With the latest policy update, there’s a major change to the Electronic Device policy for Competitive and Professional REL. It can be summed up easily: Don’t use them during matches or any other “official” times (drafts, deckbuilds, etc). Taking a brief personal call is OK in an emergency – we realize there are doctors, parents, […]
Counterfeit Concerns
There’s been a lot of speculation and worry about a rise in Chinese counterfeit cards recently. First of all, don’t panic. Despite some concerns, this is not a widespread problem, and most judges will never encounter a counterfeit card. You’re more likely to come across a player who accidentally left a sharpied proxy in his […]
Born of the Gods Policy Changes
IPG | MTR This update contains the usual assortment of minor fixes and clarifications and no major policy revisions. There are two lines – one added, one deleted – that are worth highlighting: * If two players receive Deck/Decklist penalties at the same time, they are still Game Losses (for tracking purposes), but those Game […]
J-Mo
The end of the year marks a pretty momentous occasion. Jeff Morrow is stepping down from L4 to L3. This may not mean much to many of you, since Jeff never actively sought the spotlight, but he’s been one of the most significant forces in the judge program for several years. He was the best […]
Warning Signs
I promised Scott Marshall that I’d write a piece about Scry and the game state. I did that and it was pretty boring. Turns out that once you get beyond “yes, everyone has to point it out,” “no, making it work some other way would be a gigantic can of worms” and “yes, there is […]
Theros Policy Changes – For Players and Judges
IPG | MTR Nothing to talk about this release, really, unless you are fascinated by changing terminology from “extra turns” to “additional turns” (oh, hi Medomai), or excruciating details about when a missed Obzedat trigger might resolve. It’s all tiny cleanups and no new policy. Things are good all around. Carry on having fun playing […]
M14 Policy Changes – for Players and Judges
IPG | MTR The good news is that there’s not much to talk about this quarter. Policy seems to be in a pretty healthy place. There’s only one new line in policy that’s really worth highlighting: If the player received confirmation from his or her opponent before drawing the card (including confirming the number of […]
Dragon’s Maze Policy Changes – For Judges and Players
In the modern history of Competitive Magic policy document releases, there’ve been some big changes, and there’ve been some times where there were only a few things to talk about. Then there’s today. If you’re ever going to ignore a document update, today is that day. A few words have changed here and there for […]
In the Spirit of the Season
Apparently, some people believe I have no sense of humor. Whether I’m funny or not is a matter for debate. But people figure that I’m Azorius and the Azorius have no sense of humor. That makes them 0-for-2 in that sentence alone. The general skepticism that I could be joking actually makes me a good […]
Nine Paragraphs on Overthinking Triggers
Frontline Medic swings Accompanied by two bears. Arrows of Justice The Medic dies, yes? Indestructible, judge says Overthinking it No-impact triggers Are assumed to have resolved ‘Til shown otherwise Still must resolve, though. If Bomber Corps pings Elder Can’t sac to get land? Opponent has chance. Must have capability To respond with spell Common assumption […]