A Pokemon judge says he was banned from the Pokemon Professors Discord after publicly criticizing Play Pokemon’s decision to strip Firestar73 of his Orlando Regional Championships win.
The fallout from Orlando has continued to grow since Play Pokemon officially defended the ruling and said it would not reverse the Game Loss that cost Firestar73 the title. The company claimed the player had first received a Warning earlier in the bracket reset for hitting and shaking the table during gameplay, and that repeated disruptive behavior in game five led judges to escalate the penalty.
Article continues after ad
That explanation sparked immediate backlash from players and fans, with Firestar73 arguing Play Pokemon was introducing a new basis for the ruling after the fact. Now, the controversy has escalated again after a Pokemon Professor publicly sided with the player and claimed he was punished for doing so.
As a judge I’m not supposed to discuss ruling publicly.
However, I also believe that as a judge my job is to give players a fair space to compete.
If a player in a high stakes battle can lose out on thousands of dollars for shaking the table, what kind of space have we built? https://t.co/ZjYke1Bcr0 pic.twitter.com/oHU9OtwM0n
— Professor Rex🇨🇦 (@RexProfessor) April 21, 2026
Professor Rex says he joined Play Pokemon in 2023 with the goal of improving the competitive scene from the inside. Speaking during an interview with pro Smash Bros player Hungrybox, Rex said he had been one of the leading voices behind implementing Open Team Sheets and had also served as a judge at two Regional Championships.
Article continues after ad
Article continues after ad
Rex said he became a professor to “do my best to make sure that everybody who enters those Pokemon GO tournaments is getting the experience they deserve. And I genuinely do not think that was what happened in Orlando. I do not think that the judges upheld their duty to give not only the competitors, but everyone else in the community the best experience that they could.”
Professor Rex says Pokemon GO is judged under rules not built for it
Rex also argued the issue is not just one controversial ruling, but a broader mismatch between Pokemon GO and the wider Play Pokemon ruleset.
Article continues after ad
“The rules are made for the overarching Play! environment, but Pokemon GO is vastly different from the games those rules were initially made for,” he said.
He pointed to VGC, where players usually have around 30 seconds between turns to make a decision, compared to Pokemon GO’s much faster and more intense pace.
According to Rex, that makes the emotional release after a clutch win feel much closer to a fighting game than a traditional Pokemon match, which, in turn, makes bigger celebrations feel more natural.
Article continues after ad
Article continues after ad
To me, this just proves that what they want is intense celebrations, intense battles, but none of the serious stress, anxiety, and pressure that comes with competitive sports.
Should every player who has a nervous foot stamp or hand waggle be barred from high level competition? pic.twitter.com/8pSwriDDsT
— Professor Rex🇨🇦 (@RexProfessor) April 21, 2026
In his public posts, Rex said judges are generally not supposed to discuss rulings openly, but argued that “as a judge, my job is to give players a fair space to compete.” He questioned the Orlando decision by asking, “If a player in a high-stakes battle can lose out on thousands of dollars for shaking the table, what kind of space have we built?”
Rex also shared what appeared to be an internal reminder sent after Orlando warning Professors not to publicly discuss rulings from events they were not present at, and saying outside complaints about a program member’s conduct could lead to disciplinary action if they posed “a threat to our values.”
Article continues after ad
Rex then claimed he had been banned from the Pokemon Professors Discord, saying his messages about the incident had been deleted and that he expected further disciplinary action from Play Pokemon. He also directly told Firestar73 that he “deserved to win.”
Article continues after ad
Rex says head judges can be wrong and overturned
During the Hungrybox interview, Rex also pushed back on the idea that a head judge’s decision is always beyond review.
He recalled one past incident where a player was allegedly given the wrong match time by an event worker, only to be hit with a Game Loss for arriving late. Rex said he approached the head judge on the player’s behalf, but was initially told the ruling could not be changed and that any further complaint would have to go through the support portal.
Article continues after ad
I have now been banned from the Pokémon Professors Discord.
They deleted all of my messages regarding the incident. Will update everyone when I get my disciplinary email from Play!Pokemon.@Firestar73_ you deserved to win. They can’t silence me on that. https://t.co/sR79h3K4fM
— Professor Rex🇨🇦 (@RexProfessor) April 21, 2026
According to Rex, he then went directly to the event organizers, explained what happened, and helped get the ruling overturned.
The example, he argued, shows that even when a head judge presents a decision as final, that does not necessarily mean it was correct or beyond reversal. In the context of Orlando, Rex believes that matters because Firestar73’s Game Loss has been framed by some as untouchable simply because it came from the head judge.
Article continues after ad
Article continues after ad
The Orlando ruling is continuing to spiral, with criticism now coming not just from fans and competitors, but from a judge who says he joined the program to make Pokemon GO better from the inside.