Abaan Ahmend’s victory celebration during a Pokémon Trading Card Game against Calvin Connor cost him his next match at a Regional Championship after he accidentally lost a Munkidori card during his excitement.
It happened during a late-stage feature match when the player discovered his deck contained only 59 cards instead of the required 60. After calling a judge, tournament officials reviewed broadcast footage to solve the mystery.
The video revealed what happened. In the previous round, Abaan celebrated his win by throwing off his headset. The enthusiastic gesture knocked his Munkidori card onto Calvin’s play area. Calvin who was already eliminated from the tournament, accidentally scooped up the stray card while packing his belongings.
Under official Play! Pokémon rules, presenting a deck with fewer than 60 cards results in an automatic game loss once the match begins. The judges had no choice but to enforce the penalty.
Regional Championships are high-stakes events where players compete for cash prizes and qualification points for the World Championships. Tournament rules at this level are strictly enforced to maintain competitive integrity. Judges cannot allow players to add missing cards or restart games once they’ve begun.
The ruling meant the player started his best-of-three match down 0-1. According to broadcast commentary, he faced an already unfavorable matchup. Rather than attempt a comeback under time pressure, he chose to concede the entire match.
The previous opponent who took the card had multiple copies of the same card in different sleeves. It was clearly an accident that didn’t affect any future matches since that player was already out of the tournament.
This incident highlights why experienced players always count their decks between rounds. Many use a technique called pile shuffling to verify they have exactly 60 cards before presenting their deck. It’s a simple habit that prevents costly mistakes.
