To VGC players, it’s no secret that The Pokémon Company International has had issues keeping up with its ever-increasing competitive player base. In the most recent Worlds held in Japan, the straw broke the metaphorical camel’s back. Top players are demanding change in how TPCi organizes its events. 

James Baek was one of those players who voiced their frustration on Twitter. “...it was an absolute disaster. Possibly one of the worst-managed World Championships ever held from a player's perspective.” As a top 4 finalist in the two Worlds prior, he is not known as a complainer when it comes to the Play Pokémon events. James waited over several hours to get into the venue. All while the heat was blazing in 90+ degree weather.

Wolfe Glick, former World Champion and perhaps one of the most well-known people in the VGC, expressed his concerns with the heat in a recent video. “I have never been so sweaty in my entire life…” said Wolfe. “There was a point where I was in Japan where I got outside in…a quick downpour. I got totally soaked, and I came back to change clothes and the clothes that had been soaked in the rain were less wet than the clothes that I had worn the day prior.”

James had arrived at the venue at 8:45 a.m. on the morning of Worlds and was denied entry in the competitor line. He was redirected to the spectator line where he was denied entry again. “I tried to explain to them what had happened, but they couldn't really understand English, so I was forced to look for the way in myself.” 

The back and forth between lines took at least another 25 minutes, after several hours of waiting in the blistering heat to get in. Other players as well as James' performance were harmed as a result of the stress from the heat and confusion. Where time for food and sleep is also a factor.

James later confirmed that this was not a Japan region issue, but an issue of the organization of TPCi. “While I was in Japan, I was fortunate enough to visit other huge events like Comiket and Summer Sonic. The organizational issues that plagued Worlds were nonexistent there. Lines moved quickly and smoothly, informative maps were on display both physically and online, and there were even ways to beat the heat like spray showers and signs for guidance. Worlds lacked any of these simple solutions.” This puts the blame in part on the Play Pokémon circuit of TPCi, as communication could have been better handled.

Not only did this affect him, but many players including James did not get their promo card. Forcing them to get back in line once more to get the coveted Paradise Resort card. To put these cards in context, these promo cards sell for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars each year after worlds. These current cards are selling for around $400 on eBay as of the time of writing.

“If Worlds ends up being a total organizational disaster like this one was, I honestly might consider not competing anymore,” said James Baek. “I still love playing competitive and Worlds is usually an amazing event but the next one needs to improve drastically for the competitors.”

Emilio Forbes, a 2018 finalist for Worlds also took to Twitter to express frustration with the rulings for disconnected matches. “I'm never playing this game ever again.” threatened Emilio.
“We had to play sudden death as a result, I genuinely cannot believe the incompetence of the play Pokémoncircuit and its rulings.” 

Sudden Death in Pokémon VGC for those who don’t know, is a format that is played usually only in cases of disconnects. This is because Pokémon games as a whole are unable to recreate a game state if something happens to the game. In sudden death, if a turn ends with a player having one more Pokémon available than the other, they are claimed as the victor. This is a big deal because most teams aren’t built with this in mind. For example, players who have a Urshifu on their team are at a major advantage. Its ability allows it to hit through moves that should protect a Pokémon from being hit, allowing for an early KO.

Thankfully, as of September 11th, sudden death is no longer a forced-upon scenario in the event of a disconnect. The Pokemon Company has made it so that in the event of a disconnect, a judge may use their own discretion on how to deal with the issue. Whether it be an attempted recreation of the battle or a complete rematch. It’s good to know that TPCi is paying attention to some of these issues.

See Devon Corp’s previous article on how major tournaments are constantly hitting capacity at low numbers. With Championship Point kickers not being met, and a large CP requirement preventing some players from being able to earn their invite to Worlds.

With so many issues holding the VGC scene back, it’s a wonder if The Pokémon Company will be more prepared going forward. If not, they risk stunting an ever-growing community of individuals craving to be the very best.

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