Pokemon Worlds Trading Card Game Competitor Allegedly Disqualified for Cheating

A TCG player participating in the 2024 Pokemon World Championships has reportedly been disqualified after a video surfaced online showing them cheating by manipulating cards during the game to be used at a later time.

In a video posted on X by @asagi07214545, the player is seen shuffling their deck before placing a card from their discard pile onto their lap. However, the player was disqualified during a separate match in the tournament, though the reason for their disqualification remains unknown.

PLAYER CAUGHT CHEATING IN 4K at THE POKÉMON TCG WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS! https://t.co/GPRrV2BJQt

— Christian | SneakerTalk (@SneakerTalkCA) August 17, 2024

Immediately, viewers were eager to identify the player in the video, leaving a comment with the question, “Which round was this?”They also provided additional information, mentioning that the footage was taken at table “859”and emphasizing that the time should be easy to find.

During a match, another player remarked, “I’m guessing it was this game,”while displaying a match between Luke Parkes and Carlos Eduardo Ruiz. In response, a reader shared a link to an article showing a later outcome for Ruiz, which suggested that they had been disqualified.

The community’s main concern stemmed from the fact that Ruiz was playing on a professor mat, leading them to speculate that they could be collaborating with The Pokemon Company as a professor. This assumption was fueled by the knowledge that these volunteers are responsible for ensuring fair gameplay and enforcing the rules.

A comment left under the video stated, “If this man truly is a professor, he is not upholding our community’s values as a Pokemon Professor. What a disgrace.”Another comment then suggests that if the player is indeed a professor, they should receive a lifetime ban.

“Several other players expressed their disappointment, stating, “This is exactly why I choose not to participate in the game.”They went on to elaborate, “Just imagine putting in the effort to travel and compete in these events, only to discover that you were defeated by someone like this.”

Although there has been no official statement from Ruiz, a Pokemon TCG collective known as El Calabozo Coleccionables in Mexico, which appears to have had Ruiz as a member, has issued a Facebook post condemning his actions and cutting ties with him.

Despite the official rankings not being fully published, Eduardo Ruiz’s name appears on the Pokemon TCG Worlds leaderboard. However, it is unclear if they have been disqualified as there is no indication.