24
votes
Accepted
Why is there no ruling to offset Mandatory Loops?
There is no reasonable way to eliminate all mandatory loops, so this rule would still be needed for loops that can't be eliminated. For simplicity, it's better to just have the one rule.
The biggest ...
- 80.9k
14
votes
Why is there no ruling to offset Mandatory Loops?
The rule is necessary. Limiting purely mandatory loops to a certain number of repetitions is impractical, especially for paper Magic, and it is potentially game-distorting.
Magic the Gathering is ...
- 50.7k
13
votes
Accepted
How did Andrea Mengucci receive a game loss for incorrectly registering his card on arena?
The player (Andrea Mengucci) wrote a wrong card to his decklist after the draft. This constitutes as a decklist problem. The fact that the tournament is partly played on MTG Arena, doesn't matter here....
- 1,912
12
votes
Accepted
What happens if I lose a match due to time in a single-elimination game, but I have a Platinum Angel on the battlefield?
First a small disclaimer: I'm not a judge. This answer is combined from information I found from Platinum Angel's rulings, comments of MTG judges from the Internet and common sense. For example a head ...
- 1,912
11
votes
How did Andrea Mengucci receive a game loss for incorrectly registering his card on arena?
Andrea Mengucci clarified this on his twitter just a few minutes ago:
People at home. I don’t have 2 Archon of Sun’s Grace. I have 2 of the uncommon Archon. That was the mistake in deck ...
- 24.5k
11
votes
Accepted
In what category of information are timestamps?
There is a simple answer here that resolves all of the conflicts: timestamps are free information if and only if it makes a difference to the current game state. Otherwise, it is private.
The Magic ...
- 80.9k
10
votes
What number is so large that one would never wish to have named a larger number?
There isn't one.
The question you're asking is a bit like asking this:
My friend and I can both eat infinite numbers of hotdogs. What number of hotdogs do I have to eat such that my friend can't then ...
- 24.5k
10
votes
Accepted
Adam Logan vs. Ben Schoenbrun (2023 Canadian Scrabble Classic): where can JUN be placed?
Looks like it's in the top right, hooking onto PI to make PIN.
His opponent would responding with SIJO on the top row over the triple word score.
- 299
9
votes
Accepted
How are bridge hands chosen, at top tournaments? What's the motive?
All bridge players "know" that the hands are cooked. They all have their own ideas how. Each person's ideas are different. They're all wrong. Mostly this is because humans, and bridge ...
- 2,548
9
votes
Accepted
What actions constitute passing priority?
I disagree with the ruling made by the floor judge. I also disagree with upgrading the penalty to a warning.
Ruling
First, let's get some terminology down:
You are the controller of the trigger.
I ...
- 13.7k
8
votes
Accepted
Are players permitted to resolve errors between themselves, without involving a judge?
As far as I can tell, there is no specific rule in the tournament rules that requires a player to call a judge when a rule is broken. All it says is that a player is responsible for
Calling ...
- 80.9k
6
votes
Accepted
What requires MTG players to remind their opponents of “may” parts of effects?
The Magic Judge Blog version of that IPG section has a more detailed description of why those examples are problematic:
In each of these examples, a player takes an action or fails to take an ...
- 80.9k
4
votes
What activity is there in Computer Go tournaments?
The Computer Go Server1 is currently a very active test bed for bots. The Computer Go page at Sensei’s Library refers, under Competitions, to various competitions including the Computer Go Server, ...
- 1,358
4
votes
Accepted
In Magic: the Gathering, how often on average do the top players make day 2 of a tournament?
I asked professional player Raphael Levy and he said platinum-level pros win about 65% of their matches at this level (it drops to 60% at pro tour level). To reach day 2 one needs 7-2 or better, and ...
- 13.1k
4
votes
Can I look up the text of my foreign cards on my phone in MTG tournaments?
At Regular REL, you might get permission from the Judge, at any higher REL it is forbidden.
2.12 Electronic Devices
At Competitive and Professional Rules Enforcement Level
during drafting, deck ...
- 907
4
votes
Can anyone tell me who Mr. Suitcase is?
Unfortunately, there was never any one person known as Mr. Suitcase. Mr. Suitcase is old-school slang for someone with a lot of cards. More likely than not this was just some random guy who was kind ...
4
votes
Accepted
Brackets for tournament in a three player game
It's virtually identical to 2-player games, except there are two "loser" brackets instead of one, and an extra game could be needed because you can get into a situation where everyone lost twice.
...
- 47.6k
4
votes
Accepted
Missed State-Triggered Abilities
This situation is so narrow and unusual that it is not addressed by the Infraction Procedure Guide, and the handling would be up to the judge's discretion.
State-triggered abilities are unusual, and ...
- 80.9k
3
votes
Accepted
What should I prepare for a Star Wars X-Wing tournament?
According to the current X-Wing Tournament Regulations (as of now, that's Version 1.2.1, effective November 1, 2016), you must have the following items:
Ship models
Bases
Pegs
Pilot cards (all from ...
- 1,057
3
votes
What should I prepare for a Star Wars X-Wing tournament?
UPDATE: So I finished my first tournament last Saturday (1:3 W:L, Place 9 out of 14). Here is my experience regarding the things I brought:
Too much copies of the build, three are enough (one for the ...
- 183
3
votes
What board and card games have full-time professional players?
Duplicate bridge certainly has full-time professional players who earn their living playing, although most of them are also teachers, and play with students for pay. There at least used to be ...
- 1,197
3
votes
Accepted
Intentionally Not Announcing Triggered Abilities Until Just Before They Would Be Considered Missed
This would not qualify as cheating.
In the example, Tower of War's Exalted trigger creates a continuous effect that modifies Bear Cub's power and toughness. These are not visible changes, so they are ...
- 80.9k
3
votes
What number is so large that one would never wish to have named a larger number?
There isn't a specific number that generally applies, or a way to phrase it, other than "high enough".
Assuming player B has a non-infinite combo which they will fire after/in response to ...
- 9,156
3
votes
Accepted
What number is so large that one would never wish to have named a larger number?
There is no number in general
While there are really big numbers, most of those are likely not allowed under tournament rules because they cannot be explained to the average opponent in a reasonable ...
- 17.9k
2
votes
Accepted
In what way are cards simultaneously milled by multiple players?
It is option 1.
Rule 101.4 is what governs this:
101.4. If multiple players would make choices and/or take actions at the same time, the active player (the player whose turn it is) makes any choices ...
- 74.2k
2
votes
Accepted
Additional Official Rule Sources For Monopoly
I have found this Monopoly World Championship rulebook and accompanying FAQ. I am unclear on whether or not this was written or endorsed by Hasbro, but these rules seem as good as any until a more ...
- 155
2
votes
What board and card games have full-time professional players?
I won't give a list since a list will keep changing. Rather, I'll give a method to find these games.
Go to https://www.twitch.tv/, which is the most popular platform used by streamers to stream ...
- 13.1k
2
votes
What board and card games have full-time professional players?
There are a number of Magic: the Gathering players who derive all their income from the game, whether that be:
A direct contract from Wizards of the Coast, given to the players with the best ...
- 10.2k
2
votes
Which tournament format best emphasizes winning (as opposed to avoiding last place)?
In researching a scoring system for our own tournaments I modified the latest F1 scoring system (2015).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Formula_One_World_Championship_points_scoring_systems#...
- 121
2
votes
How do I create an account with Wizards of the Coast if I have a very old DCI number without activation code?
The website http://wizards.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2301/=1
Actually answers this question, but not quite obvious.
It says numbers shorter than 10 digits have been converted and that you ...
- 211
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible