One of the more frustrating problems that players face is when they start the game off on the wrong foot–by failing to draw the right opening hand. It is easy to just go on “autopilot” and draw 7 after a mulligan, or maybe they draw 8 because the cards stuck together, or maybe they just miscounted and ended up with the wrong number. So, what do you do about it?
At your local event, this is no big deal; it happens. Just fix the problem! Here’s how. First, make sure you know how many cards they are supposed to have in their hand. Then, adjust the card count accordingly. If there are too few in their hand, have them draw up to the proper number. If there are too many, pick cards at random from their hand until they have the right number; shuffle those extra cards into their deck. They can now continue to mulligan, or move on and play the game!
What about at a competitive event like a PTQ or Grand Prix Trial? It turns out, the fix is fairly similar, yet it has 2 crucial differences. First, the similarity: If they don’t have enough cards, they draw the number they need in order to complete their opening hand. Next, the differences: They take what may be thought of as a “quick mulligan” and receive a warning for the infraction; in Judge Lingo, it’s called “Improper Drawing at Start of Game.” The warning is clear enough, but what about the “quick mulligan”? How does this work, and why?
A chance at a good opening hand–whether simply a free shuffle or a shot at keeping an extra land–can provide an advantage. To educate and offset this chance (and to discourage a player from trying to get away with this intentionally), the player will end up with a hand one card smaller than they were supposed to have. If they have 7 but were supposed to have 6, they will have 5 after you finish picking random cards. If they have 6 but were supposed to have 5, they will have 4 after you finish picking random cards. And so on. As before, the random cards get shuffled into the player’s library and the player may continue to mulligan.
Whether at Regular REL or Competitive REL, the fix ends up being very quick and intuitive–just what you want for a common error!
Today’s Tournament Tip written by
David Hibbs, Level 3 judge from League City, TX