The Best Decks from EUIC 2023

What’s poppin’ PTCGO Store readers? The 2023 Pokemon TCG European International Championships (or EUIC for short) has concluded, and there are many takeaways from this event to apply to other upcoming events. To kick things off, this was the first global event after our 2023 Rotation in our new E-block on format, which means the results of this event will directly impact what decks players will play for the foreseeable future. On top of that, we just had the release of our newest Pokemon TCG set, Scarlet and Violet, so the metagame is completely different than any other we’ve experienced. With thousands of dollars on the line, high amounts of Championship Points offered, and the best players travelling to this event from all around the world, EUIC is an event to really dive into. In this article, I’ll be sharing the top 8 deck lists from this event, the strategy of each deck, and the PTCG Live code cards that I recommend picking up to help complete these decks. If you need any code cards to either unlock cards on Pokemon TCG Live or have some extra credits to craft what you need, use code zlesage5 to save 5% at the PTCGO Store. That being said, let’s jump into the winning deck!

To everyone’s surprise, we had Arceus VSTAR / Duraludon VMAX take down the entire event, but if you ask Alex Schemanske, he was predicting a deep run. If we look at the metagame after the results of EUIC, you would think he could predict the future, but some players are just that good at crafting counters to the metagame. Similar to the last format, Arceus VSTAR is used to accelerate Energy to whichever Pokemon you need to counter. Duraludon VMAX pretty much auto-wins the Lugia VSTAR [Silver Tempest] matchup because they only play Special Energy and can’t attack Duraludon VMAX. Alolan Vulpix VSTAR is often the other choice to power up, but it can prevent Pokemon with Abilities from doing damage to it, like Cramorant [Lost Origin], which makes it a great choice in many matchups. Toss in a couple of copies of Drapion V [Lost Origin] to counter Mew VMAX [Fusion Strike], and you have a well-rounded counter to the metagame. The only downfall to this deck is that now it is known players can build their decks to counter it, such as adding Mimikyu ex to Gardevoir ex [Scarlet and Violet] decks. Let’s take a look at this championship-winning deck!

4 Arceus V BRS 122

3 Arceus VSTAR BRS 123

2 Duraludon V CRZ 103

2 Duraludon VMAX CRZ 104

2 Drapion V LOR 118

1 Alolan Vulpix V SIT 33

1 Alolan Vulpix VSTAR SIT 34

1 Lumineon V BRS 40

1 Radiant Gardevoir LOR 69

4 Professor's Research SVI 189

3 Colress's Experiment LOR 155

3 Judge SVI 176

3 Boss's Orders BRS 132

1 Cheren's Care BRS 134

1 Raihan CRZ 140

4 Ultra Ball SVI 196

4 Nest Ball SVI 181

1 Switch SVI 194

1 Escape Rope BST 125

1 Choice Belt BRS 135

4 Lost City LOR 161

4 Double Turbo Energy BRS 151

4 Metal Energy 8

3 Fighting Energy 6

2 Water Energy 3

I recommend picking up the following Pokemon TCG Live codes to help complete this deck: Arceus VSTAR Promo, Crown Zenith, and Silver Tempest.

Would it be an International Championship without Tord Reklev, arguably the best player of all time, seeing success? For this event, he brought a Gardevoir ex deck that focuses on accelerating Energy from the Discard Pile to various Pokemon to hit for large amounts of damage! Both Gardevoir [Chilling Reign] and Zacian V [Celebrations] both have attacks that do extra damage based on the amount of Energy they have attached, which makes them impressive attackers! As an added bonus, Kirlia [Silver Tempest] can discard extra cards, including Psychic Energy, to accelerate with Gardevoir ex, and you get to draw cards in the process too! This deck seemingly has it all, so I’m sure we’ll continue to see this deck dominate! Let’s check out Tord’s finalist list!

