Toshiyuki Ootake Wins Pokémon Japan Championships 2026
Toshiyuki Ootake wins Pokémon Japan Championships 2026 with an Ogerpon Box deck, defeating Kabu Fukase's Dhelmise/Banette deck in the Master League finals.
The Pokémon Japan Championships 2026 wrapped up with Toshiyuki Ootake winning the Master League title, defeating Kabu Fukase in the finals.
Ootake won the event with an Ogerpon Box deck, using cards like Mega Kangaskhan ex, Teal Mask Ogerpon ex, Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex, and Lillie’s Clefairy ex. It is not the kind of result we have seen across the international Regional scene, which is part of what makes it interesting.
Fukase’s deck was also worth noting. He reached the finals with Dhelmise / Banette, using cards from Japan’s latest set, Abyss Eye. Those cards are expected to be part of the upcoming English set Pitch Black, so this was also an early look at something international players may be seeing soon.
Dhelmise is the main attacker here. Its attack, Regretful Rage, does 30 damage, plus 140 more if you have 4 or more Pokémon with the Ghost Veil Ability in your discard pile. Banette has that Ability, which makes it part of the setup.
Banette's Ghost Veil keeps it from being affected by the opponent’s attack or Ability effects, while Doll Catch hits for 80 and lets the player search the deck for any card. That gives the deck a protected attacker that can also find whatever piece it needs, which helps explain why the Dhelmise / Banette shell was able to make such a deep run.
Japan’s tournament meta often moves a little differently from the rest of the world, and this final was a good reminder of that. While international events have been heavily shaped by Dragapult and other familiar Standard decks, PJCS ended with Ogerpon beating Dhelmise / Banette in a very different-looking final.
With Worlds getting closer, results like this are always worth paying attention to, even when the lists look strange at first glance. Japan is often a step ahead in testing cards before they reach the English format, and PJCS gave players plenty to think about.
Sources:
- Decklists from pokecamatomeru
- Translated proxies from pokemonproxies.com