“There’s got to be some flexibility here”: DQ’d player calls out power imbalance after Pokémon judges’ decisions continue

As a member of the FGC, I am familiar with “going out,” when a player celebrates a victory on stage. It’s become a form of self-expression and passion in games like Super Smash Bros., but it’s apparently been a source of non-stop drama in the Pokémon esports crowd since the Orlando Regional Championships.

Pokémon GO player, Aaron “Firestar73,” was given a penalty after winning the Grand Finals when he jumped and threw his fist in the air. This penalty made him win. Now, he’s sharing exactly what happened – and what needs to happen going forward.

Firestar73 was very nervous going into day 2, but the games went well all day. It was the first time that he was guaranteed to enter the Top 3.

Before the Grand Finals, Firestar73 was still nervous. He admitted that he was “nervous” when he went up to do the interview before the game. It was a tough fight, he was able to reset the bracket 3-1. However, when he asked the judges to take a break between sets to calm down, they refused.

The back and forth continued. The judges gave Firestar73 a warning for “two light table hits,” which happened when he was feeling frustrated during the match. Note that this is not a warning given to other players who have done this. It was 2-2 and we are going to the last game. It was another tough battle, but his team won.

“As soon as Quagire fainted, I knew it was game over, as I was going to win the first charge attack with Empoleon over Corviknight and take the victory,” he wrote. “I just punched a few seconds before the final match was won, which was shaking the table without me knowing because my body was connected to it. a lot less (also proven by the video). Touch the stream for one second. This did not affect the game in any way for me or my opponent – again, this is evident in the video. “

After winning Game 5, he “celebrated” by throwing his headphones down and standing up to face the crowd. He punched and then shook his opponent’s hand. After catching his breath and hugging his Jirachi plushie, Firestar73 was told that the game win was “in dispute” due to “unsportsmanlike conduct” in Game 5.

He says: “I was very surprised, I went back when I saw this happening in front of me.”

He waited a long time to hear what happened, about an hour. The judge ended up going to him with the second place award. Some of the judges came to him afterwards to talk to him, but this was already after the verdict was finalised. Firestar73 added that it was never clearly stated that his actions had a negative impact on the game.

Firestar73’s rival, NiteTimeClasher, disagreed with the decision and went so far as to call him the “Orlando Regional Champion.” Many workers also said they did not agree with the decision. Tens of thousands of support tickets have been submitted about the issue, Firestar73 said, but nothing has been done.

Now, Firestar73 argues that there should be more democracy in the way decisions are made in Pokémon tournaments. I have to agree. Since the Chief Justice makes the final decision – without considering any other judges or listening to any parties – this gives him the greatest power in a given situation. Their own perspective basically controls the narrative.

I remember similar situations happening back when I was heavily involved in the competitive Pokémon TCG scene. There were always stories of Chief Justices making shocking decisions, from fraud charges to ethics violations. Recently, Makani Tran was kicked out of the competition for upsetting a non-binary judge who accused Tran of laughing when asked about her pronouns.

If Tran really was making fun of the concept of pronouns, I wouldn’t be opposed to being retracted myself. But I am very concerned that the judge is letting personal feelings cloud his judgment. After the competition, Tran explained that he was laughing because he forgot what the third pronoun was and then panicked. He suspects that the judge said to him: “I’m passing by them, don’t be a criminal about it.”

The judge ended up disrupting Tran’s game and disqualifying him for violating the inclusive policy and making someone feel unsafe and uncomfortable. He was not allowed to appeal the termination. He was not allowed to explain himself.

He wrote: “I have never been treated so unfairly and I just got such an opportunity because of something I didn’t do and did. The judge said that although he believed I had no bad intentions, it didn’t matter because in the end someone was upset and upset.”

Also: If Tran was actually laughing in the judge’s face, that’s one thing. But we really don’t know if that is true or not. Instead of a group of judges ruling on the situation after hearing both sides, we just see a young player being overruled because of the feelings of that one judge.

That should not be allowed.

In the 2025 Milwaukee Regional, Lorenzo Arce was ejected during a 5-0 shutout because the umpire believed he was receiving signals from someone in the crowd. He can be seen nodding on live radio, but most in the public are not convinced that this was some form of communication with a member of the crowd. At the time, someone accused the judge of being “on a power trip.” The Head Judge also awarded Lorenzo’s three opponents a first-round win, disrupting the entire bracket. It was necessary to be more specific about the judge’s decision.

Judges must discuss these charges and harsh penalties before handing them down. And they should talk to the player and other stakeholders to get all sides of the story before making a final decision. The player must also be able to file a complaint.

Not every decision will go in the opponent’s favor, of course. But they should have a chance to explain themselves.

Super Smash Bros. Melee pro Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma heavily invested in the Firestar73 release. Not only does the circuit take place in his hometown of Orlando, but Hungrybox is known for his very emotional pop-offs. This includes throwing a chair and even passing. You really felt for Firestar73, who celebrated after a very difficult and challenging final.

“I’m known as one of the biggest celebrants after a clutch win,” Hungrybox said. “I think pop-offs and festivals are some of the most important things that we should never discourage anyone from.”

He revealed another pop-off issue at the Pittsburgh Regional in 2026. While we were celebrating, a card fell into Abaan Ahmed’s deck. He entered the final with one card missing, which caused the judge to stop the match suddenly.

“Strange situations that you might think would have little coincidences,” Hungrybox says, noting that they can be easily fixed. “It seems strange to end one’s whole day with such a small thing.

The Pokémon Company publicly defended the judge, although this was after the tournament had wrapped up. Although they say they support the celebrations, they do not support actions that “could have a negative impact on fair competition.” However, it is unclear how the pop-off actually affected the game. As Firestar73 says, there is no evidence that the game has been compromised in any way.

Currently, Firestar73 is not the official champion of the Orlando Regional. However, he has competed in nearly 10 Pokémon events since then. It’s good that this situation hasn’t killed his interest in competing. But we can’t ignore the ongoing questionable decisions from the Pokémon judges.

As Hungrybox said, there has to be some kind of nuance. Someone losing an entire tournament due to shaking the table is a strange decision. Not allowing the teenager to talk about his actions before removing him from the area is a strange decision.

Something to think about before the Pokémon region in Los Angeles. I’ll be there, but it’s amazing to see competitors treated so badly and treated like this when the competitive community is already quite small.