A Pokemon TCG player has just taken home the $25,000 prize of the 2025 Europe International Championships by winning their final match in a single turn.
The Pokemon community has just seen the close of the 2025 Pokemon TCG Europe International Championships. Players from all over flocked to the continental tournament to engage in thrilling matches and vie for their place in this year’s world championships.
Despite its child-friendly nature, the Pokemon TCG attracts its fair amount of drama with the increasingly valuable cards fuelling a host of Pokemon-related crimes. That drama also manifests on the tabletop with high-profile cheating scandals and controversial judge calls.
Despite these blemishes, the hobby can also provide unparalleled moments of excitement and the 2025 Pokemon TCG Europe International Championships has just proven that. Well-known player Ryuki Okada has just taken home the $25,000 prize in a single turn with an unbelievable turn-one combo.
Pokemon TCG’s Poison mechanic secures turn-one tournament win
While uncommon in the Pokemon TCG, turn one wins are colloquially known as ‘donks’ and they require a very specific set of circumstances to pull off. Ordinarily, a victory in the game requires a player to knock out enough Pokemon to obtain six Prize Cards but you can also achieve a win if you manage to clear the board of opposing Pokemon.
The stars aligned for Okada when opponent Natalie Miller was only able to field a single basic Pokemon from their opening hand. You would assume Miller’s lone Dreepy would be safe given that players are unable to attack on the first turn of the game.
Unfortunately for them, Okada was running one of the few decks capable of circumventing that limitation. Opening with an Oranguru V whose Back order ability allows its trainer to search for two Tool cards, Okada draws Forest Seal Stone to search for Precious Trolley; a card that allows him to load his bench with any Basic Pokemon he wants.
Okada selects Brute Bonnet, Radiant Hisuian Sneasler, Pecharunt, and Latias EX. When equipped with the second Tool he drew via Oranguru V, Okada is allowed to Poison both active Pokemon. Ordinarily, the Poison effect deals 10 damage to a Pokemon at the end of a turn but a combination of effects from Hisuian Sneasler and Pecharunt ratchets that up to 80 meaning that in a single turn, Miller’s solitary 70 HP Dreepy was finished before they could play more Pokemon.
While this turn-one KO isn’t the primary focus of Okada’s deck, the unusual set of circumstances allowed for a swift victory in this final match of the tournament. If we fail to account for the two days of play that led to the moment, this may be the easiest $25,000 anyone has made playing the Pokemon TCG.
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