2017 European International Championships

Date: November 17-19
Location: ExCel Center, London, UK
Attendance: 784 Masters
Format: Standard BRT-CRI

Statistics

Day 2 CP share
View raw data

Day 2 placements
Day 2 final standings
  1. Tord Reklev, Zoroark-GX/Golisopod-GX
  2. Zakary Krekeler, Silvally-GX/Metal
  3. Christopher Schemanske, Gardevoir-GX
  4. Michael Long, Greninja BREAK
  5. Teodor Skjaeveland, FightingBox/Octillery
  6. Fredrik Wold, FightingBox/Octillery
  7. Eemeli Reijonen, Volcanion
  8. Magnus Helle Kalland, Zoroark-GX/Golisopod-GX
  9. Benjamin Pham, Zoroark-GX/Golisopod-GX
  10. João Joaquim, Zoroark-GX/Decidueye-GX/Buzzwole-GX
  11. Grafton Roll, Silvally-GX/Zoroark-GX/Metal
  12. Stéphane Ivanoff, Zoroark-GX/Decidueye-GX
  13. Yasin Balela, Silvally-GX/Metal
  14. Damien Wincenciak, Gardevoir-GX
  15. Ian Robb, Drampa-GX/Garbodor
  16. Sander Wojcik, Heatmor/Raichu/Victini
  17. Stephan Norregard, Gardevoir-GX/Sylveon-GX
  18. Michael Slutsky, Gardevoir-GX
  19. Clifton Goh, Gardevoir-GX
  20. Robin Schulz, Zoroark-GX/Golisopod-GX
  21. Brent Tonisson, Gardevoir-GX
  22. Israel Sosa, Silvally-GX/Zoroark-GX/Metal
  23. Benjamin Behrens, Zoroark-GX/Golisopod-GX
  24. Gabriel Semedo, Zoroark-GX/Golisopod-GX
  25. Alex Schemanske, Gardevoir-GX
  26. Joey Ruttiger, Drampa-GX/Zoroark-GX/Zoroark BREAK
  27. Simon Humphrey, Silvally-GX/Buzzwole-GX
  28. Michael Pramawat, Gardevoir-GX
  29. Frank Percic, Gardevoir-GX
  30. Juho Kallama, Silvally-GX/Zoroark-GX/Metal
  31. Marc Lutz, Golisopod-GX/Garbodor
  32. Nico Alabas, Golisopod-GX/Garbodor

Notes
  • To date, this is the largest European tournament of all time. 
  • With this win, Tord Reklev became the first player to win two International Championships. He would go on to win the 2017 Oceania International Championship and become the only player to win three ICs, let alone win three consecutive ICs. 
  • Seven of the nine Gardevoir-GX decks in Day 2 followed the template created by 2005 US National Champion Seena Ghaziaskhar, which was dubbed "Brokenvoir." The key card in the deck was Max Potion -- a full four copies. Ghaziaskhar humorously promoted the list as the best deck ever created, saying Gardevoir-GX was the best card ever printed and that it would win the tournament easily. This led to Ghaziaskhar and his "broken deck" catchphrase becoming a common meme in HeyFonte, PTCG Hell, and elsewhere. While Brokenvoir did not win EUIC, it made it to Top 4 under Christopher Schemanske, and Michael Slutsky, who finished 18th with it, said it would've likely won had Ghaziaskhar not made the concept so widely known prior to the event. 

Streamed matches
There was an official TPCI stream for this event at twitch.tv/pokemontcg_eu. Casters were Joe Bernard, Ross Gilbert, David Hochmann, Nicholas Pearce, and Julian Scharf. 

 Round 1 / watch
Round 2 / watch
Round 3 / watch
Round 4 / watch
Round 5: Nico Alabas (4-0-0, Golisopod-GX/Garbodor/Buzzwole-GX/Celesteela-GX) def. Clifton Goh (4-0-0, Gardevoir-GX) WW watch

 Seb Symonds (3-0-1, Zoroark/Bisharp/Tapu Koko/Devoured Field) def. Brad Curcio (Silvally-GX/Metal) WW watch

 Round 6: Robin Schulz (4-0-1, Golisopod-GX/Zoroark/Mallow/Puzzle of Time/3 Brigette) def. Gustavo Wada (4-0-1, Decidueye-GX/Zoroark-GX) LWW watch

