2023 World Championships

WCS23 redirects here. For Pokémon Trading Card Game set using this set code, see 2023 World Championships Yokohama Deck: Pikachu (TCG).

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World Championships

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The 2023 World Championships was held at Pacifico Yokohama in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan from August 11 to 13, 2023. It was the eighteenth invitation-only championships for players of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the thirteenth for players of the Pokémon video games and the second for players of Pokémon GO and Pokémon UNITE. This was the third time the World Championships was held outside of the U.S. and the first time the event was held in Japan.

Logo

Artwork

The theme song for these World Championships is "Legendary" by Kero Kero Bonito.

Trading Card Game Championships

The 2023-24 Standard format was used for the Pokémon TCG Championships, allowing all cards with regulation mark E or later. Players received invitations from gaining enough Championship Points throughout the year or from the previous World Championships. The top cut for some rating zones were able to go straight to Day Two: the Top 2 of the Middle East and South Africa, Top 4 of Oceania, Top 12 of Latin America, Top 16 of US and Canada, and Top 22 of Europe.

Day One was composed of Swiss rounds, with players earning enough match points moving on to Day Two. Players competed in a new set of Swiss rounds on Day Two until a Top 8 was determined. The Top 8 then had a single elimination bracket, with the finals taking place on Day Three. All games were best of three.

Junior Division

Rikuto Ohashi was the defending champion.

Shao Tong Yen became the new champion with a record of 6/1/1.

Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Championship match
	Hayashi Y.	2
	Haruku U.	1
						Hayashi Y.	0
						Shao Tong Yen	2
	Kazusa Y.	1
	Shao Tong Yen	2
											Shao Tong Yen	2
											Gabriel Borges Torres	0
	Gabriel Borges Torres	2
	Kingsley C.	1
						Gabriel Borges Torres	2
						Hatsuto K.	0
	Junwon C.	0
	Hatsuto K.	2

Senior Division

Liam Halliburton was the defending champion.

Gabriel Fernandez finished with a record of 6/1/1 to become the new World Champion.

Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Championship match
	Akinori A.	1
	Sydney De Bruijn	2
						Sydney De Bruijn	2
						Yuya	0
	Polaris A.	1
	Yuya T.	2
											Sydney De Bruijn	0
											Gabriel Fernandez	2
	Lucas J.	0
	Sechan O.	2
						Sechan O.	0
						Gabriel Fernandez	2
	Gabriel Fernandez	2
	Rune H.	0

Master Division

Ondřej Škubal was the defending champion and didn't make it to Day Two.

Vance Kelley defeated Tord Reklev in sudden death to become World Champion with a 9/0/2 record.

Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Championship match
	Vance Kelley	2
	Pang Hai King	0
						Vance Kelley	2
						Azul Garcia Griego	1
	Azul Garcia Griego	2
	Dionsius Lee	1
											Vance Kelley	2
											Tord Reklev	1
	Tord Reklev	2
	Victor Manuel Garcia Montes	1
						Tord Reklev	2
						Michael Pramawat	0
	Shoichi Sato	1
	Michael Pramawat	2

Video Game Championships

Players received invitations from gaining enough Championship Points throughout the year or from the previous World Championships. The top cut for some rating zones were able to go straight to Day Two: the Top 4 of Oceania, Top 8 of US/Canada and Latin America, and Top 16 of Europe.

Day One players competed in Swiss rounds, with those ending the day with fewer than three losses and no ties moving on to Day Two. A new set of Swiss rounds was played Day Two until a top cut could be determined to play a single elimination bracket. The finals of this bracket were played on Day Three.

Matches took place in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and were all Double Battles. All Pokémon in the games (including by transfer from Pokémon HOME) were eligible except any special Pokémon, Iron Leaves, or Walking Wake. Levels for all Pokémon were adjusted to level 50 and no duplicate Pokémon or items were allowed.

Junior Division

Kosaku Miyamoto was the defending champion but was eligible for the Senior Division.

Sora Ebisawa succeeded them as World Champion.

Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Championship match
	Leland Smith	0
	Kojima Wataru	2
						Kojima Wataru	0
						Kohei Ukai	2
	Minato Kodama	1
	Kohei Ukai	2
											Kohei Ukai	0
											Sora Ebisawa	2
	Shunsei Kachii	0
	Pietro Nihal Kaludura Silva	2
						Pietro Nihal Kaludura Silva	0
						Sora Ebisawa	2
	Kanata Seya	1
	Sora Ebisawa	2

Senior Division

Yasuharu Shimizu was the defending champion but was eligible for the Masters Division this year. He didn't make it to Day Two.

