When you cast Ponder, you look at the top 3 cards of your library, and you have the option of manipulating the order in which you would draw them. With that said, keep in mind that the cards you’re looking at are still a part of your library. Make sure that the cards in your hand are not being mingled with the cards you’re looking at with Ponder. If the cards you’re looking at end up touching the cards in your hand, they’re considered to be drawn. When resolving an effect like Ponder, the best advice is to set aside your hand face down before you begin looking at the top 3 cards of your library and go from there. Being able to differentiate your hand from your library is key to avoiding a drawing extra cards infraction.

The “Drawing Extra Cards” infraction occurs any time a player puts one or more cards into his or her hand which shouldn’t be there. This can happen if you accidentally draw an extra card for your turn or for an effect, if you put a dead creature into your hand instead of the graveyard, or if you simply have more cards in hand than you can account for.

At Competitive REL, the penalty associated with “Drawing Extra Cards” is a game loss, unless the card is uniquely identifiable (it’s still a warning in that case). At FNM, there is not a specific penalty for accidentally doing this, but the judge will put random cards from your hand on top of your library equal to the extra cards you have in your hand. And of course, if you’re doing this on purpose (at any REL), that’s Cheating and you’ll earn yourself a disqualification from the event.

Today’s Tournament Tip written by
Ronny Alvarado, Level 1 Judge from Houston, TX