One of the best things about attending an event like the Pokémon Europe International Championship (EUIC) is being able to sit down with talented players and learn more about their takes on the current meta and favorite decks in the scene.
I attended EUIC thanks to a media pass from The Pokémon Company and had the opportunity to sit down with Tord Reklev. Tord has a myriad of event wins to his name and is a fascinating player to watch on stream matches, meaning he’s in the perfect position to analyze the current state of the TCG meta.
When asked about how he prepared for tournaments and events like EUIC, Tord explained that he has his own process, starting with a solid overview of the decks currently worth playing and which cards are legal. He then looks at other players to see what people are favoring and if there have been any notable picks from recent events on the calendar.
“When I find my favorite,” he added, “I… just try to lock in on just that one archetype,” elaborating that he tries to play that deck as much as possible leading up to an event so that he becomes exceptional at that one particular list.
The most-used decks on day two of EUIC were Dragapult ex and Gardevoir ex, closely followed by Archaludon ex and Miraidon ex. I asked whether Tord found any of the top picks surprising, but he said the game had ended up where he’d expected it would.
He did single out one deck as a solid pick, though, calling Gholdengo ex “really good.” He acknowledged it was a strong match-up into his own deck and that the testing group who pulled the list together was “one step ahead.”
The TCG rotation is on the horizon with the cards switching around on April 11, giving players an updated list of legal cards to build their decks from.
Tord shared that he’d actually had the opportunity to test out the new format in Japan at the Champions League Fukuoka on Feb. 15, coming in 11th place with an inspiring Noctowl Tera Box list. This deck, according to Tord, is one to watch post-rotation.
Tord then named Manaphy and Kirlia as the biggest losses heading into that upcoming rotation. Manaphy will be sorely missed for its Bench protection and Kirlia will be a big loss for Gardevoir ex players.
It’s not just a new meta on the way, either—Pokémon Day is less than a week away on Feb. 27, and it promises a slew of exciting news for fans to dig into. Nothing has been confirmed for the special day yet, but there’ll be a Pokémon Presents showcase to watch.
When asked if there was anything he was looking forward to on Pokémon Day, Tord shared that he’s always excited to see new card reveals. He felt the direction TCG has been going in for the past couple of years has been incredibly positive, praising the deliberate construction of different deck archetypes and difficulty levels in the meta.
We finished by chatting about Pokémon TCG Pocket and whether he’d been playing the mobile game at all. He shared, “The app is very well designed,” and that while it would never overtake his love for the standard TCG, he did find it fun to play.
I queried whether we could see Pocket at events like EUIC, and he agreed it could be a possibility based on its popularity and how much the game is earning.
As rotation approaches this April, make sure to keep an eye out for Noctowl Tera Box lists and pick up the deck if you like the playstyle. It’s set to be an exciting couple of months for TCG, especially with Pokémon Day just around the corner.
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