Tomoyo Ogawa of Japan defeated Robbie Schaaij of the Netherlands to become World Champion.

Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Championship match
	Teddy French	0
	Yuta Kamura	2
						Yuta Kamura	0
						Tomoya Ogawa	2
	Sali Resuli	1
	Tomoya Ogawa	2
											Tomoya Ogawa	2
											Robbie Schaaij	0
	Aidan Patterson	0
	Yuta Okada	2
						Yuta Okada	0
						Robbie Schaaij	2
	Robbie Schaaij	2
	Tomoya Zama	0

Master Division

Eduardo Cunha was the defending champion and didn't make it to Day Two.

Shohei Kimura became the World Champion.

Top 16					Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Championship match
	Luca Lussignoli	1
	Federico Camporesi	2				Federico Camporesi	2
	Yuta Takahashi	0				Abdullah Mohayyuddin	0
	Abdullah Mohayyuddin	2									Federico Camporesi	0
	Michael Kelsch	2									Michael Kelsch	2
	Kenji Miura	1				Michael Kelsch	2
	Yosuke Takayanagi	0				Nikolaj Høj Nielsen	0
	Nikolaj Høj Nielsen	2														Michael Kelsch	0
	Taro Okada	1														Shohei Kimura	2
	Victor Medina	2				Víctor Medina	1
	Kaito Arii	0				Mao Harada	2
	Mao Harada	2									Mao Harada	0
	Marco Hemantha Kaludura Silva	0									Shohei Kimura	2
	Shohei Kimura	2				Shohei Kimura	2
	Emilio Forbes	1				Mattie Morgan	0
	Mattie Morgan	2

Pokémon GO Championships

Competitors for the Pokémon GO Championships were grouped into four double elimination pods to determine a Top 32. Top 32 competed in another double elimination bracket on Day Two, with grand finals taking place Day Three. The Great League format was utilized. All non-finals matches were best of three, while finals were best of five.

Maxwell "MEWeedle" Ember and Robert "DancingRob" Waßmer were defending champions but were both knocked out in the group stage.

ItsAXN became the new Pokémon GO World Champion.

Winners Semifinals

Winners Final

Grand Final

Reset

Elcheasdasd

0

wdage

2

wdage

2

ItsAXN

2

ItsAXN

3

ItsAXN

3

N/A

xXRubixMasterXx

1

xXRubixMasterXx

1

N/A

Losers Quarterfinals

Losers Semifinal

Losers Final

Elcheasdasd

2

wdage

2

chiodoSH01

1

Elcheasdasd

0

xXRubixMasterXx

3

xXRubixMasterXx

2

xXRubixMasterXx

2

Scafo99

0

Pokémon UNITE Championships

Pokémon UNITE Championships Series logo

Teams qualified for the Pokémon UNITE Championships by having the most Championship Points within their regional zone or winning their Regional Finals. Regional zones had the following number of invitations: four from North America, Europe, and Japan; three from Latin America - North, Asia Pacific - East, and Asia Pacific - West; and two from Brazil, Korea, India, Latin America - South, and Oceania.

All matches were 5-on-5 and took place on Theia Sky Ruins. Players were allowed to play on any of the three available platforms. Day One had the teams compete in a best of three Single Round Robin bracket to determine Top 8. On Day Two, the Top 8 competed in a best of three double elimination bracket, with grand finals being best of five.

BLVKHVND, the defending champions, competed under the Luminosity Gaming name. They swept Day Two, not losing a game, becoming two-time World Champions.

Winners Semifinals

Winners Final

Grand Final

Reset

Japan

Oyasumi Makuro

2

Japan

MJK

1

Japan

Oyasumi Makuro

0

North America

Luminosity Gaming

2

North America

Luminosity Gaming

2

North America

Luminosity Gaming

3

N/A

Asia Pacific - East

OMO Abyssinian

0

Asia Pacific - East

OMO Abyssinian

0

N/A

Losers Quarterfinals

Losers Semifinal

Losers Final

Japan

MJK

2

Japan

Oyasumi Makuro

1

Brazil

00 Nation

0

Japan

MJK

1

Asia Pacific - East

OMO Abyssinian

2

Asia Pacific - East

OMO Abyssinian

2

Asia Pacific - East

OMO Abyssinian

2

Korea

AKJIL

0

Pokémon Fantasy Team

Pokémon Fantasy Team was a fantasy sport draft contest for U.S. residents built around the 2023 World Championships. Users with a Pokémon Trainer Club account could create teams from August 1 to 10 that were scored based on the TCG and VGC Masters Division results. The top 100 finishers for each division received a booster box of Obsidian Flames and an Umbreon Sitting Cuties plush, with first place also receiving a jumbo Spheal Poké Plush. The first 10,000 registrations also got a code for a Stretchy Form Tatsugiri.

