A card shop in Oregon has temporarily pulled the plug on its Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments after complaints over one issue that has become something of an infamous stereotype in competitive trading card circles — bad hygiene.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Chronos Games & Gifts has gone viral after announcing it would suspend its weekly Yu-Gi-Oh events for an entire week following a string of customer complaints and negative reviews tied to the smell of some players and the condition of the shop’s toilets, IGN reports.
The independently owned gaming store, based in Beaverton, said it had reached a breaking point.
In a statement shared to its public Discord channel, the shop directly addressed the problem.
“We have had issues with people mistreating the restrooms and multiple bad reviews because of poor hygiene. As a reminder, we encourage players to follow Konami guidelines and report anyone who does not.”
It’s a blunt move, but one that has sparked a wave of support online — and it’s reignited a long-running conversation within trading card communities about personal hygiene at tournaments.
For many outside that world, it might sound ridiculous.
But for competitive Yu-Gi-Oh players, it’s not a new issue.
Back in 2019, Konami introduced formal hygiene rules for official Yu-Gi-Oh tournament play, effectively making cleanliness part of the competitive rulebook.
The official tournament guide leaves little room for interpretation.
“You are expected to be clean when you enter a tournament,” the guide states.
“Neglecting to wash or put on clean clothes contributes to an unpleasant atmosphere at the event, as the tournament can be crowded and the day can be long.”
The rules go even further, warning players that failing to look after themselves can result in disciplinary action.
“Persons who neglect self-care to the point that they are negatively impacting the tournament may be asked to correct the issue to continue in the event.”
That means body odour can, in some cases, literally get you penalised.
And in the case of Chronos Games & Gifts, it appears the issue had become impossible to ignore.
According to the store, the hygiene complaints weren’t isolated incidents.
They had reportedly received multiple bad reviews from attendees, while staff were also dealing with repeated problems involving the condition of their restroom facilities.
Rather than letting it continue, the shop chose to pause the entire Yu-Gi-Oh schedule for a week.
It’s a decision many players have praised.
In trading card communities, hygiene policies have increasingly become part of the wider tournament conversation as events continue to grow larger and more crowded.
Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments, particularly at local level, can often involve players spending entire days inside packed venues, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder for hours.
That makes cleanliness more than just courtesy — it becomes part of maintaining the environment.
And Yu-Gi-Oh isn’t the only card game taking it seriously.
In 2025, organisers behind Nebraska’s Play! Pokémon community issued a similar reminder to competitors, pointing them back to official hygiene policies inside the Pokémon Tournament Rules Handbook.
Those rules are equally direct.
“Individuals are also required to maintain a socially acceptable level of hygiene during the event,” the handbook says.
It also outlines that players can be told to leave and clean themselves up before returning.
“Depending on the attire or level of hygiene, the Tournament Organizer may allow for a tournament participant to change or update their personal hygiene and attire and return to the venue.”
And if they refuse?
“If a participant refuses to comply with tournament staff’s requests, this is grounds for removal from the tournament and venue, and the participant must relinquish their badge to tournament staff.”
It’s a level of regulation that might seem unusual in most hobbies.
But for card shops trying to balance welcoming communities with practical realities, it’s increasingly seen as necessary.
Chronos Games’ move has now put that issue back in the spotlight.
So, if you’re planning to duel for the heart of the cards, you might want to shower first.
Featured image credit: Pexels/Erik Mclean/Jovan Vasiljević (free to use)
