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Discover what decks and cards competitors will be itching to play in London.
The 2025 Pokémon TCG Europe International Championships are coming up, and it’s clear by this year’s Power Rankings that the field of potential winning decks is wide open. Gardevoir ex seem to have the inside track, but there is a ton of competition ready to surge ahead. And of course, every player is keeping an eye on the tiny, mighty Budew and its Item-locking Itchy Pollen attack. How players respond to this card may be the story of the tournament.
Remember that the Europe International Championships take place February 21–23, 2025 in London, England. Huge prizes are on the line as well as those all-important Championship Points toward an invitation to the World Championships in August. If you can’t attend in person, you can watch all three days of action from London on Twitch.tv/PokemonTCG!
Gardevoir ex was already making a comeback during the latter part of the Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks format with Henry Chao winning his second Regional Championships of the 2025 season. He took the deck to victory in San Antonio, and it is poised to gain the most from Scarlet & Violet—Prismatic Evolutions. Regidrago VSTAR was historically a tough matchup for Gardevoir ex due to the spread damage provided by Dragapult ex’s Phantom Dive and Kyurem’s Trifrost and a lack of ways to disrupt them if a player saved Legacy Star, but Budew’s Itchy Pollen attack is great against the Regidrago ex player at any point in the game. Itchy Pollen is useful for slowing down their setup and to punish them for going all in on Trifrost and discarding all Energy from the Regidrago VSTAR. Outside of the Regidrago VSTAR matchup, Gardevoir ex is incredibly well positioned against most other decks thanks to the draw power provided by Kirlia and has a ton of flexibility with Munkidori’s Adrena-Brain Ability.
One thing that many Gardevoir ex players have disagreed on is the correct ACE SPEC to play. Many players are currently going with Unfair Stamp as a way to draw deeper into your deck and heavily disrupt your opponent, however Henry Chao has taken down two Regional Championships this season with Secret Box, giving him more access to other cards in his deck at the cost of discarding three cards. I’m interested to see which version ends up on top, and I think the players who optimize the deck the most will end up on top at EUIC! — Natalie Millar
Dragapult ex is back from the binder! After being the darling of the Standard format after its release in Scarlet & Violet—Twilight Masquerade, Dragapult ex got caught up in a metagame that wasn’t super friendly and spent a few months mostly being a feature in Regidrago VSTAR’s cast of characters. What brought it back? Budew has come to the rescue, sending Regidrago VSTAR packing (at least in theory). It’s not that Dragapult ex has been bad over the last few tournaments, but it has been outshone by its Dragon-type counterparts. With Budew offering a way to slow opposing decks down while a Dragapult ex player sets up an army of Drakloak and rendering Regidrago VSTAR significantly worse, things are looking up for Dragapult ex.
Certainly, Dragapult ex looks to be the beneficiary of circumstances here, but I think the winds are already blowing a bit back in the other direction. Gardevoir ex is number one on our list, and that matchup is relatively close. Charizard ex is by far the tastiest matchup on the menu for Dragapult ex, and Gardevoir ex isn’t any good for Charizard ex either. The combination of factors just doesn’t suggest a good environment for Dragapult ex, in my mind, as much as the deck is objectively strong. I’d probably just as soon pick up Gardevoir ex for EUIC, but maybe Dragapult ex will prove me wrong.— Christopher Schemanske
A new card from Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks, Archaludon ex didn’t make waves at first, but players recently realized its strength, especially after it won the 5000-player Champions League in Osaka, Japan. Its colossal 300 HP and Energy-accelerating Ability make it a sturdy Pokémon that can take hits then heal with Professor Turo’s Scenario or Scoop Up Cyclone. While its damage output is not the highest, it’s still enough to Knock Out many key Basic Pokémon, like Lugia V and Fezandipiti ex. It can also be used in combination with Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR, giving it the Energy needed to use the excellent Star Chronos attack.
Archaludon ex deals very well with popular decks like Regidrago VSTAR. What’s more, the new Budew doesn’t threaten it since Duraludon can easily knock it out.
While Archaludon ex can have trouble with the top threat in the game, Gardevoir ex, it can still play the matchup by including cards like Jamming Tower. More importantly, it fills an interesting role in the metagame, as it counters various strategies—both aggressive decks like Miraidon ex, and stall decks like Snorlax—that could be used to counter the two main threats, Gardevoir ex and Dragapult ex. Archaludon ex isn’t a secret anymore, and any player who dismisses it may be in for a world of trouble. — Stéphane Ivanoff
Charizard ex has been by far the most successful Stage 2 deck in recent times, but that might change heading into this year’s EUIC. With Scarlet & Violet—Prismatic Evolutions, a powerful new card, Budew, was released. The early item lock poses a problem for Charizard ex, as it can no longer use Rare Candy to get Charizard ex in play. As a solution, the ACE SPEC Grand Tree has started making its way into lists to combat this new problem, as an alternative way of getting Stage 2 Pokémon into play. Unfortunately, Charizard ex’s Infernal Reign Ability will not activate when evolved with Grand Tree from the deck, as the Ability can only be activated when evolved from the hand. It is still an excellent way of getting Pidgeot ex onto the field, which in turn with its Quick Search Ability can search out Charmeleon and Charizard ex to evolve normally. Regardless, this still slows down the deck, and forces Charizard ex to play more Stage 1 Pokémon to set up, instead of Rare Candy.
