The 2027 competitive season is off to a strong start in Europe. On September 26 and 27, 2026, the Messe Frankfurt hosted the Pokémon Frankfurt Regional Championships, with three games on the schedule: the Pokémon TCG, VGC on Pokémon Champions and Pokémon GO. Turnout was huge: over 1,100 players in VGC Masters and nearly 2,800 in TCG Masters. And the French delegation made a name for itself.
VGC: Eric Rios’s perfect 13-0
This was one of the first major tournaments under Regulation M-C of Pokémon Champions, which took effect in early September along with the Z Mega Evolutions. They didn’t take long to make their mark. Spain’s Eric Rios won the tournament without dropping a single match (13-0), with a team built around Mega Garchomp Z:
- Eric Rios (Spain): Mega Garchomp Z, Mega Raichu Y, Incineroar, Gholdengo, Volcarona, Rillaboom.
- Sebastian Liu Li (Netherlands), runner-up: Mega Garchomp Z, Sylveon, Incineroar, Farigiraf, Sneasler, Torkoal.
Mega Garchomp Z was on both finalists’ teams: in its first major tournament, the new Mega Evolution hit hard.
The Masters Top 8:
- Eric Rios (Spain)
- Sebastian Liu Li (Netherlands)
- Yvar Vlieger (Netherlands)
- Eden Batchelor (United Kingdom)
- Anthony Liuzzo (France)
- Juan Manuel Odriozola (Spain)
- Valentijn Visser (Netherlands)
- Giuseppe Musicco (Italy)
Congratulations to Anthony Liuzzo, who made the Top 8 with an 11-2 record and an original team: Mega Gengar, Vivillon (Poké Ball pattern), Incineroar, Kommo-o, Politoed and Rillaboom.
TCG: a Polish mirror final, Eliot Duclos on the podium
In the TCG, the final pitted two Poles against each other, Tomasz Chałupka and Mateusz Łaszkiewicz, who were playing exactly the same Alakazam / Dusknoir list. Tomasz Chałupka took the mirror match.
On the French side, Eliot Duclos put together a superb run all the way to the semifinals with his Dipplin / Thwackey deck. He lost to the eventual winner and finished 3rd out of nearly 2,800 players. Thibault Petit finished 14th with Mega Lopunny / Dusknoir, followed by Vo Nguyen (20th) and Luka Levain (21st).
The TCG Top 8 shows a varied format: Dragapult (paired with Dusknoir or Blaziken), Slowking, Mega Lopunny… The 30th Anniversary expansion, released ten days earlier, was already part of the format.
Pokémon GO: Meweedle wins
In Pokémon GO, the grand final pitted Meweedle against Tunante112, and Meweedle took the title. P4TOM4N rounds out the podium after losing in the losers’ bracket final.
Next step for our players: keep racking up Championship Points ahead of the 2027 World Championships in Singapore. Congratulations to Eliot, Anthony and the whole French delegation!
Sources: Play! Pokémon, Victory Road, Limitless TCG.
