VGC 2018 Update: TPCI to change turn timer to an "8 Mississippi count"

San Francisco, CA - In a rule update published earlier this morning, TPCI has announced a change to the turn timer for all VGC 2018 events. Rather than using a chess timer like in VGC 2017, VGC 2018 will instead use an "8 Mississippi count" to enforce the turn timer. In the post, the organizer of VGC competitions for TPCI stated "We felt that the old system using a chess timer was too complicated and led to too many long battles. This new system is far simpler. If your opponent can say '1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi...' etc all the way up to 8 Mississippi before you finish your turn, then you will be given a game loss, it's as simple as that!"

This change has been met with mixed emotions from VGC players. Some, such as Timothy S. from PA, welcome the change. Tim wrote in a youtube comment "I really like this change, I'm not very good at pokemon, but I can say Mississippi really fast so this change should give me a bit of an advantage." Others, such as Matthew P from Alaska are not so welcoming of the change. Matthew posted his feelings in a 18 tweet long twitter thread and said "This is ridiculous on so many levels, they are taking the skill out of pokemon away and making the game more about the timer. Plus this system is totally unfair to people with speech impediments and non-americans who do not routinely say the word 'Mississippi' in sentences such as 'Well our state may be bad, but at least we aren't Mississippi!'. Furthermore, I fear that this change will lead to people cheating and saying 'Miss Hippie' instead of 'Mississippi' as it is much faster to say.".

Matthew, however, added that he still prefers this system to the VGC 2017 timer, "That thing was a disaster!" he exclaimed.