As we head into Pro Tour Lille and the National Championship season, it’s a great chance to brush up on some of the tournament aspects of Flesh and Blood rules and policy to make sure you have the best experience possible. Today, we’ll go over four of the more common tournament infractions you may encounter throughout your Flesh and Blood journey and some guidelines on how to tackle them.
Tardiness
At most tournaments, pairings are called and there is a brief period of time to look up your table and make your way there to be seated. After players have had some time to be seated, the start of the round is announced and you may begin play. If you are not at your designated table, and the judge can not see you making your way there, you are considered tardy and receive an IP3 (at competitive you have up to 3 minutes after the round starts to be seated before being issued an IP3). If you are more than 10 minutes tardy to the table, the penalty is increased to a match loss. If you do not report to a judge or the scorekeeper before the end of the round, then you'll be dropped from the tournament to prevent you from being paired in future rounds. It's the responsibility of the player to make sure they're present and ready to play when the round starts so that the tournament rounds can progress without delay. Occasionally we might find ourselves stretched for time, especially when there are few chances for a break in swiss rounds.
- Plan ahead. Look at the schedule for the day and plan out what you need in advance. Food, drinks, deodorant, warmer (or cooler) clothes, and anything you think you might need on the tournament floor so you don't have to leave the venue during the swiss round portion of the day and risk missing the start of a round, or an announcement involving your participation. Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
- Use your spare time wisely. In most tournaments, there are no designated breaks between rounds. When you finish a round before the time expires, check the time and plan that time accordingly: getting a drink, something to eat, or even just a quick walk outside to refresh your mind. Don't wait until just before a round begins to tend to your needs, act early to ensure you have time to spare before the round.
- If you’re late to a match, make sure the judge or scorekeeper knows. If you intend to continue competing in the tournament (despite a match loss from being tardy) the judges and ideally the scorekeeper should be aware not to drop you from the tournament. The tournament staff are not responsible for chasing up players who don’t show up, so it’s up to you to make sure you'll continue playing.
Slow Play
Slow play is a very subjective infraction. Players are expected to proceed the game at a reasonable pace to ensure that their opponents also have time to make their in-game decisions within the round time, or in order to complete the game within a reasonable timeframe. Sometimes, even the best players may find themselves overthinking an action or they may just be being lost in the moment, causing their opponent or a judge to remind them to play at a reasonable pace. Alternatively, you may find yourself on the other side of the infraction, looking at the clock and waiting for your opponent to make their decision. Here are some tips for dealing with slow play:
- Remind yourself that not every long turn is slow play. There are some critical moments where decisions can be immediately game-winning (or losing) and taking your time in these situations to consider edge cases and niche probabilities are a respectable part of the game. If your opponent is taking a long time to act, try to understand why they are taking so long before deciding to ask them to play more urgently or before calling a judge.
- Be diplomatic in reminding the opponent to play at a faster pace. Slow play can often be addressed with a quick reminder between the players without a judge. It’s important to be polite when addressing the issue, and not to blame, discourage, or escalate the situation.
- “Do you mind if we play a little faster so we can finish before the end of the round?”
- “We don’t have much time left in the round, shall we both play a bit quicker to make sure we finish in time?”
- Call a judge sooner rather than later. If it is clear that the opponent is taking an unreasonable amount of time to consider their actions, call a judge earlier in the game, rather than later. Slow play is not penalized on the first call alone and the judge will not award any additional time, but by calling a judge earlier the opponent is more likely to correct their behavior and save you time in your match. If the slow play continues, the judge will have the record to start escalating the procedures and penalties for slow play.
- Remain calm when asked to play faster. Being asked by an opponent or a judge to play fast can make some players feel uneasy. It’s important to remain calm and remember that you do not have to make every future action in record time, but that you should be mindful of the time you spend thinking about your actions. You still have the right to continue playing at a reasonable pace and you are not required to play faster just to make up for any lost time.
Decklist and Deck Contents Error
Decklists are required at tournaments so that there is a record of what a player is committed to playing. When a player has an incorrect decklist or their cards do not match the decklist they've provided, it opens up the opportunity to exploit the game by using cards other than what the player intended to play (which may gain them an advantage). You are responsible for ensuring that the decklist you submit correctly represents what you're intending to play and that the contents of your deckbox (or container) contain exactly those cards (and related material).
- Prepare to have your deck (and related materials) in a single container. If you have a container for your deck and materials, ensure that you do not store unrelated cards, decks, or other tournament materials in the same container. This is to ensure that those additions are not confused with the deck, and so you won’t get penalized when presenting your deck to be checked.
- Plan to store unrelated cards somewhere else. If you plan to buy, trade, or pick up cards at the tournament, have a plan for where you will store them while you're competing. The rules and policy allow for promotional materials for that tournament to be stored with your deck (as long as it is not sleeved like your deck), but do not account for any additional cards you might pick up. Even a simple empty card-sleeves box is enough to ensure that those cards are distinguished from your deck, in case of a deck check.
- Double-check your decklist. It’s obvious but it's very common that players to make a last-second change to their decklist without looking at the whole list and checking if the final result is legal for the tournament. A good way to do this is to pair up with a friend or fellow player and check each other’s decklists before the event beings.
Marked Cards
Marked cards is one of the most common infractions that occur at competitive and professional level play. Cards are required to be indistinguishable from each other when face down in a pile (like in the deck) to ensure that neither player can gain information from identifying any of those cards. Players are responsible for ensuring that the cards they use at the tournament are not considered marked. Marked or damaged sleeves, different colors or patterns on the sleeves, or cards being significantly warped are all contributors to a card being marked in the deck. Marks can often be subtle, but can significantly affect the integrity of the game if abused making it a serious infraction. Here are some tips to ensuring that your deck is unmarked and fit for play:
- If you notice your own marked cards during a game, call a judge immediately. By acknowledging your own marked cards during a game (before an opponent or a judge), you are less likely to have gained a significant advantage and the judge call will be taken into account for any penalties you receive.
- Shuffle your empty sleeves before sleeving. Not all sleeves are made alike and even the same product of sleeves in different packs can have small but noticeable differences. Shuffling the empty sleeves helps to prevent cards from being sleeved in a pattern, especially if these differences become more noticeable after sleeving.
- Check your sleeves between rounds or between days of a tournament. Sleeves are prone to wear and tear. A quick visual inspection, while you’re waiting for the pairings of the next round, can ensure that your sleeves are still in top condition. Look for splits, bent corners, and frayed edges, which are all common wear and tear patterns that can occur.
- Avoid mixing foil and non-foil cards. The foiling process makes some cards more susceptible to warping in certain environments, and mixing foil and non-foil cards in a deck can lead to cards being considered marked if the warping is severe enough. This is especially relevant if only a certain card (or set of cards) that would give a significant advantage is considered marked due to the foiling.
- Ask the head judge to proxy one-off cards. Some one-off marked cards, such as legendary or fabled cards that have warped due to their foil finish, may not have non-foil alternatives or it would be unreasonable to require the player to acquire a non-foil alternative for their deck. Approach the head judge BEFORE the tournament to get one or more of your marked cards proxied for the duration of the tournament. The head judge is responsible for determining if a card should be proxied in line with the tournament rules and policy.
- If in doubt, ask a judge. A judge can help identify if there are any issues regarding your deck and determine what cards (if any) need to be re-sleeved or replaced in order not to be considered marked. A proactive approach is great if you have legitimate concerns about your deck being marked, judges are there to help facilitate the games of the tournament, not to punish you for your mistakes.