Every month, several more or less local and not-so-local judges meet in my area (Frankfurt Main, Germany) in a restaurant for a nice evening. We’re usually around 8 awesome people willing to share stories from life and tournaments of recent. This meeting is not a judge conference with a previously set schedule or presentations. We simply meet, and since we’re all judges, it happens that we also discuss and talk about judging stuff.
To share ideas and that we give not only to us, but everybody else too, the opportunity to improve, I make notes about the topics and write about the meeting regularly.
This is my report from the latest meeting in February.
The topics from past week in a certain order:
1. Forgotten Dictate of Kruphix trigger
2. Sideboard Notes and Artistic Alterations
3. Asking for advice at Prerelease deckbuilding
Outside Notes at Prerelease deckbuilding
4. Tracking Storm
and Turn
and Courser of Kruphix
5. Frustrated Player
6. Glyph of Reincarnation in multiplayer
Unless specified, we assumed Competitive REL.
1 . Forgotten Dictate of Kruphix trigger
Aaron controls Dictate of Kruphix. It’s his turn, he untaps, draws one card for his turn and ponders for a while about what to do next. After a pause, his eyes catch his own Dictate of Kruphix. He tells his opponent that he’ll draw for the trigger, his opponent objects.
The judge determines that the player indeed forgot about the trigger. Yet, no game action was done that’d indicate that the game has moved beyond the point of the triggered ability. Aaron forgot his trigger, yes. Aaron didn’t miss his trigger however. He may resolve the ability now, no infraction occured.
2. Sideboard Notes and Artistic Alterations
Aaron literally wrote “vs. Goblins but not Merfolk” on his Sideboard Engineered Plague. He also wrote “Name Primeval Titan” on his Sideboard Memoricide.
Are these “artistic modifications” you might allow?
The intent of these alterations is to have some strategic advice available during the game. You may look at your sideboard during the game, but not notes from outside the game. Since the notes are literal notes just put onto cards, we do not count it as artistic modifications and will very unlikely allow it.
Artistic modifications are generally allowed so players can personalize their deck, not to circumvent rules about outside notes.
3. Asking for advice at Prerelease deckbuilding
Outside Notes at Prerelease deckbuilding
At a Prerelease, Aaron asks Boris if he should play Kill Shot or Smite the Monstrous in his Sealed deck. Boris answers and all this is legal, because it’s especially allowed and encouraged for Prereleases.
Charly brings a 8 pages set review by his favorite professional player and wants to consult it during the deckbuilding process of the same event. Is he allowed to?
Dorian does not speak the language in which the Prerelease cards are printed. For example, he could be a US soldier currently in Germany. He brings a gatherer Visual Spoiler with all the cards in English, so he can understand the cards and consults it during the deckbuilding process. Is he allowed to?
We were split on this topic, so I can’t write what solution we came to. At events of Competitive REL, the case is pretty clear. Regular REL events have a different policy, which is why Aaron can talk to his friend easily. Does that policy also allow to bring (excessive/any) notes to deckbuilding? Please share your opinion in comments!
4. Tracking Storm
and Turn
and Courser of Kruphix
Andre plays a Storm deck. He played several spells, correctly announced his mana upon passing priority and now is waiting for the OK to resolve a Wheel of Fortune. His opponent Norman has a Flusterstorm in his hand, knows that Andre has 10 mana in his pool and wonders if his Flusterstorm is enough to counter that Wheel of Fortune. He asks Andre “What is the current Stormcount?” to which Andre does not want to reply.
We agree that Andre does have to at least account for his own spells. For example, he can say “I cast Mox Pearl, Brainstorm, Gitaxian Probe, Thoughtseize, Seething Song and Wheel of Fortune and nothing else.”. He is not responsible to inform about the Impulse and Force Spike of Norman.
Andre is now playing Legacy. Since he was manascrewed on just a single Plains, he lost track of what turn it is. He finally draws his second Plains, so he reaches out to his opponent and asks “What turn is it?”. He wants to know if he can cast Serra Avenger now or if he has to wait another turn.
We agree that Norman has to truthfully reply to this, although I don’t recall the reason for it. Anyone has objections to this?
Andre is now playing Standard. He controls Courser of Kruphix with a Bronze Sable on top of his library, revealed to all players. Norman destroys the Courser of Kruphix with Hero’s Downfall, Andre hides the top card of his library. Norman untaps and tries to remember what used to be revealed by Courser. Does Andre have to tell him “there’s definitely a Bronze Sable on top” ?
No he doesnt. Because the library is a hidden zone and players can say anything (or nothing) about Private Information like this.
5. Frustrated Player
An upset player asks you “What?!? There’s a rule against being upset?”
“No, but against how you show it.”
6. Glyph of Reincarnation in multiplayer
Each players graveyard has 3 Scathe Zombies.
Aaron is playing multiplayer. He controls Charly’s Wall of Stone with Ray of Command. It blocks the attacking Grizzly Bear that’s part of a band with Benalish Hero (owned by C, controlled by Brandon through Control Magic). In mainphase 2, Dorian casts Glyph of Reincarnation targetting Charly’s Wall of Stone. What happens during the resolution of the Glyph?
Well, we agreed we don’t care! And it really doesn’t matter. We moved to playing Judge Tower at that point.
As a reminder, here’s the topics we discussed:
1 . Forgotten Dictate of Kruphix trigger
2. Sideboard Notes and Artistic Alterations
3. Asking for advice at Prerelease deckbuilding
Outside Notes at Prerelease deckbuilding
4. Tracking Storm
and Turn
and Courser of Kruphix
5. Frustrated Player
6. Glyph of Reincarnation in multiplayer