Oceania International Championship: 5 TCG Players to Follow

The Oceania International Championship is less then 24 hours away! I have put together a preview article on TCG players to keep an eye on during the event. In the International spirit of things, I featured a player from five different countries.

The Australian (Jordan Palmer)

Ah, Mr. Consistency. Our homegrown hero. If the Palmer United party was run by Jordan, I’d vote for it. There isn’t a local Premier Event that Jordan Palmer has not won. Now he’s looking to fill the empty spot in his trophy cabinet marked “put International Challenge trophy here.”

Jordan came close to fulfilling this dream at the European International Challenge – qualifying for day 2, and finishing the tournament at 19th place. And, this was by no means a fluke result.

In 2016, Jordan won three consecutive Australian Regional Championships. He then placed 2nd at a fourth Regionals… The same year, he won the Australian National Championships and was ranked 1st in the Asia Pacific Region based on Championship Points. He was ranked second in the Masters Division Worldwide.

Jordan’s love for Yveltal is well documented. Will he be announcing Evil Ball this weekend?

The American (Connor Finton)

I first met Connor in the 24 hour gaming room in Boston, for Worlds 2015. He and friend James Hart were quite amused by our Australian coins (“Well of course they have Kangaroos on them!”). Now that he’s on his way down under, the thong is on the other foot.

Connor boasts a pretty impressive resume – it’s hard to believe that he only started playing in 2013. In 2015, he placed in the Top 4 at St. Louis Regionals. In 2016, he won 2 State Championships, and a Regional Championship. This year, Connor has already placed in the Top 4 at Dallas Regionals, Top 16 at Anaheim Regionals, and in the Top 32 at the Ft. Wayne and St. Louis Regionals.

Most of Connor’s accomplishments were achieved while playing Skyfield decks. This year, his result at every notable event (except Anaheim Regionals) was achieved with Gardevoir. I bet Parallel City is his least favourite card…

The Canadian (Jay Lesage)

In 2010, Jay won every type of event available – Battle Roads, Pre-releases, City Championships, States, Regionals, Nationals, and Worlds. He is the only player to have ever done so. It doesn’t get more impressive than that.

Ok, ok, I realise that was 7 years ago, and Jay was a Senior. So what has Jay done recently that earns him a place on this list?

In 2016, he earned a Top 8 and Top 32 at Regionals, Top 4 and Top 8 at States, won 5 City Championships, placed in the Top 8 at the Canadian Nationals, and Top 16 at the World Championships. This season, he has placed in the Top 4 or better in six of the seven Premier events he has competed in. This includes earning 2nd place at the European International Challenge.

And, he’s a real gentleman when he defeats you.

The Kiwi (Louis Chi)

Louis (pictured second from the left) was the 2013 and 2015 New Zealand National Champion. You may recognise him from such events as the 2013, 2015 and 2016 World Championships. I hear the logically-minded, and salty players alike muttering “that’s not so impressive, New Zealand hardly has any players.” I’d argue the fact that Louis won through Day 1 of the 2015 World Championships to qualify for Day 2, is a testament to his ability to hold his own against the International community.

Louis openly admits that he “enjoys” playing item lock decks – his favourite decks were Toad / Shaymin in 2015, and Vileplume Box in 2016. However, lately he has been a big fan of Greninja. When asked what his favourite animal was, he responded “Panda.” Greninja is not an item Lock Deck, and “Panda” is neither a stereotypically “anti-Australian” Kiwi response. What a confusing young man.

The Malaysian (Yee Wei Chun)

Yee Wei (left in picture) has been the National Champion of Malaysia 6 times. 6! In 2007, 2010 and 2015 he also made it to the Top 16 at the World Championships. This season, he earned a place in the Top 8 at the European International Challenge, and dominated his competition 6-0 at a recent League Challenge. A self-proclaimed fan of any deck that can deal damage to the bench, will Yee Wei stick with his tried and trusted Yveltal deck?

We would like to wish all players competing in the International Championship weekend the best of luck. Be sure to stay tuned to our Live Coverage here on PokeAus throughout the weekend! Be sure to follow me on twitter and youtube for constant TCG content.