Another potential issue for Charizard ex is the new Regigigas, also from Scarlet & Violet—Prismatic Evolutions, which can Knock Out Charizard ex in a single attack. Fueling the attack cost of 4 Energy cards is not easy for most decks, but Lugia VSTAR can manage the feat thanks to Archeops.
On the other hand, Regidrago VSTAR, which is famously Charizard ex’s worst matchup, took a massive hit as well against Budew, meaning Charizard ex might still be in a decent position heading into this year’s EUIC. Will Charizard ex be able to recreate its success from last year, or will it be dethroned? — Tord Reklev
Do not let Lugia VSTAR fly under your radar. This deck was already a toolbox of diverse, powerful Pokémon, and now the addition of Regigigas from Scarlet & Violet—Prismatic Evolutions enables this deck to Knock Out Tera Pokémon like Dragapult ex, Charizard ex, or Ceruledge ex in one hit. Archeops can also power up Drapion V to Knock Out Gardevoir ex and power up Iron Hands ex to take extra Prize cards from Knock Outs on Basic Pokémon, Stage 1 Pokémon, and other Pokémon low on Hit Points.
Given Budew’s popularity at tournaments in Japan, every deck must now also be judged on how well it can tolerate Itchy Pollen. Fortunately, Lugia VSTAR is not totally reliant on Item cards to set up two Archeops with Summoning Star, and then commence attacking. The Mesagoza Stadium card and the Jacq Supporter card can search for Pokémon from the deck, and Squawkabilly ex’s Squawk and Seize Ability can get them into the discard pile (and draw more). The deck even includes Jet Energy to switch the preferred Pokémon into the Active Spot.
Lugia VSTAR rotates out of the Standard format in April 2025, which means that this is the last hurrah for the archetype at an International Championships event. Whether or not it goes out with a bang will be determined by how well it performs in the first two turns of every game throughout this tournament. — Ellis Longhurst
Stéphane Ivanoff: What happened to Regidrago VSTAR? The deck that has been performing the best ever since the World Championships back in August is nowhere to be seen in the top 5. The addition of the Budew to the format has dealt a serious blow to the Dragon-type titan, as it needs Item cards like Ultra Ball and Earthen Vessel, both to set up its board and to discard its Dragon-type attackers. A slowed-down Regidrago VSTAR is still good, but nowhere near as good as it was in its prime.
It’s not just Regidrago VSTAR either. Raging Bolt ex and Terapagos ex, among others, find themselves weakened by Budew’s arrival. It’s not only that Itchy Pollen is annoying to them but that it changes the metagame in a way that puts them at a disadvantage. Both these decks had fairly good Regidrago VSTAR matchups, but they’re now more likely to hit Gardevoir ex or Dragapult ex, and these decks give them more trouble.
But if decks that beat Regidrago VSTAR are going away…isn’t that good for Regidrago VSTAR? It might be. While the deck will probably need to change, I think it would be very premature to bury it. Players have started experimenting with new builds, for example using Powerglass as a non-Item form of Energy acceleration. While these builds still need to prove their worth, I wouldn’t be surprised if Regidrago still had the potential to achieve a strong finish at EUIC.
Tord Reklev: The card on everyone’s mind is Budew and its Itchy Pollen attack. It seems like the decks that can take advantage of Budew the best so far are Gardevoir ex and Dragapult ex. These decks benefit from the game being slowed down by Item lock, as both are very powerful after setting up, but naturally a little bit slower than other decks. Both decks also have strong Stage 1 Pokémon with Abilities that can draw cards in Kirlia’s Refinement and Drakloak’s Recon Directive, so they don’t have to rush for a Rare Candy to setup.
Gardevoir ex seems to have the most number of options after setting up and also uses Munkidori to help combat Budew. Dragapult ex has access to Lance, which can find the entire Dragapult Evolution chain, even under Item lock from Itchy Pollen.
I am betting on one of these two decks to take it all down this year, but I would love for an underdog story from another deck to win as well.
