Howdy folks! I want to ruminate on some of the issues that could arise during GP San Jose, this most unique of formats. For those of you not in the know, GPs San Jose (coming soon, October 13-14, 2012 ) and Utrecht (March 16-17, 2013) will be Team Sealed. You and two of your friends will form a team, make three decks out of twelve packs, and will play against other teams in a no-holds-barred struggle for victory, over a long, grueling two day affair. And the judges who will help you do so will have a few more things to worry about than normal. Let’s dive in, shall we?
Let’s go over what the MTR has to say about team events. I will only be hitting a few points here, but I hope that you all go re-read MTR section , Team Tournament Rules, before the event. But in the meantime, see below!
From section 8.2, Team Composition and Identification:
Teams must designate player positions during tournament registration. For example, in a three-player team tournament, each team must designate who is player A, player B, and player C. Players retain these designations throughout the entire tournament.
When two teams are paired against each other during the course of a tournament, the team members designated as player A play against each other, the team members designated as player B play against each other, and so on.
So Andy, Bob, and Chuck are Team Awesomesauce. They sign Andy up as Player A, Bob as Player B, and Chuck as Player C. Round one, they are paired against Team Weaksauce. Arthur is Player A, Blob is Player B, and Crankor is Player C. Andy plays Arthur, Bob plays Blob, and Chuck plays Crankor.
Let’s throw a wrench in to this! Midway through the round, it is revealed that Andy is playing Crankor, Bob is playing Arthur, and Chuck is playing Blob. Oh no! What do we do? DQ them all? Close, but we can do better.
First of all, let’s look at the wording on Tardiness. Definition: “A player fails to comply with announced time limits.” Philosophy: “Players are responsible for being on time and in the correct seat for their matches, and for completing registrations in a timely manner.”
Okay, so we’re in Tardiness territory, here. We have to try to determine who is sitting where, who should be sitting where, and then see who is not where they are supposed to be, and issue Tardiness penalties as appropriate.
Who is sitting in the right seat? This question depends on the seats being numbered not only by table, but by player designation. If the tables are lettered as well as numbered, we can track down people who are not sitting where they should be. If the tables are not lettered, and are just numbered, well, shame on everyone.
Let’s assume that the tables are lettered. Players who are not in the correct seats will be given Tardiness penalties. If ten minutes have gone by, that results in a Match Loss for all those in the wrong seats. If less than ten minutes have gone by, they receive a Game Loss. Get them in the correct seats, issue time extensions, and continue.
Now, let’s complicate things. Let’s say there is no “correct” seat, as the players don’t have assigned seats. They are supposed to find and confirm that their opponents are correct before they begin play. While you might look at this and scoff, it’s not outside the realm of possibility. For a smaller event in particular, the hope might be to get match slips out before players start (a stretch, I know, but bear with me), and so they could use that to verify opponents. Unlikely as it may be, it bears consideration.
So. Things are all jumbled up. There are no official seats. What do you do? This is also pretty cut and dry. Have less than ten minutes gone by? If so, game loss everyone who is playing the wrong opponent and straighten them out. If more than ten minutes have gone by, match loss those playing the wrong opponent. Can we match loss both players? Yes we can. Neither of them wins their match. For figuring out which teams wins or loses, consider it as though the double match loss was a draw.
I find the above outcome unlikely. We want to avoid this kind of hassle as much as possible. We want people to play Magic, have fun, and not screw this kind of thing up. I would be very surprised if there wasn’t an official seating policy, along with table lettering, as well as multiple verbal reminders before and during the event about the importance of verifying that you are playing the correct opponent.
I think I’ve thrashed this topic about the head and ears enough. In part two, I will be discussing the Team Communication Rules and the Unified Deck Construction Rules.