One of the more common penalties given out at competitive and professional events is Tournament Error – Marked Cards. This penalty covers when a judge notices markings of any kind in a players deck. We train judges to not be overly picky when looking for markings, as virtually all cards and sleeves are marked in some way, But that does not mean that you as a player cannot also check your deck to make sure you are ‘safe.’

Some of the things to look out for are creases in sleeves, bent corners, warping due to foils, or overall wear from play and or aggressive shuffling. Issues with sleeves can be corrected by you as long as you have extra sleeves. Be mindful when swapping just one or two sleeves though, as the new sleeve may stand out as being less worn. Some bent or warped cards can also be corrected by bending them back or shuffling in a different way.

The normal penalty for marked cards is a warning. However the head judge of an event can upgrade this penalty to a game loss if it is felt that a player noticing individual marks or a pattern of markings could compromise a game.