Simon Bernard, known to most as Ryo, is well-known among players attending events in the European Circuit. Recently he managed to achieve his first ever Day 2 placement, breaking a two-year long drought.
At the 2025 Gdansk Regional Championship I was sitting at the 1-5 table, waiting for my opponent to never show up. But I didn’t care about my miserable run. I was only hoping the judge would sign my matchslip as quickly as possible, so I could go and spectate at the (5-1) tables. There, a good friend of mine was about to break a curse that had plagued them for 2 years. Ryo, the self-proclaimed “most 5/4 VGC player of all time”, managed to clinch his first ever Day 2 placement at the event, putting a decisive end to his streak of middling placements.
His achievement earned him praise from the top levels of both the European and American Circuits, with players such as Chuppa Cross IV, Justin Carris, Alessio Fuscà and Present congratulating him on X. Ryo is a very well-known player in the European circuit, usually unable to walk across the floor of the venue without having to stop multiple times to chat with someone he knows. This is due to his high presence on social media, his ability to socialize at Majors, and because of his participation in local tournaments across Europe.
The Austrian-Italian player not only competes in his native countries, but also in Germany, Luxemburg, even traveling as far as Belgium to participate in Locals. Additionally, he is responsible for organizing more than half of the tournaments happening in Austria, leading to a vibrant local scene with tournaments that support many local Card-Game shops.
The title of “most 5/4 VGC player” stems from a series of mediocre placements he had had since starting to compete at Major Events roughly 2 years earlier. In the 2024 season alone he had come in with a record of (5-4) a total of 5 times and (4-5) a further 4 times. These experiences have led to a very healthy mindset regarding loss. As the title indicates, Ryo chooses not to dwell on his failures and instead tries to move on and learn from them. With this attitude he is consciously infectious, elevating the players around him by checking in on them between every single round. His pep talks can work wonders on dejected players. When you find yourself with a bad start at a Regional, you can count yourself lucky should you have Ryo as one of your friends, asking you whether there is anything you can take away from your last loss and telling you to not dwell on it too long. He emphasizes the importance of going into a new game with a clear head and tells reminds players to remember their victories, so that they know they are capable of winning against strong opponent.
Of course, Ryo himself is not impenetrable to self-doubt. I myself got to witness a chink in his armor after he had started the 2025 Dortmund Regional Championship with a record of (1-3), having lost three matches in a row before the start of round 5. Instead of joining his friends as usual, Ryo disappeared for a few minutes. After he returned, once more full of energy, he again encouraged his friends to do their best in the next round. At the end of the day, I asked him what had happened in those five minutes. He told me he had utilized a trick that one of his former coaches, 2023 Charlotte Regional Champion Justin Carris, had taught him. “He told me to put on some headphones, sit in a corner and listen to my favorite song,” he explained to me. The little habit worked; Ryo went on the win the remaining four rounds of the tournament.
Not only is Ryo a good Pokémon player, but he is also a pillar of his community. Whether it be by increasing the games visibility through his activity on social media, bringing a positive energy to Regionals, or organizing in his local scene. Without players like him VGC would not be able to flourish.
Ryo is a VGC player from South Tyrol, Italy. Currently he lives in Graz, Austria, where he is the driving force behind many of the local tournaments. He is also the co-captain of his eSports team, Alpensee eSports e.V.
Alpensee eSports e.V. 