Whether you’re at your local FNM or playing on the Pro Tour, mistakes will happen. And while there are a few people who might try to take advantage of mistakes by cheating, it’s unlikely that the average mistake is the result of trying to cheat.

There are a couple reasons why a mistake might happen. Maybe the player is playing an unfamiliar deck or playing against unusual cards that they don’t know about. Or maybe they’ve been playing Magic for the last eight hours and they’re just exhausted. Or maybe the player just misunderstood the rules and thought what they were doing was legal, when it was in fact not legal.

The point is, just because your opponent made an error that could be interpreted as them cheating does not mean they were actually cheating. If there’s some confusion or misplay, always feel free to call for the judge and explain to them what happened. That’s what judges are there for: to investigate situations and help clear up any confusion. There’s the possibility that your opponent made the mistake intentionally, trying to slip one by, but it’s also possible that they simply didn’t know and made a mistake, and the judge will help take care of that.

Today’s Tournament Tip written by Nathan Long