Pokemon EUIC 2024 report: A Pokemon Gold standard for European events

❘ Published: 2024-04-17T16:01:47

Dexerto/The Pokemon Company

The Dexerto team attended the Pokemon EUIC 2024 Championships and, among the 100s of competitors and thousands of cards, we fell in love with Pokemon all over again.

This year, the Pokemon EUIC 2024 Championships marked the third event in a row at the London Excel. The venue is no stranger to hosting Pokemon events, having previously hosted the Pokemon Worlds 2022 and the Pokemon EUIC 2023, but this one may just be the best yet.

It goes without saying that getting several thousand avid Pokemon fans into one space is going to be a great time regardless, but after finding its feet in previous years, the Pokemon Company seems to have struck the right balance with Europe’s premiere Pokemon event, and we hope London is it’s home moving forward.

So, here’s what we thought of this year’s event:

The center of all Pokemon joy

First up, one of the most important things to see at EUIC was the Pokemon Center, which, this time was located much closer to the site entrance and appeared on the left shortly after entering the Excel and near the Battle Lab.

This change in scenery seemed to give the Pokemon Center much more space to play with, as compared to previous years. In fact, the 2024 layout seemed to purposely ensure that people wouldn’t be bashing into each other.

Exclusive Pokemon EUIC 2024 merch like deck sleeves, bin badges, and jumpers all met fans as they walked through the giant Pokemon Center archway. Meanwhile, the furthest corners held such delights as an entire wall of the popular Sitting Cuties line.

A wide shot of the Pokemon Center at EUIC 2024

Sadly for collectors, there was no exclusive plush this year, so fans of the Beefeater Pikachu from Worlds 2022 had to make do with some Ceruledge and Armarouge-themed items, such as mugs and caps. Thankfully, merch felt well-priced throughout, and even with more expensive items the quality of merchandise like the clothing also seemed to match the more premium price tag.

Meanwhile, a lot of The Pokemon Center UK’s lifestyle merch was also on display, with items like lights and prints adorning the walls. The huge selection of merch struck a great balance for all kinds of fans, as there were also huge piles of cards and TCG tins for anyone so inclined.

Every year, The Pokemon Center pop-up is a surreal Willy Wonka-esque experience that feels almost magical to experience. Hopefully, Europe has proven its hunger for a physical store, and eventually, we might house a true brick-and-mortar retailer like the Pokemon Centers in Japan.

A hall and GOATs

For most people in attendance, the most thrilling part of events like EUIC are the Pokemon matches, with tournaments being broadcast for Pokemon Go, Pokemon Unite, Pokemon TCG, and, of course, the current VG format in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.

This year saw some wild matches like the exhilarating Pokemon Unite final between Team Fusion and Japanese competitors Kabichans. Meanwhile, in the VG scene, previous World Champion Wolfe Glick turned up to EUIC and shook up proceedings before Nils Dunlop eventually took the Senior title in a nail-biting finale.

Sadly, the Pokemon TCG meta still feels a bit stale, as even the recent arrival of the Temporal Forces set didn’t seem to shake things up. Charizard ex still dominates the format, and this year’s EUIC champion, Tord Reklev, used a slightly tweaked Charizard ex/Pidgeot deck to claim their victory.

Similarly, Pokemon Go didn’t seem to move the needle much this year, as a lack of interesting new Pokemon — or at least one’s capable of challenging the status quo — left the top teams mostly consisting of Shadow Gligar, Skarmory, and Whiscash. However, some new picks like Annihilape managed to break through the ranks.

Thankfully, the matches were still exhilarating, with less stalling than in recent games, and the atmosphere was kept alive by knowledgeable and entertaining casters. In fact, special mention should be given to the casters and presentation overall, which helped to really keep the energy high between matches with informed conversation and some fun moments talking to competitors.

Pokemon Unite team Fusion celebrate their win

Overall, the main hall itself was well-managed and felt less cramped than in previous years. EUIC 2024 may have been the biggest event of its kind in Europe, but even at its worst, the space felt easy to navigate, even if most security working the event had no idea of where anything was.

Resellers like Magic Madhouse and others were down at the bottom of the convention center, and this may have been the most manic part of the entire trip. The Pokemon Center still managed to instill some decency in people, but the throng of eager gamers leaning over to check out cards was a mess, even during its quietest hours.

There’s not much that can be done, sadly, and retailers clearly tried to spread out cards with tall displays like glasses at the opticians, which work much better than a flat counter. Hopefully, there’s more to be done to make this space even more accessible in future iterations.

Dexerto’s Lab

Finally, one of the most surprising parts of EUIC – and a firm reminder of the franchise’s appeal to all ages — was the Play Lab and Battle Lab, located right by the entrance, next to the Pokemon Center. Here, attendees could book in to experience a truncated version of either a Pokemon TCG match or a Pokemon Scarlet & Violet battle.

These broad-stroke matches were taught by Pokemon Professors and are a brilliant way to get the younger players interested in battling, who might otherwise just be interested in the bright colors and cute characters of the Pokemon world.

We took part in a brief demonstration from The Pokemon Company, and despite knowing slightly more than perhaps the target audience might know about both the TCG and S/V, the Pokemon Professors still gave insightful tips and happily hosted some fun gameplay.

These smaller side attractions might not be for everyone, but considering how fun the Pokemon Professors made even some quick exhibition matches, this could be the perfect way for parents and younger Pokemon fans to share some unforgettable moments and learn more about the more strategic sides of the franchise.

Give that man a hand

A trophy from Pokemon EUIC is visible in a glass case

One of the finest moments of Pokemon EUIC for us was a quiet moment, galvanizing our love of the franchise both through a fun bit of gameplay which felt like a reminder of the heartfelt community that the fans foster.

While running around trying to catch everything, I took a breather quickly on Saturday at EUIC to play some quick matches with a friend who was competing. Sat facing journalist Daz Skubich from Pocket Tactics, I pulled out a sad and hobbled-together deck just to have some fun and quickly lose.

As the shuffling commenced, a Pokemon TCG player sat nearby, leaned over, and offered to lend us their lovingly crafted and well-sleeved competitive deck for the match, as they had been knocked out already.

A game of Pokemon TCG is being played on a large table

What followed was a lovely man named George slowly, painstakingly helping me use his Lugia V deck, and us both having a blast in the process. We spoke about the meta, why to use certain cards, and when, and even had a great time joking with our opponent as we all just enjoyed some fierce competitive play.

George wasn’t the only Pokemon fan I met that weekend, but he’ll stick in my brain as a perfect example of what makes events like these and Pokemon fans so memorable. A feeling of community, acceptance, and a willingness to share everything they love about this wonderful franchise.

The third time’s the charm

The Pokemon EUIC 2024 Championships not only felt like a natural refinement of everything that previous events held at the Excel London offered, but it also felt like a joyous and well-crafted celebration that Pokemon deserves.

It felt like organizers had taken great care to make sure attendees could better move around the entire convention center, that queues were mitigated as best they could, and that anyone could watch matches live in comfort.

It’s entirely unclear whether EUIC will return to London for a third year, but it feels like this event found its groove this time around, and I’m sure even fans who traveled from farther corners of Europe or the World would agree.