11/11/2022 0 Comments F1 2020 vietnam setup![]() Even as someone who does this for a living, Cromie tells me that witnessing people’s reactions to the Worlds never gets old. On the penultimate day at Worlds, as the finals start to draw near, the buzz is growing. This event only comes around once a year, so it is the best of the very best.” “So, there’s that extra level of expectation – and pressure. “With the World Championships, you have to qualify to be here,” she explains, which is unlike all the other Pokémon tournaments. Now I’m here at the World Championships,” says sharply dressed ex-pro video game player and current Pokémon video game championships commentator, Lou Cromie. Then it kind of snowballed into me talking about the games. “I was a player for a couple of years, and I really enjoyed it. So, I read the rules – to help – and now I’m competing in the London Open,” he laughs. I told him OK, then first we read the rules. #F1 2020 VIETNAM SETUP HOW TO#“My son came to me and said, father, I would like to know how to play that game. It turns out that Paul’s adjacent 13-year-old frenemy – Ilyas – isn’t battling alone in the Pokémon World Championships this year: his dad is also competing. “He’s won two games today!” exclaims Paul’s beaming mother, Eva. Playing the trading card game since they were six and seven, these 12 and 13-year-old champions-in-the-making journeyed from Germany in order to put their decks to the test. ![]() Photograph: Tom Reganīack in ExCel’s vast halls, I spot a pair of particularly excited young Pokémon trainers. “But when I got the call for Pokémon? That was a real career highlight – I even met Pikachu!”Ĭhampions in the making … Paul and Ilyas. “Sure, sure, it’s been a great year,” he replies half-heartedly. It must have been a comparable honour to be asked to perform at the royal jubilee, I suggest, taking in the various Pokémon plushies surrounding Jones. “I was kind of blown away by the other artists who were on it.” “As a Pokémon fan, it’s amazing, man! I was part of the Pokémon 25th anniversary album as well,” he adds with a disbelieving grin. We chat about his designer Pokémon fossil collection as we bob along the Thames: Jones’s set is the official party kickstarting this year’s Worlds. “To be a part of this is immense,” Jax grins, rocking a giant fluffy hat and a Pikachu-adorned denim jacket. ![]() He became smitten at primary school, and now shares the passion with his wife and infant daughter. Alongside Ed Sheeran and JME, Jones is one of the UK’s most prominent Pokémon devotees. Fresh from a chart-topping Charli XCX collaboration and a televised performance at the Queen’s jubilee, I greet a beaming DJ Jax Jones ahead of the set of a lifetime – a Pokémon boat party. Photograph: Tom ReganĮven celebrities aren’t immune to contracting Pokémania. “I got a bit emotional when we walked through, seeing the banners and everything. “If I could go back in time and tell six-year-old me that we went to the Pokémon World Championships – played in the World Championships – it’s just the dream!” says first-time Pokkén tournament player Dan Styles, blushing through their Ash Ketchum cosplay. Alongside jaw-dropping London-inspired stage dioramas, cleverly positioned mics allow partitioned spectators to enjoy different commentary on whichever of the four tournament games they’re watching: Pokémon Go, the trading card game, Sword and Shield or Pokémon Unite. Where previous events often felt like town hall gatherings, 2022’s main stage stands shoulder to shoulder with the production you’d expect from a major Fortnite or fighting game tournament. ![]() Thanks to the huge popularity of Pokémon Go, and lockdown guiding more people towards the wallet-emptying trading card game, the scale of this year’s Worlds takes me by surprise. For competitors, there’s some tension mixed with the hype. ![]()
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