Entrants could build a team of six from specific groups of then-legal cards/Pokémon. Registering a team also required making a guess to a tiebreaker question.

TCG teams required

• a Pokémon V
• a Pokémon VMAX
• a Pokémon VSTAR
• a Radiant Pokémon
• a Pokémon ex
• a Pokémon not in any previous group
• a guess on the total number of cards in both discard piles at the end of the final match

VGC teams required

• a Treasure of Ruin
• a Paradox Pokémon
• a Generation IX Pokémon not in the previous groups
• two Pokémon that became legal in Regulation Set D
• a Pokémon not in any previous group
• a guess on the HP of the Pokémon delivering the final Knock Out

Scoring was determined by each team member's highest-placing appearance in Masters Division Top 8 teams. In case of ties, the entrant whose guess to the tiebreaker was closest to correct was placed higher. Prizes could only be won from one division; an entrant's higher placement nullified their other placement.

Top 8 placement	TCG pts.	VGC pts.
1st	48	16
2nd	24	8
3rd-4th	12	4
5th-8th	6	2

Event Pokémon

Wonder Card 505 | Tatsugiri (Stretchy Form) Gift
#0978  Tatsugiri Stretchy Form  /    Level 50 Type: Tera Type: Ability: Commander Held item: Big Nugget	ID: 230811 OT: Worlds23 WCS23 Met: WCS 2023 (fateful encounter) Nature: Random Ribbons / Marks:
Draco Meteor Dragon Muddy Water Water Helping Hand Normal Celebrate Normal
Games Method Duration SV Serial Code August 7 to 31, 2023
This Pokémon's Scale value is random.
This Pokémon may only be redeemed once per save file.
Date received is the date on the system when the gift is redeemed.
This Pokémon is set to the same language as the game that received it.
This Pokémon has a % chance to be received when the event is redeemed.

External links

• Event site
  • Pokémon Fantasy Team
• RK9 standings:
  • VGC
  • TCG
• Challonge | Pokémon GO Championships

Pokémon World Championships Pokémon Trading Card Game only 2004-2008; TCG and Video Games 2009-on 2004: Blaziken Tech • Magma Spirit • Rocky Beach • Team Rushdown 2005: Bright Aura • Dark Tyranitar • King of the West • Queendom 2006: B-L-S • Eeveelutions • Mewtrick • Suns & Moons 2007: Flyvees • Legendary Ascent • Rambolt • Swift Empoleon 2008: Bliss Control • Empotech • Intimidation • Psychic Lock 2009: Stallgon • Crowned Tiger • Queengar • Luxdrill 2010: LuxChomp of the Spirit • Happy Luck • Power Cottonweed • Boltevoir 2011: Megazone • Reshiphlosion • The Truth • Twinboar 2012: Pesadelo Prism • Terraki-Mewtwo • Eeltwo • CMT 2013: Anguille Sous Roche • American Gothic • Darkrai • Ultimate Team Plasma 2014: Plasma Power • Trevgor • Emerald King • Crazy Punch 2015: The Flying Hammer • Punches 'n' Bites • HonorStoise • Primal Groudon 2016: Black Dragon • Bebe Deck • Magical Symphony • Ninja Blitz 2017: Infinite Force • Golisodor • Ice Path FTW • Samurai Sniper 2018: Victory Map • Dragones y Sombras • Garbanette • Buzzroc 2019: Pikarom Judge • Fire Box • Mind Blown • Perfection 2022: ADP • The Shape of Mew • Cheryl Again • Ice Rider Palkia 2023: Mew's Revenge • Psychic Elegance • Colorless Lugia • Lost Box Kyogre 2024: Champions Jason Klaczynski • Jun Hasebe • Ray Rizzo

This article is part of both Project TCG and Project Games, Bulbapedia projects that, together, aim to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon Trading Card Game and Video Game Championship Tournaments.