NashVGC, one of Korea's top Pokémon players, cannot compete owing to his disqualification from the Trainer's Cup in June. Learn more about NashVGC's elimination, its implications, and the possible impact on the tournament structure at TPC Korea.
Disqualified Players Barred from Competing
Kitakami Prologue Competition
NashVGC, one of the best players in the Korean Pokemon gaming community, voiced his disappointment in a tweet on October 2nd of not being able to participate in the Kitakami Prologue, a double fight competition using the Kitakami Pokedex. This development seems to be a consequence from his disqualification from the Trainers Cup Final Masters division last June.
In the Trainer's Cup Final Masters division, four players, including Nash, purposefully locked in teams that only understood the move Metronome
in protest against The Pokemon Company Korea's management of the tournament series. The players expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of in-person events, frequent faults with the tour system, disregard of younger divisions, and insufficient compensation for the problems caused by their system.
The Protest and its Aftermath
The protest was a strong statement, meant to call attention to what was considered disrespectful to the players' interests. It was a show of rebellion against what Nash and his coworkers perceived as a lack of respect for the Pokemon community. Unfortunately, this daring move led to the event's termination and the disqualification of the four participants.
The cancellation and disqualification caused an uproar within the Pokemon community. Several competitors came together to support Nash and his teammates, voicing their opinions on TPC Korea's poor management of the tournament series. The issue revealed a rising sense of public dissatisfaction with the way Pokemon tournaments were run.
It seems NashVGC cannot compete in any official Pokemon tournaments due to the unresolved difficulties with TPC Korea. This covers both offline and online activities, like the newly publicized Kitakami Prologue.
Uncertain Future for TPC Korea
There is a lot of attention on what changes TPC Korea will make in response to this occurrence. The Pokemon community's attention does, however, put a lot of pressure on TPC Korea to respond to the issues Nash and his colleagues brought up.
The expulsion of NashVGC from Pokemon competitions and his consequent ineligibility to future events is a clear reminder of the conflicts that can develop between players and tournament directors. The precedent on how TPC Korea handled the tournament series may impact how competitive Pokemon gaming develops in Korea in the future.
