2024 Pokemon Worlds TCG tournament rocked by last-minute disqualification

The entire outcome of the Pokemon TCG World Championship has been irrevocably altered after a controversial disqualification.

When it comes to the Pokemon TCG, competition doesn’t get more prestigious than the 2024 World Championship tournament. Though despite a heartwarming full-circle moment for the Honolulu-based tournament, the event has been mired in chaos.

In the early stages of the tournament, a player was disqualified for alleged cheating but the drama didn’t stop there. The finals bracket and tournament outcome have been severely disrupted by another contentious disqualification in the quarter-finals.

Despite defeating their opponent in a decisive 2-0 match, competitor Ian Robb was retroactively given a loss for what The Pokemon Company has called “unsportsmanlike conduct”. The inciting incident was a gesture made by Robb that may have been perceived as obscene by officials.

There’s debate amongst viewers as to whether or not Robb’s gesture was obscene or an inside joke based on his risky play. “He was clearly mimicking rolling dice if you actually watched the match,” a Pokemon TCG fan insisted. “People who think Ian did this as an inappropriate gesture over a dice roll/high roll/celebratory gesture are idiots,” another agreed.

Regardless of intent, the outcome of the disqualification had a major impact on the tournament results. Despite losing to Robb’s Regidrago ex deck handily, his opponent Fernando Cifuentes was moved into the semifinals after the resolution.

Cifuentes faced an undefeated Jesse Parker who made it into the semifinals by defeating a similarly structured deck to Robb’s and may have been able to pick up another victory had Robb’s win stood. Instead, he faced Cifuentes’ Iron Thorns ex deck which has an incredibly different set of strategies and weaknesses.

Cifuentes handed Parker his first and only loss of the Pokemon TCG 2024 World Championship tournament and secured a spot in the final. There, he went on to win it all in a match against Seinosuke Shiokawa.

Cifuentes’ win has split the community with many players celebrating his victory and the representation of Chile in the top cut. Others have called him a “false champion” and denounced the win as “illegitimate”.

Robb himself commented on the issue and bore no ill will towards Cifuentes. “I’m cheering for him today. After meeting him and his dad I could tell how much making cut at worlds meant,” Robb said. “He’s a deserving champion.”