Yuuya Watanabe is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering professional and was recently caught cheating with apparently marked cards. Severe consequences followed.
What happened? The Japanese Magic: The Gathering player and former world champion Yuuya Watanabe was disqualified during the Mythic Championship 2 . The judges of the game found upon checking the card decks that some sleeves of his land cards were marked.
This refers to the “real” card game and not the computer game version.
A Thorough Investigation
What did the investigation reveal? The Magic Pro League (MPL) conducted a thorough investigation of the situation. The card sleeves were examined multiple times by several judges and tournament officials.
In addition, recordings of games from the Mythic Championship II and past tournaments were reviewed, as well as testimonies from judges. In the end, it was decided that it was indeed cheating.
What consequences does Yuuya Watanabe face now? In a statement, it was announced that the professional is banned from officially sanctioned events for a period of 30 months and will be removed from both the MPL and the Magic Hall of Fame.
What do the player and his sponsor say? Yuuya Watanabe continues to insist that he does not know what happened to his cards.
His sponsor, Team Cygames, stated before the ban that they firmly believe in
Watanabe’s innocence.
The Case of a Popular Player
What does this judgment mean? Magic developers Wizards of the Coast and the
Magic Pro League emphasize through the judgment that they are absolutely convinced that Watanabe cheated. This also sends a signal that cheating comes with severe penalties.
Could further consequences follow? Now that the player has officially received a penalty for cheating, it is quite conceivable that he will also have to look for a new sponsor.
What do the fans think? Magic fans and fans of Yuuya Watanabe are still horrified. However, the community also appreciates the emphasis on fairness.
Roswulf summarizes it well on Reddit: “What happened is terrible, and one should not celebrate that Yuuya Watanabe was banned. But I am also glad that those responsible behind Magic: The Gathering take cheating so seriously.”
