Aloha Means Goodbye... and Hello!
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The 2007 Pokémon TCG World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, have come to a close, but already
plans are underway for the 2008 Championships to be held in Orlando, Florida, at the Hilton in the
Walt Disney World Resort!
In August of next year, this year's Champions - Jun Hasebe, Jeremy Scharff-Kim, and Tom Roos -
will return to defend their titles. Between now and then, we're bound to see lots of new decks as
the next expansions are released and change the landscape of play. And undoubtedly new players will
join the ranks of those vying to be the best in the world.
So, mahalo for joining us this year, aloha from the Big Island, and we'll see you next August
in Orlando!
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The Closing Ceremony
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The Champions receive their applause and their praise in the Closing Ceremony |
Mastering the Masters Final Battle!
| Tom Roos of Finland versus Steffen From of Denmark for the title of World Champion... |
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The Senior Division Championship Battle!
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The final battle between Akira Miyazaki and Jeremy Scharff-Kim to determine the Senior Division World Championship... |
The Junior Division Championship Battle!
| Hiroki Yano and Jun Hasebe battle for the title of World Champion... |
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The Masters Final Game... at the Speed of Light
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It might be faster than the human eye can follow, but check out the action in the Masters Division final battle... |
Bringing It All to a Close
| Chad and Dave... Mr. Ishihara... Pikachu and the
Diamond & Pearl
gang...
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Creators and Artists Meet Their Fans
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Everyone in Kona at the Championships had the good fortune to meet some of the amazing and creative people behind the Pokémon Trading Card Game, who signed cards and shook hands during the last day of the event. |
All Around the Worlds!
| With the help of a few players and the whole gang from Japan, we give you one more glimpse of the Worlds in Hawaii! |
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We Have Champions!
There's certainly more to come yet from the World Championships in Kona, but the end results
are in!
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Junior Division
4th place: Paul Atanassov (CA) age 10 3rd place: Andrew Choong (AU) age 9 2nd place: Hiroki Yano (JP) age 11 Champion: Jun Hasebe (JP) age 7 |
| Senior Division
4th place: Alexander DeCosta (CA) age 15 3rd place: Wataru Hasegawa (JP) age 13 2nd place: Akira Miyazaki (JP) age 12 Champion: Jeremy Scharff-Kim (US) age 13 |
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Masters Division
4th place: Yuki Akimura (JP) age 17 3rd place: Tsuguyoshi (JP) age 22 2nd place: Steffen From (DK) age 18 Champion: Tom Roos (FI) age 18 |
Champion Jun Hasebe is one of the youngest Champions ever, and the lightning-fast game between him and Hiroki Yano that battled down to 1 Prize card each in the end. The Senior Division rivals played the longest with a long period of time where each held the other at bay with no Prize cards drawn. And the Masters Division had moments of Energy drought, turn after turn of no Energy for Holon Castform that culminated in an exciting end match.
There's still more to come from the Pokémon TCG World Championships, but we wanted to tell you right away about our new World Champions!
Congratulations to Jun Hasebe, Jeremy Scharff-Kim, and Tom Roos!
The Evolution of Crossword Puzzles
While you wait for the Champions to be determined,
try
your hand at a Pokémon crossword puzzle designed especially for Worlds!
Solve-a-Puzzle #3!
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Try your hand at completing our "game-in-progress," using 2004 World Championships decks! |
The Final 4
We are coming down to the wire! Twelve players are now the Final 4 representatives, including
six players from Japan, two from Canada, and one each from Australia, Denmark, Finland, and the
United States.
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Touring the Worlds Part II
| It’s so big, it took TWO tours! |
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Surfing to the Final 8
 The battle continues in Kona, Hawaii, as the Final 16 become the Final 8.
Japan can boast the most players in the Final 8, with one-third of all finalists at this stage from
Japan. The U.S. has the second-most number of players with four total, though none of them are in
the Junior Division.
Further, previous Champs Hiroki Yano, Miska Saari, and Tsuguyoshi Yamato are each still vying for a second reign as World Champion, each in a different Division. The battles have been fast and furious, and soon we'll have our Final Four! Check here for brackets, and check here for photos of the Final 8 in each Division. 
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Mysterious Treasures Prerelease!
| Players at the World Championships get their first look at the next Pokémon TCG expansion! |
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Gigglypuff CartoonsCartoonist Heather Luke offers a slightly different take on this year's Pokémon TCG World Championships... |
Interview with a Champion: Jason Klaczynski
Last year's World Champion from the U.S. (Masters Division) talks about the 2006 Championships
and how it feels to be a Champion...
Click
here to read the interview!
Today, We Will Have Winners
The Final 8... the Final 4... the final matches... the trophies and the Closing Ceremony... Today, we will have it all. We'll have lots of fun stuff between now and the end of the day - our final puzzles, our final cartoon, our final interview. And when the 2007 Pokémon TCG World Championships come to a close, we'll tell you a little about next year. So, check back often for updates!!