3 Ralts ASR 60

1 Ralts SIT 67

4 Kirlia SIT 68

2 Gardevoir ex SVI 86

1 Gardevoir CRE 61

2 Zacian V CEL 16

1 Cresselia LOR 74

1 Mew CEL 11

1 Radiant Greninja ASR 46

1 Manaphy BRS 41

1 Lumineon V BRS 40

4 Professor's Research SVI 189

1 Judge SVI 176

1 Roxanne ASR 150

1 Worker SIT 167

1 Miriam SVI 179

1 Boss's Orders BRS 132

1 Penny SVI 183

4 Battle VIP Pass FST 225

4 Level Ball BST 129

3 Fog Crystal CRE 140

3 Ultra Ball SVI 196

2 Rare Candy SVI 191

1 Pal Pad SVI 182

1 Sky Seal Stone CRZ 143

1 Temple of Sinnoh ASR 155

1 Collapsed Stadium BRS 137

12 Psychic Energy 5

I recommend picking up the following Pokemon TCG Live codes to help complete this deck: Scarlet and Violet, Celebrations, and Chilling Reign.

Mew VMAX is one of the few decks that have almost fully survived our Rotation without many changes, and it isn’t really a surprise to see Pablo Meza seeing success at the top tables with it! Mew VMAX can copy any attack of a Fusion Strike Pokemon you have in play, but it mainly copies Genesect V [Fusion Strike] to hit for 210 with Techno Blast. Genesect V allows you to draw cards, and Path to the Peak [Chilling Reign] adds an element of Ability lock to this very aggressive deck. Even though this deck might struggle to Drapion V, it still has enough life in it to surpass the counters. Let’s check out Pablo’s list!

4 Mew V CRZ 60

3 Mew VMAX FST 114

4 Genesect V FST 185

3 Judge SVI 176

3 Boss's Orders BRS 132

1 Roxanne ASR 150

1 Avery CRE 130

4 Power Tablet FST 236

4 Battle VIP Pass FST 225

4 Ultra Ball SVI 196

4 Cram-o-matic FST 229

4 Lost Vacuum CRZ 135

2 Nest Ball SVI 181

2 Escape Rope BST 125

1 Switch Cart ASR 154

1 Feather Ball ASR 141

1 Pal Pad SVI 182

1 Echoing Horn CRE 136

1 Fan of Waves BST 127

2 Forest Seal Stone SIT 156

2 Choice Belt BRS 135

4 Path to the Peak CRE 148

4 Double Turbo Energy BRS 151

I recommend picking up the following Pokemon TCG Live codes to help complete this deck: Mew VMAX League Battle Deck, Fusion Strike, and Crown Zenith.

So far, we have four placements and four different decks - at least, this format is much more diverse than the last format that featured Lugia VSTAR decks in large quantities. Pedro Torres’ has mostly played Lost Zone Box decks this entire season and has arguably become the best Lost Zone Box player in the game. His deck list for this event featured Radiant Charizard [Crown Zenith], which packs a massive punch. It can swing for 250 damage and reduces the Energy required for each Prize Card your opponent has drawn. Like all Lost Zone Box decks, the deck places cards in the Lost Zone with Comfey and Colress’s Experiment [Lost Origin] to attack with Cramorant and Sableye [Lost Origin]. With a combination of small attackers, damage spreaders, and Radiant Charizard as a finisher, this deck seemingly has it all. Let’s check out Pedro’s list!

4 Comfey LOR 79

2 Sableye LOR 70

2 Cramorant LOR 50

1 Radiant Charizard CRZ 20

1 Manaphy BRS 41

1 Drapion V LOR 118

1 Pidgeot V LOR 137

1 Hawlucha SVI 118

1 Mawile LOR 71

1 Miltank ASR 126

4 Colress's Experiment LOR 155

3 Klara CRE 145

2 Boss's Orders BRS 132

1 Raihan CRZ 140

1 Roxanne ASR 150

4 Battle VIP Pass FST 225

4 Nest Ball SVI 181

4 Switch Cart ASR 154

4 Escape Rope BST 125

3 Pokégear 3.0 SVI 186

2 Fog Crystal CRE 140

1 Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146

1 Lost Vacuum CRZ 135

1 Echoing Horn CRE 136

1 Forest Seal Stone SIT 156

3 Beach Court SVI 167

4 Psychic Energy 5

2 Fire Energy 2

I recommend picking up the following Pokemon TCG Live codes to help complete this deck: Pokemon Go, Lost Origin, and Crown Zenith.

