Guest: Owyn Kamerman! Back-to-Back Regionals/Special Event Winner in EUGuest: Owyn Kamerman! Back-to-Back Regionals/Special Event Winner in EU
The Payoff with Pete
Corey chats with top Pokémon TCG player Owyn Kamerman about his path from junior days to back‑to‑back European wins, his deck choices and key matchups. The conversation also touches on studying nanobiology, travelling for events and helping others prepare through coaching and masterclasses.
41:41•19 Mar 2024
Back‑to‑Back Wins and Big Brain Plays with Owyn Kamerman
Episode Overview
- Starting young, even with underpowered decks, can still lead to big milestones like Worlds invites if you keep showing up and learning.
- Last‑minute deck choices can work if you pick something you pilot well and lean into consistency over flashy techs.
- Having a clear game plan for key matchups – including when to rely on disruption cards like Judge – can flip supposedly bad pairings.
- Setting personal rules, such as not re‑using the last winning deck, can keep preparation fresh and push creative thinking.
- It is possible to balance demanding university studies with competitive play by managing time carefully and using structured coaching work.
“I have a rule for myself that I never play the deck that won the previous tournament, and it’s pretty cool to say that about my own deck.”
Curious about how others manage high-pressure competition while juggling real life? This chat with top Pokémon TCG player Owyn Kamerman is packed with exactly that mix of strategy talk, travel stories and student life. Host Corey talks one-on-one with Owyn, fresh off back‑to‑back success in Europe: first winning Dortmund Regionals with Chien‑Pao, then taking a huge special event in Utrecht with Fusion Mew.
You’ll hear how he went from a seven‑year‑old junior with a barely optimised theme deck to sitting at number one in the global rankings. As he laughs, early on he and his brothers had to share key cards, so “we played with very suboptimal decks” yet still managed to earn a Worlds invite.
Owyn breaks down why he almost *didn’t* play Chien‑Pao, calling it “kind of mid” right up until the Friday before Dortmund, and how a late decision, some tight play and a bit of “plot armour” carried him through wild moments like his top‑eight clash with Gardevoir and that tense Goldengo finals.
Then he switches gears to explain why he picked Fusion Mew for Utrecht, including his personal rule that he never repeats the last winning deck: “It’s pretty cool to say that about my own deck.” There’s plenty here for competitive players: matchup theory, coin‑flip realities against Roaring Moon, and how targeted Judge plays helped him beat Tord Reklev’s off‑the‑wall Charizard list.
Away from the tables, Owyn talks about studying nanobiology, travelling cheaply across Europe for events, and running coaching and masterclass sessions to help others get ready for post‑rotation EUIC. If you like hearing how someone balances studies, travel and top‑level play while still sounding grounded and funny, this one’s worth your time – what can you borrow from Owyn’s approach for your own next big event?
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