Pro Pokémon player permanently banned from official events after bomb threat ‘meme’

Many competitive Pokémon players around the world have been banned from official events over the past year for hacking, but the most recent ban involves a bomb threat that, according to the player, was intended to be a joke.

On Feb. 14, pro VGC player Alex Soto announced in a tweet that he has been permanently banned from Play! Pokémon events due to “threats made online.” The threat in question was a bomb threat, which was only meant to be a joke, according to Soto. The player apologized and went on to explain it’s a common Spanish “meme” but acknowledged how others could misinterpret it. 

Soto is a top player from Europe known for piloting Trick Room teams with Pokémon like Indeedee and Armarouge. He’s been a finalist at several regional tournaments and also streams on Twitch while offering coaching for fellow VGC players. 

With such a huge presence in the VGC community, many other players showed their support for Soto following the announcement of his permanent ban. This included top players like 2023 North America International champ Alex Gomez, 2018 world champ Paul Ruiz, and 2022 world champ Eduardo Cunha.

Many players like pro player Guillermo Kasty also believe a permanent ban was too harsh a punishment for something that was supposed to be taken as a joke, especially when Soto has played a role in the growth of the VGC scene. Soto, too, hopes the punishment can be reduced from a permanent ban so that he can continue to compete in the game he loves.

All hope is not lost for Soto yet, though. Last month, Gavin Michaels, the 2023 Oceania International champ, revealed his permanent ban was reduced to a one-year suspension after an appeal. Michaels had been banned for the promotion of hacking but expressed relief that he’d be able to compete again in the future. Promoting hacking and bomb threat jokes are two completely different issues, though, so only time will tell if Soto will ever be able to continue competing at official events.

Regardless of the outcome, this ban serves as a reminder for VGC players and members of the community to be mindful of the kinds of jokes they make. It seems more and more players have been either disqualified or banned since the 2023 World Championships (mostly for the use of Pokémon that fail hack checks), so it’s clear The Pokémon Company International is buckling down on its rules.