NAIC 2026 Results: James Kowalski Wins With Lillie's Clefairy ex at New Orleans
The 2026 North America International Championship (NAIC) took place June 10, 2026 in New Orleans, drawing 3,752 players — one of the largest Pokemon TCG events in recent history. James Kowalski produced the biggest upset of the competitive year, winning with a rogue Lillie\'s Clefairy ex build that almost nobody saw coming.
NAIC 2026 — Top 8 Results
| Finish | Player | Country | Deck |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 🏆 | James Kowalski | USA | Lillie's Clefairy ex |
| 2nd | Neddy Kosek | USA | Dragapult / Dusknoir |
| 3rd | — | — | Dragapult variant |
| 4th | Ross Cawthon | USA | Slowking / Seek Inspiration |
| 5th | Rahul Reddy | USA | Crustle / Mysterious Rock Inn |
| 6th | Jon Webb | USA | Dragapult / Blaziken ex |
| 7th | Juho Kallama | Finland | Rocket's Mewtwo ex |
| 8th | — | — | Dragapult variant |
Notable additional placements: Tord Reklev (Norway) — 10th (N\'s Zoroark ex) | Connor Cockerham — 23rd (Lillie\'s Clefairy ex)
The Winning Deck: James Kowalski's Lillie's Clefairy ex
Kowalski\'s build was unconventional in the extreme. Standard Lillie\'s Clefairy lists typically run conservative counts. Kowalski did the opposite — maxing every important Pokemon line to create a deck with near-impossible consistency.
Full NAIC 2026 1st Place Decklist
| Card | Count |
|---|---|
| Mega Kangaskhan ex | 4 |
| Meowth ex | 4 |
| Lillie's Clefairy ex | 4 |
| Latias ex | 3 |
| Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex | 2 |
| Fezandipiti ex | 2 |
| Moltres | 1 |
| Chien-Pao | 1 |
| Koraidon ex | 1 |
| Crispin | 4 |
| Boss's Orders | 3 |
| Ultra Ball | 4 |
| Dusk Ball | 4 ← Key innovation |
| Wondrous Patch | 3 |
| Lillie's Pearl | 2 |
| Area Zero Underdepths | 4 ← Full count |
The innovation: 4x Dusk Ball (which grabs any benched or evolved Pokemon) combined with maxed Pokemon lines and 4x Area Zero Underdepths Stadium. The result: Kowalski always found what he needed, and the deck performed as Dragapult ex\'s hardest counter.
Why Lillie's Clefairy Beats Dragapult ex
Dragapult ex\'s power comes from spreading damage across the bench and using Dusknoir\'s Sinister Hand to redirect it. Lillie\'s Clefairy ex neutralizes this approach — it attacks with what Latias ex powers up, specifically handling the Dragapult matchup by removing bench exposure and using Pokemon-EX mechanics that sidestep Phantom Dive\'s spread.
Kowalski designed the deck specifically for the June meta — if Dragapult is 49% of the field, a dedicated Dragapult counter has massive equity at a large tournament.
Other Notable NAIC Stories
Rahul Reddy's Crustle — 5th Place
Reddy has become the face of Crustle in 2026, reaching 2nd at Indianapolis Regional and 5th at NAIC with the same archetype. Crustle\'s Mysterious Rock Inn makes it immune to all Pokemon ex attacks — in a format where every top deck is ex-based, this is a serious advantage.
Juho Kallama's Rocket's Mewtwo ex — 7th Place (Finland)
An international spotlight: Finland\'s Kallama reached 7th running the Team Rocket-themed Mewtwo archetype. Rocket\'s Mewtwo ex is still a fringe deck with just 1.04% meta share, making this a notable overperformance.
Ross Cawthon's Slowking — 4th Place
A veteran name in Pokemon TCG, Cawthon piloted Slowking / Seek Inspiration to 4th — continuing the trend of control-oriented strategies placing above expectation at high-stakes events.
NAIC\'s Impact on Card Prices
Kowalski\'s win sent Lillie\'s Clefairy ex SIR (Special Illustration Rare, 280/217 from Ascended Heroes) to approximately $205. Area Zero Underdepths saw immediate buy-out pressure as a 4-of in the champion\'s list. Latias ex also climbed in demand.
Cards to watch heading into Worlds: any counter to Dragapult ex will spike if it places well in remaining Regionals.
Worlds 2026 Preview — San Francisco, August 28-30
The season culminates at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The key question: can a second player successfully target Dragapult ex at Worlds the way Kowalski did at NAIC, or will Dragapult pilots adapt their lists?
Key players qualified for Worlds: James Kowalski, Cerys Jones, Andrew Hedrick, Rahul Reddy, Tord Reklev, Ross Cawthon, Juho Kallama, Noah Sakadjian, Truwin Tran, Seinosuke Shiokawa, Tatsuki Akagi, Edwyn Mesman.
Find These Cards on TCGFomo
Browse Lillie\'s Clefairy ex, Dragapult ex, Dusknoir, Crustle from Destined Rivals, and all the NAIC 2026 staples on TCGFomo. Track prices in real time as Worlds prep begins.