 Round 7: Tord Reklev (5-0-1, Golisopod-GX/Zoroark/Puzzle of Time/3 Brigette) def. Igor Costa (5-0-1, Decidueye-GX/Zoroark) WLW watch

 Round 8: Eemeli Reijonen (6-1-0, Volcanion/Ho-Oh-GX) def. Toby Woolner (6-1-0, Buzzwole-GX/Zoroark) LWW watch

 Round 9: Israel Sosa (6-2-0, Silvally-GX/Zoroark-GX/Metal) def. Zach Lesage (6-2-0, Golisopod-GX/Gumshoos-GX/Turtonator-GX/Tapu Koko/Octillery) WLW watch

 Round 10: Michael Long (7-0-2, Greninja BREAK) def. Sander Wojcik (7-1-1, Heatmor/Raichu/Fliptini/techs) LWW watch

 Round 11: Eemeli Reijonen (9-1-0, Volcanion/Ho-Oh-GX) def. Tord Reklev (9-1-0, Zoroark/Golisopod-GX/techs) LWW watch

 Round 12: Benjamin Behrens (8-3-0, Zoroark/Golisopod-GX/techs) def. Simon Humphrey (8-3-0, Silvally-GX/Buzzwole-GX) LWW watch

 Round 13: Teodor Skjaeveland (9-2-1, Buzzwole-GX/Lycanroc-GX GRI/Regirock-EX/Octillery) def. Damian Wincenciak (Gardevoir-GX) WLW watch

 Round 14: Christopher Schemanske (9-2-2, Brokenvoir) def. Yasin Balela (9-2-2, Silvally-GX/Metal) WW watch

Top 8:
  1. 8-Zakary Krekeler (Silvally-GX/Metal) def. 1-Teodor Skjaeveland (FightingBox/Octillery) WW watch
  2. 4-Christopher Schemanske (Brokenvoir) def. 5-Magnus Helle Kalland (Golisopod-GX/Zoroark-GX/techs) WW watch
  3. 7-Michael Long (Greninja BREAK) def. 2-Fredrik Wold (FightingBox/Octillery) LWW watch
  4. 6-Tord Reklev (Zoroark-GX/Golisopod-GX/Puzzle of Time/techs) def. 3-Eemeli Reijonen (Volcanion) WW watch
Top 4:
  1. 8-Zakary Krekeler (Silvally-GX/Metal) def. 4-Christopher Schemanske (Brokenvoir) WW watch
  2. 6-Tord Reklev (Zoroark/Golisopod-GX/techs) def. 7-Michael Long (Greninja BREAK) WLW watch

 Finals: 6-Tord Reklev (Zoroark/Golisopod-GX/techs) def. 8-Zakary Krekeler (Silvally-GX/Metal) WLW watch
Decklists and analysis

Zak Krekeler, 2nd - Silvally-GX/Metal
Player notes:
  • "There's nothing about [the list] I would change in retrospect; every card played an important role....There may be changes that can be made...to adjust for future formats/meta, but for this event, it ended up pretty close to ideal." 
  • "The focus on Celesteela-GX paid off quite well, as it had wonderful synergy with Registeel and Silvally-GX, and led to the deck matching up very well against most of the format."

Christopher Schemanke, 3rd - Brokenvoir
Michael Slutsky, Damien Wincenciak, Frank Percic, Clifton Goh, Brent Tonisson, and Alex Schemanske all used very similar lists to finish in Top 32.

 Player notes:
  • "1 Psy Ralts because Metal decks, but didn't want to scoop to Espeon by playing 3. Might've done 2/2 in hindsight but eh. 1 Fairy Kirlia for the Espeon thing; otherwise I prefer Psychic because it can actually do something to Espeon EX. 2 Gallade was great. Wouldn't change a card if I did it again."

