When Ian Robb sits down for his first matchup at the 2024 World Championship, it’ll be the 12th time he’s competed at the Pokemon TCG’s highest level. But for all his accolades, all of his accomplishments, Robb still has his sights set on Pokemon TCG greatness.
One trophy that has eluded him throughout his career is the illustrious World Championship. Now getting prepared for 2024’s event in Honolulu, Hawaii, Robb understands the magnitude of being the one to hoist the title.
“At this point my main goals are to help the community and for me personally, win worlds,” Robb said. “That and an IC win are the things that I have not done yet in the game. Both of those I have gotten second place at, but it’s not the same as winning.”
“Becoming the world champion would be the accomplishment that has made all the late hours of playing Pokemon and long flights to events all worth it,” Robb concluded.
Ian Robb begins Pokemon TCG journey
But a champion doesn’t start at the top of the mountain, and neither did Robb. Instead, his Pokemon TCG journey started when he was 5 years old. His father Cameron wanted to get him into Magic: The Gathering and thought Pokemon would be a good introduction. Instead, Robb fell in love with the Pokemon TCG.
After getting a theme deck for Christmas, Robb was eager to learn everything about the game. Alongside Cameron, Robb’s mother Melissa began bringing him to his local league. The results may not have been great at first, but Robb was beginning to establish his roots within the Pokemon TCG.
“Shortly after getting into the card game, I really wanted to play the game. My parents learned about league and started bringing me there,” Robb said. “After starting to play local tournaments and getting beaten pretty bad almost every time I wanted to get better at cards, which led to my parents supporting me early on. And I slowly got better over time.”
As both his passion and skill in the game improved, Ian Robb soon knew it was time to take his talents to the Regional level. His first Regional came back in 2010 in Providence, Rhode Island. Being a junior at the time, he didn’t understand the true gravity of the tournament. But at his first Regional as a master – Indianapolis, Indiana 2017 – Robb said his eyes were opened to what the world of the Pokemon TCG could offer.
“The first time I really ever got the taste of what it felt like was Indianapolis Regional 2017,” Robb said. “That was my first ever masters Regional and even [though] I missed day two, I got to the top tables near the end of the event, so I knew I was good enough to compete at the top level.”
Before taking the full plunge into the masters division, Robb still had to hone his craft. In 2011, he took part in the last chance qualifier ahead of the World Championship. Playing Yanmega Prime Magnezone Prime Kingdra Prime, Robb had to win all of his matches to qualify for that year's World Championship.
He managed to go 3-0, reaching the top 16 players. Then, it was announced that all top 16 from that year's LCQ had qualified for Worlds. It gave Robb the spark he needed and was a key launching point in his Pokemon TCG career.
“If you lost a single match you were out and your dream of making Worlds was crushed,” Robb said.” I remember sweating bullets each round, but after winning all my rounds I sat there in the final 16 players waiting to play my match to qualify for the top eight, and Worlds.”
“I believe if they did not make an exception for that year and did the normal eight and not 16, I would not be here today still playing the game,” Robb concluded.
And then came Collinsville
To Robb, the 2018 Collinsville, Illinois Regional didn't feel different than any others he had competed in that season. The one difference was that his friend Wesley Hollenberg messaged him about a new deck he had crafted on the Thursday before the event. Robb played a few games of Zoroark Golisopod Lurantis and decided that would be his deck for the tournament.
It was immediately evident that he made that right call, as Robb started his tournament run with an 8-1 record. But come the second day of competition, Robb had to win his final two matches to secure a spot in the top eight. After a Round 15 victory over Zachary Bokhari – a match in which Robb called ‘epic' – he had his eyes set on the trophy and knew it was within his grasp.
Robb advanced all the way to the finals, where he would face Natalie Shampay for the Collinsville crown. As he sat down to play his set, Collinsville's hopeful champion felt a pressure he hadn't before in the Pokemon TCG.
“Sitting down for finals was something I could never prepare for,” Robb said. “The nerves sitting down on stream playing for my first ever major championship was scary. With it at the time also being the biggest masters Regional of all time, I knew that this win would put me on the map and be a name people know.”
