‘Never playing again’: Pokémon World Championship plagued by disaster, incompetence

After a horrendous first day of controversial disqualifications at the 2023 Pokémon World Championship, the event continued to fall apart during the topcut VGC matches on day two, prompting one of the best players in the world to say he’s “never playing this game ever again.”

On Aug. 12 in Yokohama, Japan, top Pokémon VGC players were fighting for their spot in the finals at Worlds. Some had to claw their way out of an intense and unforgiving day one, while others had done well enough throughout the season to automatically skip to day two.