Fincastle Pokemon players went to Worlds in DC
The Fincastle Pokemon Gym is in its 9th year providing a place for fans of both the Pokemon Video Game and Pokemon Trading Card Game to play. Over this time, the Gym has sent 4 players to the Pokemon World Championships at total of 7 times. This year, the Fincastle Pokemon Gym set a new record for the success of its players. The Gym helped 6 local players from their 3 league locations (Fincastle and Lexington run by Marthe and Joel Honts and Lynchburg, run by Kevin Harrison) qualify for the 2019 Pokemon World Championships. The World Championships this year was held in Washington DC over the weekend of August 16-18. This year’s championship weekend boasted the largest attendance ever, hosting over 2,000 players from 51 countries, all pursuing a share of the more than $500,000 in prizes. Entry for the event was invitation-only, as players worked hard throughout the 2018-2019 season to earn their invites by accumulating championship points in their respective age divisions.
Leading the way for the group were the veteran siblings, Logan and Georgia Honts. Logan, 18, earned his 4th World Championship invitation this year, having competed in San Diego in 2011, Hawaii in 2012 and San Francisco in 2016. Logan was the only local player to compete in the Masters Division, which required a massive 550 championship points for entry. Logan gained entry by winning multiple League Challenges (small, local events) and League Cups (mid-level tournaments) and by placing in the Top 32 at the Greensboro Regional Championship in March. Logan spent a full day on Friday of the World Championships battling international competitors from Chile, Germany, Poland and Argentina, as well as the US. Entry into the Day 2 Finals left little room for error, and Logan could not escape a late round tie and loss, missing his chance at the prize money rounds. His younger sister Georgia, 14, is no stranger to the game either, as this year marked her 3rd World Championship invitation. Georgia previously qualified in Washington DC in 2014 and in San Francisco in 2016, where she earned entry into both the trading card and video game events. Like Logan, Georgia crossed the 400 championship point total required for her age group, the Senior Division, by placing at and winning multiple League Challenges and Cups. Her 2019 experience was not as “international” as Logan’s, as she drew fellow US competitors round after round. A loss in Round 5 eliminated Georgia from the Day 2 Finals. Georgia competed in a secondary tournament on Saturday, dubbed the DC Open, where she finished 56th, winning promo merchandise and championship points for the 2019-20 season.
Logan and Georgia were not the only pair of siblings competing in this year’s event. Anna and Ridge Radtke of Blue Ridge returned for their 2nd World Championship Tournament, both having competed in the 2018 event in Nashville, TN. Anna Radtke, 9, entered the event as the Gym’s greatest hope, ending the competitive season as the Number 5 ranked video game Junior competitor in North America. Hot off of her 4th place, $2500 finish at the National Championships in July in Columbus, Ohio, Anna earned automatic entry into the Day 2 Finals. There she joined a field comprised of other automatic Day 2 qualifiers and those who made it through the Day 1 melee. Anna alternated wins and losses against competitors from Japan, Argentina, Singapore, Canada and El Salvador, falling in the last round and missing the Top 16 playoff. She finished 32nd overall. Older brother Ridge, 12, battled through the Day 1 field, reaching a must win match in Round 5 to stay in, but fell to a tough opponent from France. Both siblings have improved immensely from the 2018 season and will certainly make some noise this year.
Rounding out the Fincastle contention were 1st year qualifiers from the Honts’s league in Lexington and sister league in Lynchburg. Noah Starr, 10, from Lexington, entered competitive play about halfway through the 2019 season, but was such a quick study to the card game that he either won or placed in every tournament he entered. Noah quickly amassed the 300 Championship points required for Junior Division competitors and began focusing on competing at Worlds. Noah played a strong tournament, only losing twice. However, three of his matches resulted in ties (each playing winning 1 of the best 2 of 3) as time ran out in those rounds, causing him to fall short of the Day 2 Finals. John Hoegerl, 12, from Lynchburg came off of a strong season, winning multiple League Cups and finishing 3rd at the Greensboro Regional Championship. Gym Leader Joel Honts has noted multiple times that John is their most dedicated competitor and has backed it up by beating many of the best players in the world in the Senior Division. The 2019 Worlds events did not go his way. John opened with unfavorable match-ups in each of his 3 opening rounds. John tried to battle his way around them, but ultimately lost all 3, eliminating him from any chance at the Finals. John rebounded and placed in the Top 32 at the DC Open on the next day. Joel noted how unfortunate his 1st day was, adding the luck plays a big role at these events and unfortunately it was against John on the opening day.
The Fincastle League owners, Joel and Marthe Honts are extremely proud of their group of competitors. Those interested in either the trading cards game or video game can join them on Sundays from 3pm-530pm at the Fincastle Library, Mondays from 4pm-6pm at the Lexington library or at a variety of events they host in the area. Look for an information booth at the Fincastle Festival on September 21, 2019. The Fincastle Gym qualified as a special league location and has a limited supply of brand new Trading Card Game decks for new players. You can reach Joel & Marthe at fincastlepokemon@gmail.com, or @DarkMoon1 on Twitter, or search for Fincastle Pokemon or Dark Moon Cards and Games on Facebook.
submitted by Marthe Honts
