There are many ways to cheat in competitions. But this player of the Pokémon trading card game really went all out to outsmart his competitors.
What was the competition about? In the Pokémon trading card game, there are local tournaments called League Cups. Here, players can earn points to qualify for the annual Pokémon World Championship.
To keep the competition fair, there are specific rules for such tournaments:
- A deck list must be submitted before the game.
- The card deck will be checked before the game.
- An incorrect deck (for example, one with a missing card) can lead to penalties, such as a loss.
The Pokémon World Championship is taking place in Hawaii this year:
Yummy, game card!
At a League Cup at the end of last year, a player apparently wanted to secure victory in an unfair way. This was reported by a participant in the competition, PuppyDuels, on X:
Someone at this competition just ate the Nowhere Vacuum Cleaner [a game card] of his opponent and called a judge for a deck check.
This all came about as follows: This player called the judges to check something in his opponent’s deck. Apparently, he was hoping that the opponent had a wrong card in the deck.
But even while the judges were discussing among themselves, he took the initiative. He reached for the controversial card and simply ate it. After that, he demanded a check of the opponent’s deck again. This was indeed incorrect, as it contained one card too few.
His approach also seemed relatively safe:
If he had put the card in his pocket, the judges could have just searched his pockets for the missing card. But if you eat the card, where’s the proof? Who would be crazy enough to do something like that? What sounds more credible: The opponent has an incorrect deck or someone ate the card?
PuppyDuels, via X
Did the cheating work? After the strange incident, the round was still played regularly. Despite his full-body effort, the cheating card eater lost, which is why his offense was probably not pursued further.
Connor Pedersen wrote about it (via X): “The judges probably thought that the constipation this player will suffer is penalty enough.”
Where’s the evidence?
On X, many demanded proof of the incredible occurrences. PuppyDuels wrote:
You’re all crazy if you’re asking for proof via DM. What should I do? X-ray my stomach?
But even the victim of the bizarre act, Jared Burgon, confirms the truth of the statements: “True.” (via X)
What are the reactions? Overall, the story is causing a lot of astonishment and amusement. Users on X write:
- “Okay, did this really happen? If so, that’s probably the funniest way to cheat I’ve ever heard.” (Connor Pedersen)
- “Omg, this is terrible, but at the same time so damn funny LMAO” (AYONE)
- “Wasn’t this filmed or something? I really want to see that” (delty)
Whether this really happened or not – the concept is certainly very amusing.
Another player caused a stir at the recently held North American Pokémon International Championships (NAIC). Due to an incident, some are now calling for punishment of a participant: At the Pokémon championship, a trainer is accused of insulting his opponent – But it could also be because he is Italian
