Pokemon TCG 2023 World Champion accused of cheating at US tournament
PokemonOne Pokemon TCG World Champion has been accused of cheating while they participated in the Portland Regional Championships, but not all fans are convinced it was on purpose.
Footage of 2023 Pokemon TCG World Champion Vance Kelley allegedly cheating has been circulating on social media and fans are flocking to share their opinions on the blunder. In the video, Kelley appears to make an illegal move which some have dubbed as “cheating.”
During the live battle between Kelley and Hugar, commentators got word that “Vance accidentally put a Power Tablet back in his deck,” which could not have been be recovered by Mew’s Psychic Leap. After a discussion, the judges then deliberated between themselves before awarding Hugar the match.
World Champion’s illegal blunder
Sharing the footage on X, Pokemon TCG World invitee Brennan W noticed Kelly’s odd behavior after putting Power Tablet back in his deck along with Mew. He reveals that Kelley “begins to look nervous” after making the mistake, forcing the player to “want to give Vance the benefit of the doubt.” However, they also dub it as “unbelievable” proving just how split the community really is.
Pokemon TCG fans were not impressed with the incident, with one fan commenting “Damn dude straight cheated on stream and didn’t get DQ’d that’s crazy”.
Nevertheless, some players jumped to Kelley’s defense explaining how they “talked with Vance at the airport. He said he was just playing too fast because there was not a lot of time left. Made a mistake.”
The event forms part of a series of qualifying tournaments for a chance to compete at the 2024 Pokemon World Championships. The prize fund for which stands at 2 million dollars.
Given the high stakes and speed expected from players, the mistake was seen by many as a “sloppy mistake but understandable”.
No solidified verdict has been given by the judges or the players themselves, so it’s all down to the fans to decipher if they think Vance was cheating or just made a grave error that cost him the match.
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