Teodor Skjaeveland and Fredrik Wold, Top 8 - FightingBox/Octillery

Yasin Balela, 13th - Silvally-GX/Metal

Sander Wojcik, 16th - Heatmor/Raichu/Fliptini/techs
Player notes:

Israel Sosa, 22nd - Silvally-GX/Zoroark-GX/Metal/techs
Player notes:
  • The Zorua used in the tournament were the SHL print, not the BRT ones shown above. 
  • "The thing I hated was Turtonator since the times I could've used it I'd rather have done something else, and it just never was useful."
  • Matchups: 
    • R1 Volcanion WLW
      R2 Golisopod Garb LL
      R3 Volcanion LWW
      R4 Volcanion LWW
      R5 Buzzwole Garb LWW
      R6 Drampa Garb WLW
      R7 Turbo Buzzwole Lycanroc LL
      R8 Lurantis Bulu LWW
      R9 Golispod Octillery WLW (vs. Zach Lesage on stream)

      R10 Gardy WW
      R11 Decidueye Zoroark Buzzwole LWW
      R12 Volcanion WLL
      R13 Turbo Buzzwole Lycanroc (same R7 opponent) LL
      R14 Decidueye Zoroark LL
Gabriel Semedo, 24th - Golisopod-GX/Zoroark-GX


Michael Pramawat, 28th - Brokenvoir

Raz Wolpe, 33rd - Volcanion/Silvally-GX

Heddi Brahmi, 35th - Zoroark/Lycanroc-GX GRI
Mehdi Hafi used the same list to finish 4-3-2.

Player notes: (edited for clarity)
  • "The deck has a huge potential and after a lot of games with this archetype I think this is the optimal list."
  • "I would cut the mono [F] energy for a second Energy Loto in a meta without Drampa Garb or the Energy Loto for a 2nd [F] Energy."
  • "Energy Loto was definitely insane"
  • Matchups:
    • R1 Gardy WLL
      R2 Gardy WLW
      R3 Gardy WLT
      R4 Greninja WW
      R5 Gardy WW
      R6 Gardy WW
      R7 Gardy WW
      R8 VikaBulu WLT
      R9 Decidueye-GX/Zoroark WW
  • On the Gardevoir matchup: "your goal is to kill all Kirlia that touch the board [with] Lycanroc's Ability, and then once [the opponent's] board is really weak you either try to GX their Gardy for a KO or try to Blower + Enhanced to make him 2 shot you (where you can benefit from Acerola). If he goes with Gallade you have a lot of plays possible: two shot with Energy Drive + Mind Jack or one shot with Dangerous Rogue; then the key becomes N to slow down his set up."

Daniel Melrose, 38th - Xerneas BREAK
Player notes:
  • "Ran pretty smooth despite bricking like hell in Round 2"
  • Matchups: 
    • R1 - Greninja (Tie)
      R2 - Gardevoir (Loss)
      R3 - Golli-Garb (Win)
      R4 - Greninja (Win)
      R5 - Gardevoir (Win)
      R6 - Silvally/Turtonator (Tie)
      R7 - Golli-Garb (Win)
      R8 - A.Ninetales/Zoroark GX (Win)
      R9 - VikaBulu (Win)

Karl Blake, Top 64 - Drampa-GX/Garbodor/Celesteela-GX

Toby Woolner, 70th - Buzzwole-GX/Zoroark

More statistics

Top 32 player nationalities (via TPCI)

 Trivia
  • A group of top-rated players consisting of Brad Curcio, Azul Garcia Griego, Russell Laparre, Rahul Reddy, and Ryan Sabelhaus played the same Metal Toolbox list with disappointing results. Reddy said: "It was the biggest mistake we've made in a long time, the deck absolutely sucked. We didn't just not make T32; all of us were out of the tournament by like Round 7. This is objectively the worst deck I've played in the past two years." (It should be noted that Curcio, for one, does not share this opinion.)
  • Sam Chen's incredible streak of success* finally came to an end at this event, which he started 0-0-4 with Greninja BREAK and proceeded to drop at 1-1-4. 
    • *while playing meta decks, that is; he did not perform well at Hartford Regionals with Shock Lock.
  • Little-known Finnish player Eemeli Reijonen made quite a name for himself, earning Top 8 at his first tournament larger than a League Cup - no small feat given that this was the largest European tournament of all time! Reijonen was the only player to make Top 32 with Volcanion, a deck many players wrote off prior to the tournament (see below). He actually defeated the eventual champion, Tord Reklev, on stream in Round 11 of Swiss, but fell to Reklev in their Top 8 rematch. 
  • Volcanion was not considered a good play for the event by American players (although it did come in 6th in PokéStats's pre-tournament Power Rankings), due to its bad Gardevoir-GX matchup. However, the prevalence of Golisopod-GX decks and Metal decks at the top tables actually allowed Volcanion to succeed as long as it could play fairly close series against Gardevoir: seven Volcanion decks ultimately made Top 64, all piloted by European players. 

More links
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)