Swinging into a 5th place spot is Aidan Khus’ Hisuian Goodra VSTAR [Lost Origin] deck that is super tanky. Rolling Iron swings at a solid 200 damage, but it reduces your opponent’s damage by 80 damage. It also has Moisture Star VSTAR that can heal all damage from Hisuian Goodra VSTAR. So the strategy is pretty simple - get cards in your Lost Zone, you can attack with Cramorant while you build up your board, use Mirage Gate [Lost Origin] to power up your Pokemon, and tank attacks with Hisuian Goodra VSTAR. Let’s check out Aidan’s list!

4 Comfey LOR 79

3 Hisuian Goodra V LOR 135

3 Hisuian Goodra VSTAR LOR 136

2 Drapion V LOR 118

1 Radiant Greninja ASR 46

1 Cramorant LOR 50

4 Colress's Experiment LOR 155

3 Boss's Orders BRS 132

2 Melony CRE 146

1 Roxanne ASR 150

4 Battle VIP Pass FST 225

4 Switch SVI 194

4 Escape Rope BST 125

3 Mirage Gate LOR 163

2 Pokégear 3.0 SVI 186

2 Nest Ball SVI 181

2 Ultra Ball SVI 196

1 Energy Recycler BST 124

1 Choice Belt BRS 135

1 Beach Court SVI 167

1 Crystal Cave EVS 144

6 Water Energy 3

5 Metal Energy 8

I recommend picking up the following Pokemon TCG Live codes to help complete this deck: Lost Origin, Astral Radiance, and Scarlet and Violet.

We are wrapping up this list, but it isn’t gonna be a complete list without having Lugia VSTAR on it. In this format, the deck is forced to play some coin flip cards to set up, but if you have some of that going your way, you should be pretty good to have Lugia VSTAR going. Like the last format, you wanna get a couple of copies of Archeops [Silver Tempest] in your Discard Pile, summon them with Lugia VSTAR, and then power up your Pokemon. Single Strike Pokemon, like Stonjourner [Battle Styles], are the Pokemon to power up since we lost access to solid Special Energy to rotation, but it works. This version runs a 1-1 Duraludon VMAX line to counter mirror matches and get through other Pokemon with G Max Pulverization. Let’s check out Trevore’s list.

4 Lugia V SIT 138

3 Lugia VSTAR SIT 139

4 Archeops SIT 147

2 Lumineon V BRS 40

1 Duraludon V CRZ 103

1 Duraludon VMAX CRZ 104

1 Tyranitar V BST 97

1 Yveltal FST 175

1 Stonjourner BST 84

1 Radiant Tsareena SIT 16

1 Pumpkaboo EVS 76

4 Professor's Research SVI 189

2 Judge SVI 176

2 Boss's Orders BRS 132

1 Serena SIT 164

1 Professor Burnet PR-SW 167

1 Thorton LOR 167

4 Ultra Ball SVI 196

4 Capturing Aroma SIT 153

2 Nest Ball SVI 181

2 Urn of Vitality BST 139

2 Mesagoza SVI 178

4 Single Strike Energy BST 141

3 Impact Energy CRE 157

3 Double Turbo Energy BRS 151

3 Gift Energy LOR 171

2 V Guard Energy SIT 169

I recommend picking up the following Pokemon TCG Live codes to help complete this deck: Silver Tempest, Battle Styles, and Crown Zenith.

