I’ve gotten quite a few questions about what went down during round 16 of Pro Tour Journey Into Nyx in the match between Jamie Parke and Guillaume Wafo-tapa, and Jamie’s amazing tournament report reminded me to get this out there for those that were interested.
A few pro players spectating the match ran to us to tell us that Guillaume drew an extra card. We decided that we’d rather be safe than sorry, we paused the match to investigate. When fellow Level 5 Kevin Desprez and I got to the table, neither player had any idea what we were talking about. (Awkward.)
After some trying to figure out what happened, the number of spectators trying to tell us Guillaume drew an extra card now consisted of WotC staff, Hall of Famers, and even more pro players, so we kept pursuing this phantom card.
Reviewing the footage is both against WotC policy and not actually possible from the technical side either, so that idea was right out.
We couldn’t simply count the cards or recreate the game, as Courser of Kruphix had been in play for both players, giving them unknown quantities of extra cards from their libraries.
We gathered as much information as we could, consulting with everyone who was actually there at the table, and ultimately decided that Jamie had taken a very quick turn, doing nothing, and Guillaume’s drawn card was in fact a card he should’ve drawn for this turn.
Reviewing the replay, this looks to be the correct ruling. Jamie takes a very quick turn, with Guillaume actually shuffling through the whole thing, so that as soon as he finishes shuffling, it’s time to draw the card for his new turn.
This was, by far, one of the most awkward investigations of my career, with Courser making it impossible to recreate the game, let alone the fact that neither player even knew exactly why we paused their match. I’d like to thank Kevin and Giorgos for their help in figuring out what happened, and Jamie and Guillaume for their patience, understanding, and cooperation while we tried to sort it out.