2025 Pokemon World Championships: Day 1 and 2 Major Highlights and Results

The first two days of the 2025 Pokemon World Championships have seen both predictable and unexpected results.

Pokemon World Championships 2025 (Image via TPC)
Pokemon World Championships 2025 (Image via TPC)

The first two days of the 2025 Pokemon World Championships have just concluded. There are four different games across which this celebration of the best of the best in Pokemon has been taking place. This includes the Pokemon TCG, the GO Battle League in Pokemon GO, Pokemon UNITE, and VGC being held in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Let’s take a look at the results so far and highlight the interesting parts.

2025 Pokemon World Championships: How Has It Progressed?

Pokemon VGC cores Worlds 2025 Day 2 (Image via TPC)
Pokemon VGC cores Worlds 2025 Day 2 (Image via TPC)

2025 Pokemon World Championships: VGC

As expected, the Restricted Legendary duo of Calyrex Shadow Rider and Zamazenta Crowned have performed extraordinarily well. With a whopping 32.1% usage, this Ghost/Fighting core’s dominance was complete and not at all unexpected. Interestingly, the duo of Miraidon and Lunala have fallen quite a bit to 7.5% usage. They are currently tied with Calyrex Shadow Rider and Koraidon (another Ghost/Fighting core) in usage. Miraidon has seen more success with Calyrex Ice Rider instead, sitting at 18.9% usage at the end of Day 2.

Going into Day 3, however, it will be Koraidon who will end up as a World Champion. This is because the Masters Finals will be between US players James Evens and Giovanni Cischke, both of whom have Koraidon on their team. However, while James has the more common Calyrex Shadow Rider as his Koraidon’s partner, Giovanni has taken the more uncommon choice of pairing his Koraidon with Lunala instead. Additionally, both teams have Brute Bonnet on their teams, a dark horse pick that will also end up as a world champion by the end of Day 3.

As for non-restricted Pokemon, to nobody’s surprise Incineroar has topped the usage charts at 56.6%. It has a chance to become the first Pokemon to become a four-time world champion if James Evans wins.

2025 Pokemon World Championships: TCG

Pokemon TCG Worlds 2025 Day 2 (Image via TPC)
Pokemon TCG Worlds 2025 Day 2 (Image via TPC)

Unlike the VGC side of things, the Pokemon TCG has thrown up rather interesting surprises. Noticeably, Gholdengo ex, a deck that was supposed to do well, has actually shot to maximum usage at the end of Day 2 at 29.9% (38 overall picks). However, Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex is nowhere to be seen, and Gardevoir ex has actually dropped quite a bit in usage to 9.4% (12 picks). Both the Dragapult ex/Dusknoir combo (16.5%) and Raging Bolt ex (12.6%) have seen more usage. Out of the dark horse decks, Charizard ex/Pidgeot ex has done really well with 4.7% usage at the end of Day 2.

However, Gardevoir ex has a chance to become World Champion in 2025 on Day 3. Riley McKay, who was runner-up at NAIC, has taken his Gardevoir ex all the way to finals. His opponent, Justin Newdorf, is rocking a Dragapult ex/Dusknoir combo. Meaning despite its high usage, Gholdengo ex will not be this year’s World Champion.

2025 Pokemon World Championships: GO

Pokemon GO Worlds 2025 Day 2 (Image via TPC)
Pokemon GO Worlds 2025 Day 2 (Image via TPC)

Cradily has had an excellent Worlds 2025, ending Day 2 with a usage stat of 78.1%. Thanks to its Rock-type STAB, it has kept the usage low for staples like Mandibuzz, Lapras, Talonflame, and Galarian Moltres. Interestingly, Shadow Marowak is the second most used Pokemon at 43.8%, which can be mainly attributed to its ability to counter Tinkaton, who has also dominated thanks to its Steel/Fairy typing at 40.6%.

2025 Pokemon World Championships: UNITE

Pokemon UNITE Worlds 2025 Day 2 (Image via TPC)
Pokemon UNITE Worlds 2025 Day 2 (Image via TPC)

Suicune has been near omnipresent at Worlds 2025 with its high encounter stat of 94%. As a Ranged all-rounder commonly using Whirlpool and Ice Beam to lock down their opponents, this dominance isn’t shocking.


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