Currently, the Pokémon World Championships 2024 are taking place in Honolulu, Hawaii. Only the best of the best compete against each other. To increase his chances, a player attempted to cheat. However, it ended embarrassingly for him.
What kind of tournament is this? The Pokémon World Championships are the highlight of every season. For a year, trainers can prove themselves in various championships. Those who collect enough points have the chance to compete at the World Championships for a prize pool of up to $50,000.
There are four categories in which players compete:
- Pokémon Video Game (Scarlet and Violet)
- Pokémon TCG (Trading Card Game)
- Pokémon UNITE
- Pokémon GO
Here you can see the trailer for the said event:
Caught red-handed
With a tempting prize pool of $50,000, a player likely couldn’t resist trying to help his luck. On Saturday evening, a video of a TCG player surfaced that clearly shows him cheating.
You can watch the misdeed for yourself here:
In the video, you can see the player on the left searching through his discard pile, which is always allowed. However, he then takes a card out, hides it under the table, and quietly adds it to his hand. And that is, of course, completely against the rules.
Who was the culprit? The community on X is doing quick detective work.
- The video shows table number 859.
- It must have been a match during or after round 4.
The video is believed to be from the match between Luke Parkes (UK) and Carlos Eduardo Ruiz (Mexico). And indeed, it turns out that Ruiz was later disqualified.
Whether the cheating was noticed on-site or the disqualification was only issued because of the video is currently unknown.
A sad detail
The community is particularly shocked by a small detail. Carlos Ruiz is using the playmat of a “Pokémon Professor”.
- Pokémon Professors at tournaments are volunteers who make such events possible. As referees, they are responsible for ensuring that rules are followed, among other things.
If Ruiz truly is a “Pokémon Professor”, that would only make his cheating even sadder. A user writes on X: “As a Pokémon Professor, I can say if this man is actually a professor, he does not represent the values of our community. What a shame…”
Many agree and are calling for harsh consequences:
- “Wow, if this is a professor, he should get a lifetime ban” (GoatmanO, via X)
- “There should be a rule that you can’t shuffle your deck while your opponent takes their turn, lol. This has been going on for far too long.” (D0ubl3St3P, via X)
Whether a disqualification or even a permanent ban is justified is not always so clear. At the North American Pokémon International Championships held in June, a player faced criticism for a statement. Unjustly? During the Pokémon championship, a trainer is accused of insulting his opponent – but it may also be because he is Italian.
