With the winner of the 2025 Pokemon Trading Card Game World Championships crowned, The Pokemon Company has officially shared the deck that took Riley Mckay to the top. The annual World Championships for the beloved monster-catching franchise serves as the pinnacle of the competitive year for both the video games and the TCG based on the series. The weekend-long event features high-stakes tournaments for the Pokemon main-series games, Pokemon TCG, Pokemon GO, and even Pokemon Unite. However, only one player can reign as the World Champion for each different branch of the franchise.
This year’s Pokemon TCG World Championships served as a fiercely competitive tournament, with players from all around the globe battling to be the champion. The tournament saw plenty of different decks make an appearance, though some particular decks were a prominent choice for many players at the event. Decks like “Gholdengo ex” and “Gardevoir ex” dominated the tournament, with three different strategies seeing pick rates over 10% within the championships. Now, a player from Canada has captured the title of Pokemon TCG World Champion.
The Pokemon Company officially shared Riley Mckay’s World Championships-winning decklist through the trading card game’s social media channels. Mckay piloted the popular “Gardevoir ex” strategy to the top of the Worlds bracket, with the deck featuring plenty of common staple cards like 4 copies of “Munkidori” and tech pieces like “Lillie’s Clefairy ex” and “Fezandipiti ex.” The deck notably omitted one of the Gardevoir ex strategy’s more popular attackers, opting to forgo “Drifloon” as one of its primary cards. Riley Mckay defeated American player Justin Newdorf by a score of 2-0 in the World Championship Finals.
Pokemon TCG Reveals World Champion Riley Mckay’s Decklist
- Ralts (SVI) x4
- Kirlia (PAF) x2
- Gardevoir ex (SVI) x2
- Munkidori (TWM) x4
- Scream Tail (PAR) x1
- Flutter Mane (TEF) x1
- Lillie’s Clefairy ex (JTG) x1
- Mew ex (MEW) x1
- Fezandipiti ex (SFA) x1
- Professor’s Research x4
- Iono x4
- Arven x2
- Ultra Ball x4
- Earthen Vessel x3
- Nest Ball x2
- Rare Candy x2
- Night Stretcher x2
- Counter Catcher x2
- Super Rod x1
- Secret Box x1
- Technical Machine: Evolution x2
- Technical Machine: Devolution x1
- Bravery Charm x1
- Artazon x2
- Basic Psychic Energy x7
- Basic Darkness Energy x4
The victory for Gardevoir ex at the 2025 World Championships comes as the deck has been a mainstay of the Pokemon TCG meta since its release. The current version of Gardevoir ex first debuted in the “Scarlet & Violet” base set, shifting through a plethora of different attackers and support cards to stay on top. Gardevoir ex has seen plenty of high-placing tournament finishes throughout its history as well, with a Gardevoir ex player finishing 2nd in Seniors Division during 2024 Worlds and Tord Reklev piloting the deck to a 2nd-place finish in 2023.
Gardevoir ex’s dominance at the 2025 World Championships comes as the deck is expected to maintain its popularity with the TCG moving into its next era. The “Mega Evolution” expansion, set to debut next month, will bring with it a brand-new tool for Gardevoir players with the debut of a new “Mega Gardevoir ex” card. The newly-released “Jellicent ex” card in White Flare has also been a popular choice for many Gardevoir players, both locking players from using Items or Pokemon Tools and synergizing well with Gardevoir’s playstyle. Gardevoir ex looks to continue its reign as one of the Pokemon TCG‘s best decks well into the future.
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