the crown jewel of the weekend. This year, it felt different. We were deep into the Regulation G ruleset. That meant one "Restricted" Pokemon per team. Basically, you bring a god-tier legend like Miraidon or Calyrex and pray your support mons can keep it alive long enough to sweep.
Luca Ceribelli. Remember that name.
The Masters Division final was a masterclass in patience. Luca, hailing from Italy, went up against Yuta Ishigaki from Japan. Most people pegged Yuta as the favorite. Why? Because Japan has dominated the tactical landscape for years. But Luca’s Miraidon play was something else. He wasn't just attacking; he was positioning. He used Farigiraf to shut down priority moves, which is honestly the most tilting thing to play against if you’re relying on Fake Out or Extreme Speed.
It went to three games. In the final set, the tension was so thick you could've cut it with a Zacian’s blade. Luca managed to navigate a late-game scenario that looked like a certain loss. He won. The room erupted. It was the first time an Italian had taken the top spot in the Masters VGC, proving that the European circuit is no longer just "the other region" compared to Japan and North America.
Why TCG Players Are Built Different
Trading Card Game (TCG) players are a different breed. They spend hours shuffling. Their hands are constantly moving. During the Pokemon World Championships 2024, the TCG meta was dominated by a few specific decks, mostly centered around Charizard ex and Regidrago VSTAR.
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Fernando Diogo from Brazil took the Masters title, and honestly, his run was legendary. He played a "Lugia VSTAR" deck. Now, if you follow the meta, you know Lugia has been around forever. People keep saying it’s dead. "It’s too inconsistent," they say. "Archeops is too hard to get into the discard pile," they complain. Fernando didn't care. He piloted that deck like a surgeon.
The final match against Seinosuke Shiokawa was a grind. TCG isn't just about the cards you draw; it's about the prizes you take and the way you manage your resources when your deck is down to the last five cards. Fernando’s victory was a massive win for the Latin American community. It showed that even with a "tier 2" deck, player skill can overcome a "tier 1" power level.
The Surprising Rise of Pokemon GO
Can we talk about Pokemon GO for a second? People still ask, "Is that game still alive?"
Yes. It is. And the competitive scene is surprisingly intense.
Unlike VGC or TCG, the GO World Championships are about tap-speed, switch-timing, and "baiting" shields. It’s fast. It’s twitchy. Yixiao "rebeccasdad" Peng took the trophy this year. Watching him play was like watching a fighting game pro. He was counting "fast moves" in his head, knowing exactly when his opponent would have their "charged move" ready.
Most people play GO while walking their dog. These guys play it like it's Chess at 200 miles per hour. The Great League format (1500 CP limit) remains the gold standard because it allows for weird picks like Lickitung and Carbink to actually be viable.
The Honolulu Experience and the "Scalper" Problem
Look, we have to be honest. The event wasn't perfect. Hawaii is expensive. Like, "ten dollars for a bottle of water" expensive. And then there was the Pokemon Center—the pop-up shop.
The line for the Pokemon Center was a nightmare. People were queuing up at 3:00 AM just to get a chance to buy the exclusive "Scuba Pikachu" plush. By noon, half the stuff was on eBay for triple the price. It’s a recurring problem at Worlds. The "exclusive" nature of the merch brings out the best fans and the worst resellers.
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The Pokemon Company tried to fix it with a reservation system, but it still felt like a lottery. If you didn't get a slot, you were basically out of luck unless you wanted to pay a random guy in the parking lot $200 for a backpack.
Despite that, the vibe outside the convention center was incredible. You’d see people sitting on the floor of the mall nearby, cards spread out, trading with strangers from three different continents. Language didn't matter. A "Gold Star" Rayquaza is a "Gold Star" Rayquaza in any language.
Pokemon UNITE: The Underdog
The UNITE championships usually get less hype, but the prize pool is nothing to sneeze at. FENNEL, the Japanese powerhouse, took the win. They played with a level of coordination that makes your average "Solo Queue" experience look like a disaster.
The way they rotated for Rayquaza at the end of the match—it was clinical. UNITE is often criticized for its "last two minutes" mechanic where everything can flip, but FENNEL proved that if you control the map early, you can make that final flip almost impossible for the opponent.
Technical Glitches and "The Disconnect"
One thing the experts don't talk about enough is the technical side. There were a few moments during the streams where disconnects happened. In a game like Pokemon, where a single turn determines a $50,000 prize difference, a "DC" is a nightmare.
The judges handled it well, but it highlights a problem: we are still playing a world-class esport on hardware that sometimes feels like it’s struggling to keep up. The community is still waiting for a more robust spectator mode that doesn't rely on "cloning" the players' screens.
What This Means for 2025 and Beyond
So, where do we go from here? The Pokemon World Championships 2024 proved that the game is more global than ever. We had winners from Italy, Brazil, Japan, and Hong Kong across various divisions and games.
The 2025 World Championships are heading to Anaheim, California. Then San Francisco in 2026. Pokemon is planting its flag firmly in the West for the next two years.
If you're looking to get into the competitive scene, start now. The barrier to entry in VGC is lower than ever thanks to "Rental Teams." You don't even have to breed your own Pokemon anymore; you can just put in a code and play with a world-champion-caliber team.
But be warned: the ladder is brutal.
You'll lose. A lot. You’ll get "flinched" by a Rock Slide. You'll miss a 90% accuracy move when you need it most. That’s Pokemon. It’s a game of managing luck.
Actionable Insights for Aspiring Players:
- VGC: Stop trying to build "anti-meta" teams until you understand the "meta" itself. Use a rental team from a site like Victory Road or Trainer Tower. Learn why Incineroar is on 70% of teams before you try to replace it.
- TCG: Use PTCG Live to test decks before buying physical cards. The "Zard" (Charizard ex) deck is still a great starting point for beginners because it has a very clear win condition and lots of HP.
- Networking: If you go to a Regional or International event, talk to people. The "secret" to getting good at Pokemon isn't a hidden stat; it's having a "testing circle" of friends to practice with.
- Merch: If you ever attend Worlds, book your Pokemon Center slot the second they go live online. Do not wait.
The road to Anaheim starts with a single Poke Ball. Or, you know, a very expensive flight and a lot of practice games on your couch. Either way, the 2024 season showed us that the game is healthier than it’s ever been, even if the "luck" factor still makes us want to throw our consoles across the room sometimes.