Canadian Kieng “PogoKieng” Iv is the world’s first Pokémon GO Invitational champ. In every sense of the word, this YouTube streamer is now the very best — at least in Pokémon GO.
PogoKieng competed against other renowned Pokémon GO trainers and VIP entrants, which included Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire director Junichi Masuda and Game Freak game designer Shigeki Morimoto.
On the way to taking the coveted crown for the inaugural Pokémon GO Invitational, Iv reinforced his place as the game’s go-to tactician. He swept through the first and semifinal rounds, beating Australian Ando “UnlistedLeaf” (real name unknown) and wildcard entrant Carrymeh.
Facing off against fellow Youtuber Matthew “Poké AK” Anderson in the Winners Finals round, PogoKieng bowed out with a 1-3 result. However, he bounced right back in the Losers Finals, sweeping all three matches against Carrymeh anew.
The finale for the Pokémon GO Invitational, which nearly ran for an hour, saw a rematch between PogoKieng and Poké AK. Even with technical difficulties plaguing this match, including a battle restart, it was a nail-biting finale. If anything, the Grand Finals proved to be just as tense as any major esports finals.
As a first-time event, the Pokémon GO Invitational was an impressive sight. From the player podium-style booth, to the eye-catching design of the “livestream arena” on Twitch, the awesome segment segue sequence, and the streaming screens for arena viewers, The Pokémon Company certainly pulled out all the stops to create its own esports spectacle.
Missed the Pokémon GO Invitational? Watch it on this Twitch stream:
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