{"id":3937,"date":"2018-04-03T14:00:18","date_gmt":"2018-04-03T14:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/?p=3937"},"modified":"2018-04-12T21:01:25","modified_gmt":"2018-04-12T21:01:25","slug":"missing-cards-when-infractions-collide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/2018\/04\/03\/missing-cards-when-infractions-collide\/","title":{"rendered":"Missing Cards: When Infractions Collide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><div class=\"wp-caption alignleft judgeimg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.magicjudges.org\/judges\/dci\/9209366657\"><img src=https:\/\/apps.magicjudges.org\/dci\/avatar?dci=9209366657&size=200 alt=\"Written by Joe Klopchic\"><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Written by Joe Klopchic<\/p><\/div><p><img  style='float:right'  class='lems-mtg-cardimg' src='http:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Handlers\/Image.ashx?size=small&type=card&name=Gone Missing'><\/p>I have seen countless judge calls across many tournaments stemming from one specific problem: a player realizes that their deck is missing a card. This article is going to cover several different situations where this can happen, and how they are solved according to the IPG. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I\u2019m going to break down the times during which this call occurs into three categories:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The player realizes they are missing a card while <\/span><b>not in a game.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The player or opponent realizes they are missing a card <\/span><b>during a game.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The player or opponent realizes they are missing a card <\/span><b>while the deck is presented.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Further, there are three different possible locations for the missing card:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The player <\/span><b>knows where the missing card is.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The player doesn\u2019t know where the missing card is, but <\/span><b>can find a replacement.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The player doesn\u2019t know where the missing card is, and <\/span><b>can\u2019t find a replacement.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This gives us nine different possible situations, outlined in the grid below. The rest of the article will address each of these situations.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-3985 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/Capture1-300x82.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"577\" height=\"158\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/Capture1-300x82.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/Capture1-1024x280.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/Capture1-125x34.jpg 125w, https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/Capture1.jpg 1098w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 577px) 100vw, 577px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<h2>When the player knows where the missing card is&#8230;<\/h2>\n<p><p><img  style='float:right'  class='lems-mtg-cardimg' src='http:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Handlers\/Image.ashx?size=small&type=card&name=Return to the ranks'><\/p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We can start with the easiest of the scenarios: when a missing card is discovered while not in a game, and the location of the card is known. In this case, we put the card back in the deck, and don\u2019t issue an infraction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The next scenario is where the problem is discovered during a game, and the location of the card is known. A common instance of this situation is when a card gets dropped on the floor and discovered later. This is a textbook Deck Problem. The player\u2019s deck doesn\u2019t match what they intended to play, as it is missing a card. Deck problem advises us to locate the missing cards, which we have done, and shuffle them into the unknown portion of the player\u2019s library. We\u2019ll issue the player a Warning, so we can track the penalty. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Next up, the player or opponent discovers the error while the deck is presented, and the location of the card is known. A likely example of this scenario is the opponent counting the deck, realizing there are only 59 cards, and the player discovering they sideboarded out too many cards. This is very similar to the previous situation, but we have now stepped into the upgrade territory of Deck Problem. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cUpgrade: If the deck is discovered to be incorrect while presented to the opponent for pre-game shuffling, and the missing cards are not in the opponent\u2019s deck, the penalty is a Game Loss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this case, and each other occuring during the presentation period, the penalty is a Game Loss. This upgrade path exists to discourage cheating; when a player presents their deck, they are asserting that it is legal and ready for their opponent to shuffle. The IPG preserves this opportunity for the opponent to discover an error and have it upgraded to a Game Loss. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We issue the player the Game Loss for Deck Problem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s return briefly to our chart. It now looks like this:<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-3986 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/Capture2-300x90.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"659\" height=\"198\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/Capture2-300x90.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/Capture2-1024x309.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/Capture2-125x38.jpg 125w, https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/Capture2.jpg 1098w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 659px) 100vw, 659px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>When the player can find a replacement&#8230;<\/h2>\n<p><p><img  style='float:right'  class='lems-mtg-cardimg' src='http:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Handlers\/Image.ashx?size=small&type=card&name=Azusa, Lost but Seeking'><\/p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now we move onto the scenarios where the player doesn\u2019t know where the missing card is. While I\u2019ll talk a lot about Deck Problem and Decklist Problem here, this section requires referring to another infraction entirely. Tournament Error &#8211; Tardiness gives us this guidance:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cIf, before or during a match, a player requests permission from a judge for a delay for a legitimate task, such as a bathroom break or finding replacements for missing cards, that player may have up to 10 minutes to perform that task before he or she is considered tardy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, if a player approaches a judge at the start of the round, and explains that they are missing a card from their deck, they have 10 minutes to find a replacement. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If they find a replacement, add it to their deck and issue the appropriate time extension.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If they can\u2019t find a replacement, then their decklist must be modified in order for them to continue playing in the event. Deck Problem provides us this insight: <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cIf a player is unable to locate cards (or identical equivalents) from their main deck, treat it as a Decklist Problem. If sideboard cards are missing, make a note of this, but issue no penalty.