Getty Image / John Keeble
The 2024 Pokémon TCG World Championships in Honolulu took place over the weekend with Chilean Pokémon player Fernando Cifuentes taking down the Masters division, American Evan Pavelski winning the Senior division, and Sakuya Ota of Japan winning the Junior division.
But the 2024 Pokémon TCG World Championships weren’t without controversy as top player Ian Robb, competing in the Masters division (16 and older), was handed a loss (basically a DQ) after winning his match against eventual champion Fernando Cifuentes. Robb was DQ’d after the win due to a vulgar gesture following his match where, as some claim, he appears to ‘shake the dice’ as is done in the game but others see the move as something much more vulgar.
You can watch and decide for yourself if he was simply mimicking the innocent dice roll which takes place in the game or if this was in fact an intentional vulgar gesture which led to him being handed a loss after beating the eventual Masters division champion:
Ian Robb, el competidor contra el que originalmente Fernando Cifuentes perdió fue descalificado por este gesto.
— Centro Pokémon (@CentroPokemon) August 18, 2024
The reason I point out that this could have been him simply mimicking a dice roll, as many are claiming, is because (1) it is such a minor and insignificant gesture it boggles the mind that it would have led to his ejection if it was vulgar and (2) the gesture itself is subjective enough that it seems insane for the judges to definitively say one way or the other whether this was a vulgar gesture or a dice roll.
Normally in an instance like this good sportsmanship would dictate that calling Fernando Cifuentes’ win into question was poor form but in this case, he had lost the match to Ian Robb fair and square. Cifuentes was only handed the Quarterfinals win due to the judges deeming Robb’s gesture vulgar. Fernando Cifuentes then went on to win the Masters division at the 2024 Pokémon TCG World Championships, the top prize in Pokémon TCG.
According to a statement obtained from The Pokemon Company International by Comicbook.com, the official reason for Ian Robb being handed a loss after beating Fernando Cifuentes is “unsportsmanlike conduct.”
Major Money To Be Won At The Pokémon TGC World Championships
Not to be lost in all of this is the money lost. First place at the Pokémon TCG World Championships won $25,000, Second place earned $15,000, 3rd and 4th place $7,500, and 5th-8th place earned $5,000. The 2024 Pokémon TCG World Championships were held in Honolulu, Hawaii which is an exorbitantly expensive trip for most people so that prize money would have gone a long way in covering the costs of the trip.
Was it a full disqualification?
According to the official 2024 Pokémon TCG World Championships results, Ian Robb finished in 7th place. So it wasn’t a full disqualification. Instead, he was handed the loss despite winning. That would mean he was able to still earn $5,000 for the 7th place finish and trip to Honolulu.
It is interesting that The Pokemon Company International would opt to hand Ian Robb a loss instead of a full-blown disqualification. I haven’t had time (yet) to memorize the full Pokémon TGC rulebook for international competition but I would like to see if there’s any ambiguity in the rules which allowed them to make this judgment call versus an outright DQ.
What Are Pokemon TCG Players Saying About World Championships Scandal?
Over on X, formerly known as Twitter, there was quite the backlash to Ian Robb being handed a loss. Folks sympathized with Fernando Cifuentes being put in the situation that The Pokemon Company International put him in:
honorable thing to do would be give jesse the win but that's to much to ask. While it's 100% TPCi fault for being criminals breaking their own rules. Fernando still had a choice. Not to mention cheering after that top 4 win after getting bodied in top 8 unsportsmanlike.
— Jewishkid (@AdjustMindGames) August 18, 2024
One person on X chimed in with “Imagine doing an obscene hand gesture in a championship of one of the most known game franchise in modern history that’s rate E for everyone by proxy and believing you would not face consequences for being a dumb a– lol.”
The ‘Rated E For Everyone’ is a valid point. It’s not as if this is a game for little kids. And again, the gesture itself was subjective enough that it could’ve been forgotten and nobody would have cared or ever mentioned it again.
What do you guys think, did he get robbed of the chance to win more money in Honolulu or was the integrity of the game marred to the point that he deserved the loss and subsequent 7th place finish?