At a Standard PTQ, Amun casts a Celestial Purge on Nefertiti’s Vexing Devil; as the spell resolves, Nefertiti puts the Vexing Devil in her graveyard. Amun activates Gideon Jura‘s third ability, turning him into a creature, then attacks with Gideon and all his other creatures.
Nefertiti casts a Tragic Slip, targeting Gideon Jura. Now they both realize that the Vexing Devil is in the graveyard instead of in exile, and they call a Judge. After some investigation it is determined it was an honest mistake.
What is the infraction, penalty, and fix (if any)?
Judges, feel free to discuss this scenario here!
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The infraction committed is a Game Rule Violation. Vexing Devil should have been put into exile, not into the graveyard; because the effect that caused the infraction is controlled by Amun, but the illegal action is taken by Nefertiti, they both receive a Warning for Game Play Error – Game Rule Violation.
Backing up is something the Head Judge can decide to do, but is not an ideal solution. A lot of decisions have been made since the error occured (activate Gideon Jura, attack with everything, cast Tragic Slip) and backing up would probably affect the course of the game.
When not backing up (which isn’t perfect either), we don’t apply any kind of partial fixes, but the IPG provides 4 exceptions to this rule, the relevant one says: “If an object is in the wrong zone, and it is within a turn cycle of the error, put the permanent in the correct zone.” Vexing Devil should be put into exile from the graveyard.
Now, if Tragic Slip resolves, it checks whether a creature has died this turn. Although Vexing Devil was put into a graveyard, it didn’t technically die, it just was put there accidentally. So Morbid does not apply and Tragic Slip only gives Gideon -1/-1 until end of turn.
So, what is our final verdict? There are situations like these that don’t have a clear best way to handle them! You as Head Judge should decide on the spot whether you want to back up or apply a partial fix. Use your judgment, that’s what you are a Judge for. Consensus was also reached among the Knowledge Pool team; most of us would not back up, because of the number of decisions that have affected the game.
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