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And further referring to Decklist Problem, we arrive at: \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cA player normally receives a Game Loss if his or her decklist is altered after tournament play has begun.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cIf the deck contains too few cards, the player chooses to add any combination of cards named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain or Forest to reach the minimum number. Alter the decklist to reflect this. These changes may be reverted without penalty if the player is subsequently able to locate identical replacements to legal original cards.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The penalty in this case is a Decklist Problem, and carries a Game Loss. Allow the player to replace the missing card with an appropriate basic land of their choice, and alter the decklist to match the change.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s revisit our chart once more:<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3993 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/Step2-1-300x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"172\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/Step2-1-300x78.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/Step2-1-1024x266.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/Step2-1-125x32.jpg 125w, https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/Step2-1.jpg 1254w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2>When the player can&#8217;t find a replacement&#8230;<\/h2>\n<p><p><img  style='float:right'  class='lems-mtg-cardimg' src='http:\/\/gatherer.wizards.com\/Handlers\/Image.ashx?size=small&type=card&name=Totally Lost'><\/p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The next scenarios start to get a bit tricky. The player discovers during a game that they are missing a card, and they don\u2019t know where it is. A likely cause of this is leaving the card in a previous opponent\u2019s deck, and then searching for it during a game, and noticing it isn\u2019t there. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Similar to earlier, the player has 10 minutes to find a replacement copy. While it isn\u2019t required, I would suggest asking the player if the card is likely in a previous opponent\u2019s deck, because of similar colored sleeves, or because the previous opponent gained control of the card during the other match. A small amount of judge resources, such as asking the scorekeeper (or checking WER yourself at a small event) for the name of the last round opponent, and finding that match, provides excellent customer service here. Excess judge resources, such as sending multiple judges to search through boxes of draft leftovers for a specific uncommon, isn\u2019t advisable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If the player finds the replacement, add it to their deck and issue no penalty, but give a time extension. Notably, if they discover the error while searching their deck, they can find the replaced card with the search.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If the player can\u2019t find a replacement, then we have arrived at the same situation as we did previously. The decklist must be modified for the player to continue, and Decklist Problem instructs us to assign a Game Loss because of this. Replace the card with the requested basic, update the list, and apply the Game loss.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our final destination is the trickiest, but we have a lot of good ideas covered already, so we should be able to manage. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The player, or opponent, discovers a card is missing during the presentation period, and the location of the missing card is unknown. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We know now that the player will get 10 minutes to find a replacement. If they<em> don\u2019t find a replacement<\/em>, we follow the same logic. Game Loss for Decklist Problem, replace with a basic land, update the list.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[cets_callout_box style=&#8217;gray&#8217; align=&#8217;full&#8217; title=&#8221;] <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This situation is both a Decklist Problem and a Deck Problem. The list needs to be changed due to no replacement, so Decklist Problem provides a Game Loss. Deck Problem also requires a Game Loss because of the timing of the discovery, but the IPG tells us \u201cIf an error leads to multiple related infractions, only issue one with the most severe penalty.\u201d So we issue only one penalty. You can enter both penalties into the tournament software for tracking<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">[\/cets_callout_box]<\/span><\/p>\n<p>If the player <em>does find a replacement<\/em>, then they get to play with it. However, the error was discovered during the presentation period, and we know from earlier that this results in the Deck Problem being upgraded to a Game Loss. Replace the card, issue the Game Loss, and record the penalty.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s it! We made it through all nine situations. I\u2019ve filled in our grid with the appropriate infractions, penalties and fixes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-3994 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/comp-3-300x86.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"608\" height=\"174\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/comp-3-300x86.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/comp-3-1024x294.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/comp-3-125x36.jpg 125w, https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/comp-3.jpg 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That covers all of Competitive REL. It\u2019s worth making a quick note about Regular REL. At regular, we don\u2019t assess penalties, especially game losses, but the philosophy is exactly the same. That results in this reduced grid.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-3990 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/regular-300x65.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"508\" height=\"110\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/regular-300x65.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/regular-1024x220.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/regular-125x27.jpg 125w, https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/files\/2018\/04\/regular.jpg 1255w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 508px) 100vw, 508px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">At Regular, we aren\u2019t guided by the IPG, so no 10-minute rule applies. We should help the player attempt to find a replacement in a reasonable amount of time, and get the tournament moving. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Thanks for joining me in exploring the nuances of missing cards at a Magic tournament. Hopefully you\u2019ve learned how to handle cards being misplaced, lost, found and replaced.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week on Judge Articles, new L3 Joe Klopchic (congrats, Joe!) breaks down all the possible problems and fixes when a player&#8217;s deck is missing a card. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[278,279,280,277],"language":[180],"class_list":["post-3937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rules_regulations","tag-deck-checks","tag-deck-problems","tag-decklist-problems","tag-joe-klopchic","language-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3937"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3995,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3937\/revisions\/3995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3937"},{"taxonomy":"language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/language?post=3937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}