[Feature] A Champion Time at ExCeL London!

EUIC & Me!

Good things come to those who wait and for those who attended the Pokémon Europe International Championships (EUIC) at ExCeL London in 2025, the 2025 Championships returned a lot sooner than expected thanks to arriving two months sooner. (What do you know, the early Corviknight does get the Orthworm after all.) But with a new show to partake in, it was time to return to the city I love, to a venue I am no stranger to and delight myself in all things Pokémon.

Hall of Game:

One of the best new features present at this year’s EUIC, has to the little Hall of Fame area that was set up. With six large standees of cards used by TCG champions and every EUIC winner from 2017 to 2024 depicted, the display chronicled their achievements with the utmost respect. It was all too easy to find yourself stood there looking at the many faces on show and be in awe of their fantastic exploits.

Talking ’bout my Generation:

Opposite the Hall of Fame, was a display dedicated to all nine generations of the main series of games, are showcased alongside the consoles and handhelds that they released on. It’s a display I’ve seen twice at previous EUIC, but it’s a welcome display nonetheless and one I will always find time for.

TCGallery:

And for the next best thing this year’s EUIC did, is the Pokémon TCG Artist Gallery. With four famed artists in attendance at EUIC, performing signings and meet and greets sessions. the legendary Keiichiro Ito, Yuu Nishida, Shinji Kanda and Yuka Morii also had a small exhibit dedicated to the some of the works of art they created, which was then used for the Trading Card Game.

But, not only was it just a print out of the artwork, but the associated cards were showcased alongside the arts they feature, along with clay models created by Yuka Morii. The exhibit was clean and a thing of true beauty and the fact that so many got the chance to meet them during the tournament, well, that’s the true icing on the cake.

A Champion Time:

You can’t have a EUIC without some intense battles and this year’s tournament was no dissapointment. A particular highlight of mine was watching the rise and fall of Zzweilous (Cedric Voight), especially his high octane matches against P4T0M4N (Leo Marin Torres). Both contestants showcased their skills as Pokémon Masters, but ultimately, P4T0M4N would adapt his strategy and came out on top as Pokémon GO Champion, much like US’s very own, Wolfe Glick, who came out on top as the Pokémon VGC Champion.

And the Winners are…

Pokémon TCG Winners:

Masters Division | Ryuki Okada (JP)
Senior Division | Gabriel Fernandez (BR)
Junior Division | Oliver Cahill (UK)

Pokémon VGC Winners:

Masters Division | Wolfe Glick (US)
Senior Division | Ian Larson (US)
Junior Division | Fabian Musikant (DE)

Pokémon GO Top Three:

1st | Leo Marin Torres aka P4T0M4N (ES)
2nd | Cedric Voigt aka Zzweilous (DE)
3rd | Wouter Didden aka kuifje00 (BE)

Pokémon UNITE Winning Team:

Luminosity | Sean Tucker aka LG・Slash (NA)
Luminosity | Alan De Mier aka ttv・otter (NA)
Luminosity | Leonardo Calle-Perez aka TrainerLGC (NA)
Luminosity | Kihyun Lee aka FS kyriaos (NA)
Luminosity | Kalee Lucero aka DimLitSkies (NA)

Let’s GO Have Some Fun:

When not watching battles, partaking in some or simply taking in all that EUIC has to offer, there are still plenty of fun opportunities to make the most out of. For starters, all are free to go to the Pokémon GO area, where power banks await, should your mobile device be running low and you still want to catch some more Pokémon. Then there was a gaming ara where players could revisit old Pokémon games such as Pokémon Stadium and partake in a challenge for how quick they could catch a Pikachu.

There was also a facepaint area, a large selection of tables put together for attendees to sit down, draw or do some colouring in, but then there was the land of Kitakami. Much like how there was an area dedicated to Kitakami last year, the same was tru for this year. In the recreational area, attendees could sit down, procure food and drink and even check out any of the stalls selling merchandise. There was also three stalls set up for games, with one being a treasure / scavenger hunt, another being a ringtoss game and the third being a “Who’s That Pokémon?” game.

Then of course, there’s the Play Lab, which is always a worthwhile activity for any trip to the EUIC. Whether you’re new to the TCG and video games, or simply have a young one you wish to introduce to all things Pokémon, then the Play Lab is for you. You just need to time your trip correctly though as this year’s show swiftly filled up and some long wait times were expected between sessions.

Now, I don’t know about you, but while the Pokémon Center is set up seperate from EUIC, can one really say they had the full EUIC experience if they don’t go to the Pokémon Center and spend too much? Although it’s hard to secure a booking, but until the day we finally get a permenant store in the UK, the annual pilgramage to EUIC and the Pokémon Center is a necessary one, for it is a sin to do one and not the other. But, since the Pokémon Center is a seperate affair, that requires a seperate article.