Casual Procedure Guide

Overview

For casual players at local events, the term "great games" often means friendly competition in a welcoming, lighthearted, and social environment. The casual rules enforcement level aims to provide this with an emphasis on facilitating games through education, but also keeping games relatively fair. Both players and judges are encouraged to help one another at appropriate times, and players are encouraged to solve any infractions through mutual agreement before calling for a Judge. If a Judge is not available, the role falls to the Tournament Organizer.

There are no Warnings or Intellect Penalties at the Casual REL. Minor infractions are handled by fixing the game state and educating/cautioning the player on the infraction to help prevent repeat interactions. Major infractions are handled with Game/Match Losses, or Disqualification as a last resort, to preserve the safety and the integrity of the tournament. If the event requires deck lists, provides high stakes, or the players are looking for a more competitive environment, upgrading the REL to Competitive is recommended.

Judges should continue to uphold the Judge Code of Conduct, but rule to meet the expectations of the event and the players in line with the three guiding principles. What follows are some common errors that can occur and the procedures and penalties recommended for a Casual REL tournament. The level of intervention and how a judge deviates from these recommendations depends on the environment that the Tournament Organizer wants to achieve.

Gameplay Errors

A player makes a game rules error

Most gameplay errors can be addressed by partially fixing what was illegal and letting play continue. If the error involved the player forgetting a simple action (drawing, discarding, paying a cost, putting a counter on a card), have them take that action now. Otherwise, if the error was caught immediately, rewind the game state by undoing actions taken by the players until you're at the point in the game before the error was made. If too many actions have been taken (by both players) that rewinding would be too disruptive, partially fix anything that is currently illegal within the game and let play proceed.

A player forgets a triggered effect

A triggered effect is an effect that typically starts with or contains "when", "whenever", "at the", and "the X time". A player is considered to have missed a trigger if they did not acknowledge the effect before it affected the game.

If the effect was optional (contains the word "may"), assume that the player chose not to resolve it. If neither player has made critical decisions based on the trigger not happening and the effect would not be disruptive at this point in the game, put the trigger on the stack. Otherwise, the trigger is considered completely missed, and let play proceed without it.

A player sees a card they shouldn't have seen

If the card was in the player's deck, shuffle it into a random portion of the player's deck. It is acceptable to shuffle it into only part of the deck, but you must avoid shuffling cards with known locations within the deck. If the majority of the deck is ordered (especially from pitching over several turns), or if the card wasn't in the player's deck, just reveal the card to the opponent and leave the card in the zone it was originally.

A player draws more cards than they were supposed to

If the extra cards were already known to all players, return those cards to the top of the deck. Otherwise, randomly select a card for each extra card drawn this way by the player and put them on the top of the deck.

Tournament Errors

A player has an illegal deck

First, the Judge removes any cards that shouldn't be in the deck and inserts any cards that should. Then, if the deck is below the minimum required size, insert Cracked Baubles until it reaches that size. If the error is discovered during the start of a game, any inserted cards should be shuffled into a random portion of the deck. It is acceptable to shuffle it into only part of the deck, but you must avoid shuffling cards with known locations within the deck. If the majority of the deck is ordered do not insert any cards until after the game has been completed.

A player talks with another person during a match or draft

In a more social environment communication with spectators or other players, during a match or drafting, can often be excused. Strategic communication during these times should be considered outside assistance and treated as unsporting conduct as described below.

A player turns up late for a round

• Less than 10 minutes late: give the players that much extra time to complete their match.
• 10 or more minutes late: issue them a match loss. If the player can't be found for the entire round, drop them from the tournament so the situation doesn't repeat in the next round.

Conduct Errors

A player is being unsporting

If a player is showing unsporting behavior, they may be affecting both the integrity or the enjoyment of the tournament as a whole. Unsporting behavior means the player's conduct violates the game or tournament rules of the event; this includes:

• Taking an unreasonable amount of time to make decisions within the match.
• Requesting or providing strategic assistance during a match or draft.
• Bribing or otherwise convincing an opponent to determine the match result by anything other than playing the game or Wagering on the results of a match.
• Arguing with the Judge or Tournament Organizer about a decision or the tournament in general.

Many players will commit these errors unintentionally, so the priority is to educate players and give them an opportunity to correct their actions and behavior. If it continues, reinforcing the education can be done using a Game Loss. A player who intentionally breaks these rules is considered serious misconduct.

A player commits serious misconduct

If a player irreversibly compromises the integrity of the tournament or behaves in a way that affects other people negatively, this is a serious error that should be stopped and addressed immediately; this includes:

• Behavior (physical or verbal) that makes another person feel abused, threatened, harassed, scared, belittled, or unsafe; especially aggressive or violent behavior.
• Intentionally breaking the game or tournament rules and/or lying about these rules to gain an advantage.
• Stealing from the tournament materials or another person at the venue.
• Ignoring the direct instruction of a Judge or Tournament Organizer, related to the tournament.

Efforts should be made to educate players on why these actions or behaviors are unacceptable and to de-escalate situations before serious misconduct occurs. Players who commit serious misconduct should be disqualified and may be removed from the venue at the Tournament Organizer's discretion.