Team CGC Cards Secures Team Win at the Pokémon Louisville Regional Championships

Team CGC Cards waged a fierce battle at the Pokémon TCG Louisville Regional Championships in October, walking away with their first team win of the season! Caleb Gedemer and Grant Manley faced off against 1,936 other players at the Kentucky regional event on October 11-13, 2024.

Representing Team CGC Cards, Caleb hit the ground running during the first tournament of the season and claimed first place in the competition on October 12. With this win, Caleb already qualifies for the 2025 Pokémon World Championships, which will be held in Anaheim, California, in August 2025. Unfortunately, Grant did not advance in the Louisville Regional, but he is also well on his way to qualifying for the 2025 world championship event.

Both Caleb and Grant played Raging Bolt ex, a fast and powerful deck that focuses on dealing heavy damage quickly. Teal Mask Ogerpon ex’s Ability, Teal Dance, lets the player attach a Basic Grass Energy to it each turn, while also drawing a card from the deck. Meanwhile, Raging Bolt ex’s main attack, Bellowing Thunder, does 70 damage multiplied by the amount of Basic Energy discarded from the Pokémon in play. It’s easy to see how lethal of a combination these two Pokémon ex are, and the deck was masterfully played by Caleb, garnering him the tournament win.

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When asked to reflect on his win, Caleb said, “So many to thank. I wouldn’t have done it without my faith, family and friends — especially Grant Manley, who cooked up this unique list.”

What’s next for Team CGC Cards?

Since we last checked in with Team CGC Cards after the 2024 Pokémon World Championships, the team has made several plans for the 2025 season. Here’s what each had to say:

Grant: I’m excited to dive straight into the 2025 season and continue representing Team CGC Cards! I plan to attend all of the North American Regional and International competitions. Adding to my stack of top eight finishes would be great, but I know a major win is on the horizon. I’m particularly looking forward to how the meta will shift with future set releases and the Area Zero Underdepths cards.

Caleb: Like Grant, I plan on going to most events in the circuit, especially Internationals, and Regionals in North America. In addition to Pokémon, I’ve been playing Star Wars: Unlimited, and its third set drops soon. Twilight of the Republic features many of my favorite characters from the Clone Wars era, and I couldn’t be more excited for the first Galactic Championship, held in Las Vegas in late July 2025.

Azul Garcia Griego: I’ve been taking an extended break following Worlds back in August, and I’ve gained valuable insights into how we can improve our process going forward. I’m eager to compete again, and my first event will be Sacramento Regionals in late November. I’ve been focusing on content creation in the meantime, while getting my mind and body right.

Team CGC Cards was assembled by Danny Oesterreich in 2022 and is comprised of seasoned players Azul Garcia Griego, Caleb Gedemer, Grant Manley and Remi Lorenz. The team will compete next at the Latin America International Championships, at the Expo Center Norte – Pavilhão Azul in São Paulo, Brazil, on November 15-17.

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