Dortmund Regionals Results, Paldean Fates and Do You Learn From Your Mistakes?Dortmund Regionals Results, Paldean Fates and Do You Learn From Your Mistakes?
The Payoff with Pete
Corey and Jared break down Dortmund Regionals, weigh up Gholdengo and Chien-Pao in the meta, and chat through how Paldean Fates might shake things up. They finish by reflecting on misplays and how to use both wins and losses to steadily improve.
46:06•16 Feb 2024
Chien-Pao, Gholdengo and the Art of Learning From Your Misplays
Episode Overview
- Tournament results can be heavily shaped by pairings and paths, not just raw deck strength.
- A surprise finals between Gholdengo and Chien-Pao shows that off-meta choices can succeed in the right conditions.
- Chien-Pao winning without Manaphy is framed as a context-specific outcome, not a blanket reason to drop the card.
- Cards from Paldean Fates, especially Moonlit Hill, are highlighted as potential boosts to established archetypes like Gardevoir.
- Learning from misplays in both wins and losses is presented as key to "getting a little better every day."
“"Learn, don't dwell. Learn, don't dwell."”
How do people find strength in their journey to mastery, even in a card game? This chat between long-time playing buddies Corey and Jared centres on high-level Pokémon TCG play, the current meta, and what it really means to learn from your mistakes. They kick off with Dortmund Regionals, a 1,300‑player giant that, as they put it, felt like the tournament they dream about.
The pair break down a spicy top eight featuring multiple Gardevoir lists, the ever-present Mew, Lost Tina, Sablezard, and a finals showdown many didn’t see coming: Gholdengo versus Chien-Pao. You’ll hear them walk through the Gholdengo player’s 3–2 start, the “Michael Jordan jersey” win streak, and why his path through Snorlax, Lost Tina, Gardevoir, and Sablezard mattered as much as deck choice.
From there, they shift to how Chien-Pao took the title with no Manaphy, and why Corey warns against rebuilding your entire meta plan around that one result. The discussion moves into future formats, with both hosts expecting Gholdengo and Chien-Pao to stick around post-rotation and speculating about underused threats like Iron Valiant. Paldean Fates gets its turn too, with special attention on Moonlit Hill and what it might do for Gardevoir-focused strategies.
They chat through other cards that caught their eye, including Espathra ex and Great Tusk ex, keeping things grounded in how these might realistically affect competitive play. The closing “education moment” is all about mindset. Using Jared’s own league night as an example, they ask whether you should study your mistakes even when you win, and Corey drops the reminder: "Learn, don't dwell.
Learn, don't dwell." They round things off by encouraging players to aim for getting a little better every day, rather than chasing perfection in a single match. If you’re serious about improving at Pokémon TCG and like your strategy talk mixed with honesty and humour, why not see what lessons from their games you might steal for your own?
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