Italian Pokemon TCG player says he is permanently banned from Play! Pokemon
Alessandro Cremascoli said the ban notice arrived before the Play! Pokemon Nice Regional, and The Pokemon Company has not commented.
Italian Pokemon Trading Card Game player Alessandro "iCaterpie" Cremascoli said he has been permanently banned from future Play! Pokemon events, according to gamerant.com. Cremascoli said on October 16 that he received the ban notice before traveling to the Play! Pokemon Nice Regional tournament in France.
Cremascoli said the ban followed a social media complaint in which he alleged unfair treatment by a Pokemon TCG judge. He said the incident he complained about occurred at the 2026 Pokemon World Championships in San Francisco, and that he deleted the complaint six hours after posting it.
The Pokemon Company has not publicly commented on the ban. Pokemon TCG content creator JenTCG said naming the judge was the likely reason for the ban.
The ban controversy comes as The Pokemon Company prepares its next set. Pokemon TCG: Mega Evolution — Delta Reign is set to launch worldwide on Friday, November 6 with more than 135 cards, and pre-release events begin Saturday, October 24 at participating card shops.
Earlier sanctions at Worlds
At the 2026 Pokemon World Championships in San Francisco, three Italian VGC players had their passes confiscated at the Pokemon Center after a line-cutting incident and were effectively barred from the event. Scalpers have also been straining Pokemon TCG inventories in 2026.
Quick answers
Who is the Italian Pokemon TCG player banned from Play! Pokemon events?
Alessandro Cremascoli, known as "iCaterpie", said he was permanently banned and that he received the notice before the Play! Pokemon Nice Regional in France.
Has The Pokemon Company commented on the ban?
No. The Pokemon Company has not publicly commented on the ban.
When does Pokemon TCG: Mega Evolution — Delta Reign launch?
The set launches worldwide on Friday, November 6 with more than 135 cards. Pre-release events start Saturday, October 24 at participating card shops.