UK Pokémon Masters explain how to be the very best, like no one ever was

Masters competitors Tom Winter from London and Dyl Yeomans from Cardiff, as well as Niall Crallon (a Professor from York) shared the lessons they've learned about Pokémon's elite level.

We spent the whole of Pokémon Worlds 2025 being amazed at how jaw-dropping this annual global event has become. Together, these three’s stories paint a picture of what it really takes to play and thrive at this level, as well as offer advice on how you can do the same.

Life on the biggest stage

Competing at Pokémon Worlds isn’t just about knowing the metagame; it’s about preparing for an atmosphere unlike anything else in gaming. Winter, who placed just outside the Top 50 with a 6-4 finish, admitted the nerves are part of the experience.

“Well, it’s the hardest tournament of the year. Obviously, it’s the World Championship. So you always feel pretty nervous, because you want to do as well as you can. But I don’t know, I tried to come in not setting any expectations or goals on myself, so I was stressed and nervous, but probably not as much as last year, which was my first Worlds”.

For Yeomans, competing for the first time and finishing with a 5-3 record in their debut meant walking in without a blueprint.

“It was my first time playing Worlds. I had no idea what to expect. So, with nothing to base it off, I don’t think I was stressed or nervous or anything, but I didn’t feel too excited either. Just like, whatever happens, I guess.”

Both emphasised that preparation for Worlds goes far beyond what’s needed at locals or even regionals.

“The volume of it is just so much more to do, because…there’s like, one shot in it for the year, and obviously, you want to prepare a lot for the other events. But because it’s Worlds, everyone is just slightly more focused on it.

"It’s like, ‘make sure you know every single match, what to do at every single turn’, things like that. Make sure the team is as perfect as it can be.”

“No one at this will probably use their teams again. This was the big showing for it. You either do it or you don’t,” Yeomans explained.

Interestingly, after speaking about the fact that the lower-level tournaments leave some room for experimentation, Yeomans hones their advice down to the fact that Worlds leaves “literally no room for error”.

“So, if you make a mistake, that will cost you the game. If you make two mistakes, that’s the set, and you can only use two of those”.

Echoing the sentiment, Winter added:

“Yeah, similar to Dyl really…it only comes around once a year. You have to qualify for it, 2025 was much harder to qualify for because they introduced a different sort of point system for players in TPCI countries.

“You’ve only got one shot, and you want to make it count.”

Advice for aspiring players

For those hoping to one day follow in their footsteps, both players urged fans to begin small and focus on enjoyment.

Yeomans kept it simple:

“Just always play to have fun, I think is the main thing. I always play better when I’m having fun. So just find a way to always keep it fun, and then you will just keep improving, and eventually you will just be there, I think.”

Winter pointed to the social side of the scene:

“Find out where your locals are so you can meet people in an environment that feels less pressurising than at, say, a regional event. All you have to do is hop down to your local card store… you make great friendships and connect to people. You can travel to events together, but it also makes it fun — going back to Dyl’s point, if you’re having fun, you can enjoy playing the game, then you’re gonna keep coming back.”

Yeomans even recollected the pair's first regional in 2023, messaging the friend they’d met the week before, asking advice on whether their team looked good enough — a sweet emphasis on how collaboration and supporting one another is still at the heart of the Pokémon community so many years later.

The Professor’s path

Not every role at Worlds takes place on stage. For Niall Crallon, judging matches as a Professor is about making sure players’ experiences are as smooth as possible.

“Professors do quite a lot of different things. A lot more of it is about giving people the best experience.”

For those hoping to follow the same route, Crallon gave some clear and simple pointers:

“The first step, really, I believe everybody who becomes a Professor should be somebody who’s played in tournaments before, to really see the player experience. After going along to those local events like the leagues, and essentially, everybody starts there and gains that experience with smaller events that might have 10 or 20 players, and then gradually build up through regionals and obviously internationals and Worlds.”

A growing future

Behind it all, the organisers are already planning how to scale. Chris Brown, The Pokémon Company International’s Director of Global Esports and Events, told us:

“Our hope is sort of healthy growth every year. In Europe, for example, we’re seeing, instead of 3,000 attendee events, maybe there are six or 7,000 attendee events. Five years from now, I could only hope.”

That growth means even more opportunities for UK fans and competitors to sharpen their skills without always needing to travel across the Atlantic.

Winter and Yeomans might not have lifted trophies this year, but their message is a winner in itself: success starts with fun, community, and practice. Crallon, meanwhile, shows that the path to Worlds isn’t just about battling; it’s also about building and supporting the scene.

For fans in the UK, that future looks brighter than ever. With Pokémon Worlds 2026 set for San Francisco, already teasing its biggest fan experience yet, now is the time to jump in at the official website to learn how to qualify and compete yourself.

In the meantime, check out our quiz below if you want to test your knowledge.

Read more on Pokémon:

• Best Pokémon gifts - the greatest merch
• Best Pokémon games on Switch - our ranking
• Best shiny Pokémon - the coolest creatures
• Best Dragon-type Pokémon - who's your fave?
• All cat Pokémon - the felines to catch
• Pokémon natures guide - all you need to know
• Pokémon type chart - strengths and weaknesses explained
• Legendary Pokémon - the full list
• Pokémon Scarlet and Violet cheats - handy hacks
• Pokémon Emerald cheats - what you need to know
• Pokémon Fire Red cheats - all codes
• Pokémon Go friend codes - and how to find them
• Pokémon games in order - where to start

Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.