Christopher Schemanske: We’re entering a cycle in the Pokémon TCG that repeats once every few years: How many people are going to play the counter-card? Giratina is almost a decade old, but it’s one of the best examples of this cycle that I believe the game’s ever seen. Back then, if you were willing to be brave, Greninja BREAK and Trevenant BREAK could be great plays at a tournament—you just had to accept that Giratina in the wrong place could end your day. Over the months of each format, a cycle emerged. Greninja BREAK did well at the last event? Time to sleeve up Giratina. No Greninja BREAK in sight? That 60th slot is much better dedicated elsewhere.
Budew isn’t quite the same, as it has use in a wide swath of matchups and generally changes the tenor of the game. Nevertheless, I do believe that we’re going to see a cycle emerge where play of more Budew-sensitive decks oscillates over time dependent on how many Budew are lurking on tournament floors. It creates an effect that can be powerful when players anticipate it but can lead to a sad tournament day if you guess incorrectly. It’s sure to create some additional drama for players picking their decks before a tournament. Best of luck out there, players—stay safe from the Itchy Pollen!
Ellis Longhurst: Students of Professor Rowan, get excited! Budew has arrived to put the brakes on Item card-reliant turbo decks and to buy the turns that Evolution decks need to effectively set up. That means that the stage is set for a competitor like Henry Chao from the USA to claim the title of 2025 Europe International Champion. Henry’s tournament résumé includes two recent wins at Regional Championships and over one year of success exclusively with Gardevoir ex.
Another fan of Evolution Pokémon to keep an eye on is Öjvind Svinhufvud from Finland. Öjvind’s skilled play with Charizard ex has already earned them a place on Championship Sunday twice at Regional Championships this season too.
You could argue that consistently achieving top results over time is a better predictor of future success than recent results, and then you would have to mention Tord Reklev of Norway. Tord has competed at all six Europe International Championships, earning first place twice. He has only once earned a place outside of the top eight—and even then an enviable fourteenth—at this event. With this history, and as a proven master of a myriad of archetypes and game mechanics, there is great expectation for Tord to taste success once again.
Natalie Millar: There are still many strong decks that didn’t make the list, such as Ceruledge ex and Terapagos ex/Klawf, but two I would like to highlight here are Miraidon ex and Regidrago VSTAR. Miraidon ex had a strong start in the Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks format when it won Sacramento Regionals but has fallen off significantly since then. Its matchups appear to be very strong, as it can use a fast Iron Hands ex to feast on Gardevoir ex, Dragapult ex, and Lugia VSTAR. Despite these favorable matchups, it does struggle against Archaludon ex and can struggle with consistency as many decks are opting to go second thanks to Budew, preventing you from playing Arven on turn one.
Regidrago VSTAR is another deck I have my eye on for EUIC. It seems unlikely that the release of one card pushes it from being the best deck in the format to nowhere to be seen. The deck still has a ton of options with its Dragon-type attackers and still has solid plans against decks that aren’t playing Budew. While I don’t think Regidrago VSTAR will come close to its previous dominance over the format, I do think it may be a dark horse in the new format, and I would recommend having some games against it with whatever you decide to play!
Natalie Millar
Natalie has been playing Pokémon casually since late 2013 but started attending more competitive tournaments in late 2017. She won the first Regional Championships after the pandemic in her home city of Brisbane, Australia, and has been attending most major tournaments since. Outside of Pokémon, she studied psychology, but it doesn’t help with reading opponents as much as you would think. You can find her at most major tournaments and can follow her on X at @nataliem9999.
Christopher Schemanske
Christopher Schemanske is a contributing writer for Pokemon.com. He’s been playing the Pokémon TCG since 2010, with a streak of Worlds invitations between 2012–2018. Nowadays, he enjoys splitting his Pokémon time between playing and being part of the awesome Professor staff teams at major events.
Stéphane Ivanoff
Stéphane Ivanoff is a contributing writer for Pokemon.com. A longtime Pokémon fan, he has played the Pokémon TCG competitively since 2010 and is a former National Champion, seven-time Worlds competitor, and the 2018 and 2019 North America International Champion in the Masters Division. He studied mathematics and has a degree in Probability and Statistics, but he says that doesn’t help his game as much as you’d think! You can follow him on X @lubyllule.
Tord Reklev
Tord Reklev is a contributing writer for Pokemon.com. He is a longtime player from Norway, playing the game since he was 6 years old. In becoming Champion at the 2022 Latin America International Championships, Tord is the first player to win all four International Championships and complete the Grand Slam. Outside of the game, he is a student and enjoys playing tennis. You can find him at most big events and can follow him on X at @TordReklev.
Ellis Longhurst
Ellis Longhurst is a contributing writer for Pokemon.com. She has been competing in high-level Pokémon TCG tournaments since 2006 and creating written content for the Pokémon community since 2011. Now she brings some Australian flavour to the Play! Pokémon commentary teams at the International and World Championships.
Source: Pokemon.com
Source:Pokémon