After looking at Trevore’s 6th place list, I mainly want to go over the differences between that list and Eric Rodriguez’s list. The big difference is instead of a 1-1 line of Duraludon VMAX, this deck plays a 2-2 line. It makes that strategy a bit more mainstream, but it might come at the cost of a few consistency cards. I go back and forth on which list I like more, but they both were piloted by multiple players/testing groups on Day 2, so I’ll let you make the choice. As of right now, it's likely better to run 1-1, but that might change if Special Energy becomes more popular in the future. Let’s check out Eric’s list.

3 Lugia V SIT 138

2 Lugia VSTAR SIT 139

4 Archeops SIT 147

2 Lumineon V BRS 40

2 Duraludon V CRZ 103

2 Duraludon VMAX CRZ 104

2 Tyranitar V BST 97

1 Yveltal FST 175

1 Stonjourner BST 84

1 Radiant Tsareena SIT 16

3 Professor's Research SVI 189

3 Boss's Orders BRS 132

2 Judge SVI 176

1 Professor Burnet PR-SW 167

4 Ultra Ball SVI 196

4 Capturing Aroma SIT 153

3 Urn of Vitality BST 139

2 Nest Ball SVI 181

3 Tower of Darkness BST 137

1 Collapsed Stadium BRS 137

4 Single Strike Energy BST 141

3 Impact Energy CRE 157

3 Double Turbo Energy BRS 151

2 V Guard Energy SIT 169

1 Gift Energy LOR 171

1 Regenerative Energy SIT 168

I recommend picking up the following Pokemon TCG Live codes to help complete this deck: Silver Tempest, Battle Styles, and Crown Zenith.

Looking at the entire Top 8 lists from EUIC, it's great to see variety, and Robert Kinbrum’s Miraidon ex [Scarlet and Violet] / Regieleki VMAX [Silver Tempest] deck certainly adds to it. The goal of this deck is to use Regieleki VMAX to increase the damage of your Lightning-type Pokemon in play and to use Electricity Generator [Scarlet and Violet] to power up Miraidon ex. The deck is high risk / high reward. It’s quick, but sometimes you will fail the Electricity Generator and have a weak start. Let’s take a look at Robert’s list.

4 Regieleki V SIT 57

3 Regieleki VMAX SIT 58

3 Miraidon ex SVI 81

2 Raikou V BRS 48

1 Radiant Greninja ASR 46

4 Professor's Research SVI 189

2 Serena SIT 164

2 Boss's Orders BRS 132

4 Electric Generator SVI 170

4 Ultra Ball SVI 196

4 Switch Cart ASR 154

3 Cram-o-matic FST 229

2 Nest Ball SVI 181

1 Escape Rope BST 125

1 Echoing Horn CRE 136

2 Forest Seal Stone SIT 156

3 Beach Court SVI 167

15 Lightning Energy 4

I recommend picking up the following Pokemon TCG Live codes to help complete this deck: Scarlet and Violet, Silver Tempest, and Regieleki V Promo.

As you can see, the first results of our new Pokemon TCG E-block on format have brought a handful of great choices to play with as you prepare for upcoming events or play on the Pokemon TCG Live ladder. Like most meta games, we are going to have a combination of the above archetypes, counter decks, and maybe a few other decks will have a chance to shine at future events. I’m really excited to see how things shape up and continue to explore this format myself! As for me, I’m off to Portland as my next major event, and I’m testing a bunch of different decks to see which ones I enjoy playing the most. As always, I’ll keep you all updated on my findings, and write about the best Pokemon TCG decks right here! And be sure to use code zlesage5 to save 5% when picking up Pokemon TCG codes at the PTCGO Store. Until next time, happy testing!

Zach Lesage is a contributing writer for PTCGOStore.com. As a Toronto local, he has been playing the Pokemon Trading Card Game since 2005 and creates Pokemon content as his full time career. With multiple prestigious accomplishments in the game, such as 2020 Players Cup 2 Champion and 2020 Oceania International Championships Finalist, he has proven his success in the game. Outside of the game, he travels the world, enjoys the culture of designer streetwear, and is a professionally trained chef. You can catch him at most Pokemon events and follow him on Twitter @ZachLesagePTCG.