Pokémon TCG pro Stéphane Ivanoff explains why Pocket doesn’t quite scratch his competitive itch just yet

While exploring the Pokémon Europe International Championship this year, I spoke with two-time Pokémon Trading Card Game international champion Stéphane Ivanoff to learn more about his experiences in the competitive scene and thoughts on potentially seeing Pokémon TCG Pocket join the line-up at officially-backed events. 

Stéphane played Gardevoir ex for this tournament, explaining how he’d played the deck for three international championships in a row and that he’d always done well with it. It was a popular pick for EUIC 2025.