It’s not everyday that a hobby can turn into a competitive venture, but Dionsius Lee and nine other Singaporeans made it work. For 23-year-old Lee, this year’s Pokémon World Championships, held in Yokohama, Japan for the first time, proved to be a memorable time.
The Singapore representative walked away with a top 8 finish in the Pokémon trading card game (TCG) tournament, an invite-only event that’s part of the competition scope. According to The Trainer Shed, a local community for the Pokémon Video Game Championship (VGC) Series, Lee won US$5,000 (S$6,800) from the prize pool, alongside some free merchandise.
It’s an impressive feat, considering there were around 170 players in the Masters Division (born 2006 or earlier) which he belonged to. Lee eventually fell to American player Azul Garcia in the quarter finals, but even he didn’t expect himself to make it so far.
Speaking to Pokémon Singapore, he revealed his final placement was “quite unexpected” as he was fairly new to the scene. “I definitely feel very happy. I feel that when I won the Pokémon Championships 2022-23 Singapore, I had good hands and good luck. Having being placed in top 8 in the 2023 Pokémon World Championships, it makes me feel that all my hard work paid off,” added Lee, who shared that this was only his third major tournament.
Other Singaporeans who joined Lee in the Pokémon World Championships include:
- Pokémon TCG event: Kashvinder Singh Mann, Lim Jit Min, Tan Yong Siang, Kang Yu Xian,and Jken Hoh
- Pokémon VCG event: Melvin Keh, Daanvir Singh Narula, Carilynne Ng, and Martin Teo
The Pokémon World Championships is an invite-only annual affair that features games from the series such as the Pokémon video games, Pokémon TCG, Pokémon Go, Pokémon Unite, and Pokkén Tournament. Apart from the Masters Division, there are also the Junior (born 2011 or later) and Senior (2007 to 2010) tiers.
The 2023 iteration ran from 11 to 13 August, and saw plenty of celebrations in the lead-up to and during the event, such as a Pikachu parade, a special Pokémon-themed luxury cruise ship, and a spectacular drone night show. Hawaii will be the host country for the 2024 Pokémon World Championships.
A job well done for all Singapore representatives!
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
