Team CGC Trading Cards Placed Top 4 in the Pokémon Fresno Regional Championships!

Team CGC Trading Cards secured back-to-back placings in the finals at the Pokémon Fresno Regional Championships! With a strong field of 903 competitors, competing over June 10-11, the team was triumphant once more.

Representing Team CGC Trading Cards, Caleb Gedemer placed 2nd (12/2/4), Grant Manley placed 11th (11/3/1), Azul Garcia Griego placed 33rd (10/5/0) and Daniel Altavilla placed 107th (5/1/3). Kidd Starck was unable to attend the event, but we hope to cheer him on at the North America International Championships.

Continuing to build on their success at Fresno, the team used the Lost Zone Box deck in gameplay. However, to keep opponents from planning counters too easily, the team substituted in the Drapion V to frustrate opponents’ expectations of Kyogre.

When asked for comment, Grant shared more about their strategy: “After a very strong showing at Milwaukee with Kyogre, the team knew that the deck would have a target on its back going forward. A well-timed Manaphy from decks such as Lugia, Mew, or Arceus can shatter the Kyogre strategy. However, Lost Box remains a strong archetype.

“The team decided to go with a turbo build of Lost Box, forgoing Kyogre and the extra energy for cards that enabled a consistent turn one attack. This would catch opponents off guard, and they would be expecting a threat that wasn’t there. Drapion V was also included to beat Mew, which would otherwise be difficult without Kyogre.

“The team surprised many people who expected to face the Kyogre version that was our trademark, got surprise Drapion V plays, and faced off against ineffective Manaphy techniques.

“Caleb pulled off his second consecutive finals appearance, I bubbled out of top 8 after winning five rounds in a row in day 2, Azul made day 2 but had poor draws and bricked in several games, and Dan barely whiffed day 2. Overall, it was a solid showing after pivoting Lost Box variants in just a week’s time. The team hopes to cook up a strong surprise deck for NAIC at the end of the month.”

Left to Right: Daniel Altavilla and Caleb Gedemer.

Team CGC Trading Cards was assembled by Danny Oesterreich in 2022, and is comprised of seasoned players Daniel Altavilla, Azul Garcia Griego, Caleb Gedemer, Kidd Starck and Grant Manley. The team will compete next at the North America International Championships, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, in Columbus, Ohio on June 30-July 2. This will be the final competition of the season, prior to the Yokohama World Championships.

Please join us in wishing the team the best of luck throughout the season and keep an eye out for new updates on the team’s performance by following their Instagram @teamCGCcards and the CGC Trading Cards social channels, @CGCcards. You can also watch the events live on the Pokémon YouTube and Twitch channels to see players do battle.

To learn more about the formation of Team CGC Trading Cards, click here.