The set came down to a third and final game. But with his nerves at their highest peak, Ian Robb came through. By winning that third game and the overall match – going 14-2-2 overall – Robb became the Collinsville Regional champion; a first in his career as a master.
“Shuffling for game three in finals was when my nerves were at an all-time high playing Pokemon,” Robb said. “One good hand away from winning an event. Having to claw back from one of my worst starts ever in game three made the win feel even sweeter.”
“The win finally put me on the map in the Pokemon community. After playing in juniors and seniors for almost 10 years, this was the first time I won a major event in the public's eyes. All that time spent playing paid off.”
A champion is born
His first-place finish in Collinsville was the first of what is now five Regional Championship titles under Robb's belt. He was victorious in 2019 at both the Madison and Portland Regionals, although they technically came in separate seasons. Robb also won the Indianapolis Regional in 2022 and most recently the Vancouver Regional in 2023.
Part of the reason Robb believes he has found so much success in the Pokemon TCG is his versatility. Playing through so many different formats, he has a firm grasp of the meta and understands what makes each individual deck successful. In his first turn, Robb's goal is to understand every possible outcome that could occur during the game and find the best out to it.
“The thing that has allowed me to succeed through all these formats is my experience in the game,” Robb said. “I have experienced every single type of format. Even when there are major shifts I am so used to all types of decks that nothing catches me off guard.”
“My biggest strength is being able to calculate all that outcomes that can happen in a game based on turn one,” Robb continued. “Knowing all the possible outcomes allows me to make the best play on most turns.”
While Robb's Pokemon TCG resume surely is impressive, he didn't craft it alone. Tate Whitesell is one of the many trainers who have played alongside Robb and seen him grow as a competitor. After facing off against one another in the New England era since the 2017-18 season, the pair eventually forged a friendship.
Whitesell recounted testing for an event back in 2020 when a fellow player said, “that dude does not misplay,” when talking about Robb. Playing against him in a number of League Cup and Challenge finals, Whitesell himself has gotten a firsthand look at Robb's skill. He remembers a match they had where Robb was playing Turbo Lost Box, making flawless Colress's Experiment and Flower Selecting decisions.
Ultimately, Whitesell admits that at the highest level of the Pokemon TCG, it's hard to really rank players based on their gameplay. However, he knows Robb is cut from a different cloth and that his approach to each game sets him apart from the field.
“He has an incredible talent for quickly processing information,” Whitesell said. “Every time I play Ian it seems like his hands are moving faster than he could possibly have time to think, but then all his decisions end up being correct.”
“A lot of his testing comes from writing articles about the game and from coaching,” Whitesell continued. “I think that focus on communicating the game to other people demonstrates the grasp he has for the game at a macro level.”
Robb recently joined the Pokemon TCG team Shuffle Squad, something he said is something he never imagined as a kid. The same goes for him offering coaching. He said that being able to help others in the community and represent the brand meant a lot to him as a player and person.
Ian Robb's final step to true Pokemon TCG success
Whoever sits across from Robb at the World Championship will know his story and the accolades he brings along with him. But Robb won't be thinking about them, as he is solely focused on crossing off all the boxes on his Pokemon TCG checklist.
“I don't think the achievement has really set in at all,” Robb said of winning five Regional Championships. “I still have not achieved my major goals in Pokemon. So even though I have won five Regionals, I still feel that I have work to be done.”
But as he continues to put in the work, Ian Robb hasn't forgotten what his entire journey with Pokemon has meant to him. For every new city, trophy and tournament, he has made countless friends and memories along the way. The Pokemon TCG has helped Robb shape the person he is and helped plant the seeds of the World Champion he wants to become.
“Pokemon has been an important part of my life,” Robb said. “I cannot imagine who I would be or what I would be doing if it was not for Pokemon. The community and the game is something that I will never take for granted.”
“The endless memories and friendships made through the game is why I have stuck around this long,” Robb continued. “Pokemon has allowed me [to] have both a competitive outlet and some of the greatest friendships that I will ever have.”
Follow Us
Subscribe
