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General Policy<\/b><\/p>\n
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<\/p><\/b>In general, we would like that Deck\/Decklist Problems Game Loss are issued before the Top8. Indeed, these penalties are perceived as being very administrative and therefore do not ensure the greatest promotion of the game.<\/p>\n
While players may feel that a Game Loss at that stage of the tournament has much greater consequences than a Game Loss during Swiss rounds, it is important to apply the rules consistently so as to run fair tournaments.<\/p>\n
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We are well aware that, at the PPTQ or RPTQ level, the much lower amount of staff available makes it nearly impossible to verify every player’s deck legality before the Top8 starts, and some players may receive a Game Loss in the Quarter Finals because they play a deck that doesn\u2019t match their decklist.<\/p>\n
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While it ultimately remains a player\u2019s responsibility to present a deck that matches the decklist they submitted, judges are encouraged to have checked prior to the start of the Top8 that Top8 players have at some point during the Swiss portion of the event presented a deck that matched the decklist they submitted and that the decklist is legal.<\/p>\n
This way, there is no ambiguity that the player played the same deck during the Swiss portion and the top8, which negates any possibility that a player modified their deck in prevision to have a better deck for the Top8.<\/p>\n
Therefore, judges are encouraged to have deck checked all members of the Top8 prior to the start of the Top8.<\/p>\n
If achieving this goal was in the end not possible, the responsibility ultimately remains on the players\u2019 shoulders, who have nevertheless committed an infraction according to the MIPG. Again, applying penalties consistently is important to maintain the integrity of an event.<\/p>\n
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Be organized!<\/b><\/p>\n
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While Deck Checks are sometimes regarded as a boring activity, this goal goes way beyond the traditional \u201cjust do some deck checks\u201d. Achieving it is far from being easy and does require a good organization through the day.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Tracking who has been deck checked already seems to be best achieved with Standings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, since they can change a lot through Day 2, do not hesitate to take a brand new and updated copy of Standings halfway through the round to have a clearer view of who is still in contention for Top8 and hasn\u2019t been deck checked yet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Update the list every round and don\u2019t forget to check players off once they have been deck checked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Work with Others<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Day 1 Deck Check Teams<\/span><\/p>\n Your job starts from the day before! Ask them to accurately track on the decklists who they have deck checked so you have the information available on Day 2. <\/p>\n The Scorekeeper<\/span><\/p>\n Ask for Standings to keep track of who you have deck checked already<\/p>\n Also, ask for Pairings by table, which conveniently allows to see where to target midround checks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Let them know before they announce Feature Matches which players you would need to deck check. If there is video coverage at the event, they will often be able to place a different match under camera.<\/p>\n Indeed, You cannot deck check video-featured matches as this creates a lot of downtime which is bad for the online audience and puts a lot of pressure on the commentators.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another Team<\/span><\/p>\n The last two rounds can be hectic depending on how that tournament\u2019s results evolve. You might need reinforcement to be able to deck check all players. In this case, ask for another team\u2019s help and pair each of their members with one of of yours for maximum efficiency!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Focus on the correct things!<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Focus #1: Intentional Draws<\/span><\/p>\n While there officially are seven rounds to check everyone who might be playing the Top8, we know that some players will only actually play five or six rounds, since undefeated players are likely to ID as soon as they can.<\/p>\n Your efforts should be focused on these players first, so their decks have been checked before they start making Intentional Draws. Indeed, when players intentionally draw, they do not present their deck and therefore Deck Checking becomes pointless as even if they have an illegal deck, this is not an infraction.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>Keep a clear list<\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/p><\/b>From the early rounds, you want to do many deck checks, but even if you focus on the “top players”, everything can change after 6 rounds of Swiss. Even an undefeated player after Day 1 isn\u2019t guaranteed to make Top8. Nevertheless, you need to optimize your chances as much as possible, from Day 1!<\/p>\n
\nAlso, if they can deck check (at least some) undefeated players in Day 1 Round 9, that can only help.<\/p>\n<\/p> The Coverage team<\/span><\/p>\n