Trainers have been exploiting a bug in Pokemon Sword and Shield to prevent them from getting legitimate losses in Ranked Battles. Now though, the Pokemon Company seems to have had enough, threatening to ban players who do it.

The exploit occurs at the end of a battle that you lost. Without divulging too many specifics in an effort to not amplify the problem, you can turn off your Nintendo Switch at a certain point to prevent the loss.

This may prevent losses for the player in question but more worryingly it actually stops the other player from getting the win. This means the exploit will in effect mean the battle never happened.


The issue has become so prevalent that the Pokemon Company decided to address it directly. This isn't really typical as other exploits aren't addressed in the same manner.

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"It has been confirmed that some players in [trainer] battles and [online] competitions have been deliberately interrupting their internet communications, resulting in improper manipulation of their match results," the post read after being translated from Japanese.

They went on to threaten players that partake in the cheat: "If it is confirmed that such illegal operations and annoying acts have been performed repeatedly, [the cheater] will be excluded from [participating in] ranked battles and Internet competitions, and the right to participate in live competitions etc."

Se han descubierto dos glitches críticos en #PokemonEspadaEscudo. El primero destruye el modo competitivo, ya que con solo apagar la consola en el momento justo después de perder un combate no perderás puntos y el rival no ganará puntos por la victoria.pic.twitter.com/uCgbCj6zhB — Centro Pokémon (@CentroPokemon) April 3, 2020


Removing a trainer's use of all internet related activities while playing Pokemon Sword and Shield was also threatened. They also promised to continually monitor any other "malicious operations" so players can enjoy the game as it was intended.

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It's disappointing some trainers decided to do this which is certainly not keeping with the spirit of Pokemon. Unfortunately with so many players traveling through the Galar region, there will always be some that are willing to do something like this.

Hopefully, those cheaters will decide to heed the Pokemon Company's warning and learn to accept a loss.