Pro Tour Qualifier - San Diego; Saturday, October 17

[Anthony Akahoshi]

Schedule

• Doors open at 9 am
• Event scheduled to start at 10 am

Entry Fee

• Pre-Registration is $25.00
• Regular registration is $30.00

Tournament Structure

The structure for Pro Tour–San Diego Qualifier tournaments will be modified Swiss-style, with the Top 8 players playing in a single-elimination format for prizes and invitation(s).

Tournament Format

The format for Pro Tour–San Diego Qualifier tournaments is Sealed Deck with a Top 8 Booster Draft.

• Sealed Deck Product: 6 Zendikar boosters per player
• Booster Draft Product: 3 Zendikar booster packs per player
• Deck lists are required
• If product is not stamped or pre-registered, deck registration and deck swap will be performed for the Swiss Sealed Deck.

Tournament Length

• Swiss rounds - 50 minutes per round
• Number of Swiss rounds based on attendance according to the following chart:
  
  

  Attendance	Number of Swiss rounds
  17 - 32	5
  33 - 64	6
  65 - 128	7
  129 - 226	8
  227 - 410	9
  411 or higher	10

Advancement

• All players may participate in all Swiss rounds.
• The top 8 players after the final Swiss round will advance to the top 8 single-elimination finals.

Top 8

• Top 8 matches will be best 2 of 3
• Top 8 matches will have no time limit
• The Top 8 players will be seated randomly at the draft table immediately prior to drafting
• Where necessary, the standings after the Swiss rounds will still be used to determine final order in the standings.

Notes

• 32K, REL: Competitive
• All Universal Tournament Rules and Magic: The Gathering Floor Rules are in effect for this event unless specifically overruled by information in this Format Document
• Players must bring pen, paper, card sleeves and appropriate counters.

Invitations, Eligibility, and Prize Money

Players already holding an invitation to Pro Tour–San Diego are prohibited from participating in any Pro Tour–San Diego Qualifiers, with the exception of Grand Prix tournaments. Players may have earned invitations through performance at a previous Pro Tour, Players Club membership level, winning a previous Qualifier or Grand Prix tournament, or by being an invited DCI player (valid upon the date of the official ratings invitation announcement for the
appropriate professional tournament).

Prizes

• Invitations to Pro Tour–San Diego (exact number of invitations determined by tournament location)
• Product prizes to be determined by the organizer
• Some Qualifiers offer airline travel. See individual schedules for details.

Registration Information

• Pre-Registration begins on Friday, October 9 at 1 pm and closes on Friday, October 16 at 6 pm.  Regular Registration begins on Friday, October 16 at 6 pm and closes on Saturday, October 17 at 9:45 am.
• Players who have general questions about the Magic: The Gathering trading card game, Wizards of the Coast LLC, the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour, DCI players’ organization, Qualifier tournaments, the Magic World Championships, National Championships, or Regionals should call Wizards of the Coast at [phone], or send email to [e-mail].

[Todd Ozawa]

Since the last major Magic tournament, there have been quite a few changes. Not only have the rules of the game been adjusted a bit (no more damage-on-the-stack, etc.), but the way tournaments are run and card interactions are handled have been modified also.

If you are serious about doing well in this PTQ, I recommend you be familiar with the Magic: The Gathering Tournament Rules and the Magic: The Gathering Infraction Procedure Guide. You can find both here:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=dci/doccenter/home

If you have any questions about how certain cards work, how the rules handle a certain situation, or about the penalty/infractions that happen at tournaments, please post them here.


Of particular note: this event is run at the Competitive Rules Enforcement Level (REL). Events like FNM and pre-releases are run under Regular REL, so players are often not used to how things are a lot 'tighter' at PTQs. Some players are a bit startled at the difference, and my best suggestion is to be prepared and ask questions before the tournament. Players in a Competitive REL event are expected to know at least 1. the rules of the game, and 2. what they can/can't do while playing in a tournament. Some things below are repeated more than once - this is deliberate.

1. Know the rules of the game.

Q: If I play Day of Judgment, will it destroy my opponent's Black Knight, which has protection from White?

Judges can't answer questions like this. Hypothetical situations, even simple ones, can inadvertently turn into coaching if a judge begins to explain things. Essentially, players are responsible for knowing the game rules. He or she must decide what to do based on his or her knowedlge of the game rules. This means that a player with a better understaning of how the cards work has an advantage. This is intentional and is part of the DCI philosophy. "Should I cast Day of Judgment?" is a decision, and such decisions favor the better players because they understand the game better.

If a player actually casts Day of Judgment and an opponent disagrees on if the Black Knight is destroyed by it, then of course a judge could say, "Yes, the Black Knight was destroyed." The judge is speaking about something that is true and not something hypothetical.

At Regular REL events like FNM, judges might go so far as to explain the rule that the player is likely asking about, "How does protection work?" instead. At Regular REL, education and 'fun' have more weight, and this kind of answer is usually enough.

FNM Answer:
A: Unfortunately, I can't tell you what will happen if you cast that spell. It may help to know that a card with protection from 'something' can't be targeted, damaged, blocked by, or equipped/enchanted by 'something'.

PTQ Answer:
A: Unfortunately, I can't tell you what will happen if you cast that spell.

If you think you might be irritated at a reply like this from a judge, please understand that judges are there to keep the game fair, and there are strict limits on how much help we can give a player in a tournament.

Again, if you don't understand the rules about:
Priority
First/Double Strike
Lifelink
Deathtouch
Trample
ordering blocking creatures
Planeswalkers (especially damaging them)
Protection from x
Targeting/Modes
Triggered abilities

...or anything else involved in game play, my best suggestion is to be prepared and ask questions before the tournament.


2. Know what you can/can't do during a tournament.

If a player earns a penalty, it is for a reason. The best way to avoid penalties is to follow the rules and procedures for correct tournament play, and to behave in a respectful manner. At competitive REL, if a player earns a penalty, "I didn't know I couldn't/had to do that!" is not a valid excuse.

Some penalties are warnings, some come with game losses (deck registration errors are the most common by far). Some penalties may be match losses, or work up to more severe penalties due to repeated offenses. A few things are completely illegal and will result in a disqualification (cheating, bribery/wagering, lying to a tournament official, stalling, theft, aggressive behavior, etc.). I have never issued a DQ before, but I won't hesitate to do so. Remember, at competitive REL, if a player earns a penalty, "I didn't know I couldn't/had to do that!" is not a valid excuse. One other note, to anyone thinking about walking on the dark side this Saturday - Cheating doesn't require proof like felonies in courtroom dramas on prime time TV. "You can't prove it," is not a valid defense if you are caught cheating. In all cases, your best bet is not to do anything that might be viewed as trying to cheat.


Again, if you don't understand the rules about:
Deck Registration
Deck Swap
Sleeves
Shuffles/Cuts
Slow Play
Outside Notes/Assistance
End-of-Round Procedure
Prize Splits
Scouting
Mulligans
Sideboard Use
Sportsmanship

...or anything else involved in tournament play, my best suggestion is to be prepared and ask questions before the tournament.

Good luck to you all!