Olivia Richman 
Fernando Cifuentes brought the 2024 Pokemon TCG Worlds trophy home to Chile earlier this month after an unforgettable finals that caught the attention of his nation’s president.
The Pokemon World Championship had top players from all over the world competing in TCG, VGC, Go, and Unite events in Hawaii. Cifuentes played anti-meta deck Iron Thorns-ex while his opponent rocked the ever-present Roaring Moon-ex in a back-and-forth fight. It was a nail-biting Finals but Cifuentes eventually came out on top, making this his biggest win to date. Before this, he placed highly in South American events but had never proved himself internationally.
After becoming the TCG champion, his home country recently celebrated his victory in a big way.
Chile president meets with Pokemon TCG master
Chile president Gabriel Boric invited Cifuentes to his palace, honoring the Pokemon TCG champion for winning Worlds. There were nine other Chilean players that made it to day two, all of which also got to attend the event with Cifuentes.
Some people elsewhere around the world were shocked that Cifuentes was invited to meet the president for winning the Pokemon World Championship, as the event has rarely been given such prominent attention in other countries. Some marveled at the concept of meeting the US president for being a Pokemon champion, while others noted that being the “best” of anything truly competitive should get you this kind of recognition and honor.
Down in Chile, the Worlds win has hit differently than it would in the United States. Chile has become obsessed with Iron Thorns-ex, with some trainers joking that it’s now the official Pokemon of Chile. The Pokemon is being dubbed the “Indomitable Spirit of Chile.”
Another reason that Cifuentes was invited to meet Boric is probably because the president followed the action himself. Boric is a self-proclaimed Pokemon fan.
While running for president, Boric was asked his favorite starter on X and he answered that it’s always been Squirtle. When he was officially elected, Boric held up a Squirtle plush during his first visit to Japan.
Cifuentes’ win is clearly an important moment for many in Chile, including the country’s president. It will be interesting to see if Cifuentes can carry on his momentum in the 2025 season of Pokemon competitions.
