Today’s Tournament Tip comes to you from Pro Tour Dragon’s Maze, courtesy of Deadbridge Chant. Specifically, the word “random” in that enchantment’s rules text, beloved of Johnnies, derided by Spikes, and often a headache for judges.

While I make sure to bring a bag of d20s with me to all tournaments, not all Magic players are as nerdy as I, and it can be discomforting to find yourself having to reckon with a ten-card graveyard and only a box of six-siders. In that case, one technique you can use is to split up the graveyard into smaller piles, then roll a die to determine which pile to choose from. Dividing in halves is the easiest, but you can also divide into three piles (use 1+2, 3+4, 5+6 on the die to choose a pile) or five piles (re-roll on a six). Just make sure you keep the same number of cards in each pile, then roll the die again once you’ve randomly isolated a pile that is smaller than the number of sides on your die, so a random card can finally be chosen by rolling the die again.

Note that in Legacy, Commander, and Vintage, graveyard order must be maintained during this process, so keep that in mind.

While many players will turn the cards face-down, shuffle them around, and pick one, this has the potential to be less than random if either player is able to track the position of any card. A standard die roll is truly random and avoids any chance of shenanigans.

Today’s Tournament Tip written by Jen Wong