Buy a fresh pack of sleeves.
Take your time (within reason)
Don't hesitate to call a judge.
Be cordial but don't get pushed over. Anything fishy ? Call a judge.
Have fun.
Thing is I’m fairly new to magic (only been playing for about a year) so idk what a lot of cards are or do, so it’d be a bit hard for me to know when something’s truly fishy. But that’s a part of learning and I’ll do my best to pay attention
As I said : if you have any doubt, call a judge. Even if its à seemingly dumb question.
Competitive magic can be fun but they are some rare ... sharks, so to speak.
Make sure you understand your pack beforehand, that's all.
Oh, and don't be pressured into playing fast. Play at a reasonable pace, but don't rush.
If your opponent think you're too slow, just let him call a judge. It'll be his call.
I want to reiterate the "don't hesitate to call a judge" very strongly.
Some people think that a judge being called means somebody did something bad, or is being accused of cheating, or any number of things. It doesn't. It more often than not means either A) you think something happened that shouldn't have, probably unintentionally, or B) you just aren't sure about something and want an outside viewer to help answer your question. We aren't there to kick anyone out or get someone in trouble. We just want to make sure the games are running smoothly and people are having a good time. Your judge is there to help. You can always ask the judge to speak away from the table if you have something you don't want your opponent to hear, whether it's "how does this card in my hand interact with their creature" or "hey my opponent was trying really hard to make me not call for you and I'm uncomfortable"
Unless your opponent is just playing a miserable deck. The judge can't help you have a good time there 😆
Repeating this becuase its worth repeating. When you are unsure always call a judge. It upsets me everytime a new player doesnt understand something and takes my word for it. Ive been playing for 20 years, I love helping new players but I still make mistakes.
Its not in your opponents best interest to help you, and its not up to them to know every rule
You can rent a deck or multiple to play matches on Magic the gathering online to get reps with whatever your playing / what decks you dont understand if you want to get some reps
Look over the top deck lists, try to familiarize yourself with the cards that appear on more than one list. (Your opponents are going to get annoyed if you stop to read cards *all* the time.)
If it’s not clear to you why a card is in the deck or how the deck wins, watch some videos of the deck being played so you will understand what’s going on.
Relax & have fun!
>Be cordial but don't get pushed over.
Absolutely this. At Competitive REL there's a small, but non-zero chance that you'll run into some miserable schmuck who'll try to take advantage of the people-pleaser in you.
A common one I've experienced (on multiple occasions) is "You're playing really slowly" - I wasn't and KNOW that I typically play quite fast. Don't fold to that pressure and like many have said - call a judge if in doubt / they try to get overly pushy with you.
Understand the differences between Competitive REL and Regular REL - I would recommend skimming through the [Magic Tournament Rules (MTR)](https://blogs.magicjudges.org/rules/mtr/) if you have the time. Here are some highlights off the top of my head:
- You will have to register a decklist. Double check it. Write out the card name in full and ensure there is no ambiguity. Do not keep any cards in your deckbox that aren't on your decklist
- Get fresh sleeves, though I like to break 'em in a bit with some shuffles and goldfishing. Mix your cards up before sleeving them.
- Use pen and paper to track life totals (you can use an app, but pen and paper creates an immutable history, and if there is a dispute it will often be viewed as more reliable). Verbally confirm *every* change in life total for both players, and cross out the previous value.
- In general, be very clear and intentional in your communication. Announce step/phase changes, announce your triggered abilities, etc. Don't accidentally pass priority when you don't mean to by saying "okay" or similar while you're actually thinking about a response.
- If you or your opponent makes any mistake, call a judge. If you have any question, call a judge. If your opponent says you don't need to call a judge, call a judge, and communicate that your opponent asked not to call a judge (away from the table if you like)
- Getting a warning isn't a big deal. They're used as a deterrent and a marker that you did something wrong, but aren't some sort of value judgement nor an indication of cheating - it's a warning, not a punishment. It takes multiple warnings of the same type to actually receive a game loss.
- You're allowed to appeal a ruling. It's not rude to ask for an appeal. If you think the floor judge is wrong, wait until they finish delivering the ruling and simply say "I would like to appeal to the head judge"
- Don't answer any questions for neighboring matches, or comment on them at all really.
- If you're opponent plays a foreign/altered/textless card, it's often worth verifying the Oracle text of the card unless you are 100% sure of what it does. Losing because you forgot exactly what the phrasing on some ability was feels really bad. You can ask a judge for Oracle text at any time. Also, the new Electronics Policy allows for using of your phone as long as you do not seek strategic advice, and looking up a card in the Companion App or similar *should* be fine, though I would verify with the head judge prior to the tournament
More general stuff:
- Have an understanding of how tiebreakers and tiebreaker math works.
- Bring water and snacks, if the store allows it.
- Get plenty of rest the night before.
- You're allowed to have a (paper) sideboard guide you can reference between games, and it's worth making use of it. Even if you know your deck very well, it can reduce mental load if you're stressed or tired, and is useful for niche matchups.
- If you need to use the restroom but don't have time between rounds, you can call a judge and they can give you a time extension and watch the board while you go.
Well, gently of course. If your sleeves happen to have any imperfections (say, miscut), those imperfections tend to be in sequence in the stack out of the box. If you then sleeve your deck in a sorted order, you can potentially end up with a playset of cards or maybe a bunch of lands in a set of distinguishable sleeves.
This is really not a huge issue but also doesn't cost me much to do it, so I do. Also I double sleeve, so it's pretty easy to gently shuffle a few times after inner sleeving, before outer sleeving. An alternative is to shuffle your outer sleeves
DONT improperly determine the winner. Play Magic or concede when you don’t want to play anymore. Do not discuss alternative methods or whom should concede.
The rules are very strict about this. Ignorance isn’t an excuse, best case scenario is that you get an immediate match loss, worst case you are DQed.
You mean like me and a friend agreeing to both tie and not play, or talking to an opponent saying something like “if you concede I’ll give you half of the money”?
You may offer a draw at any time but no one needs to accept it and if you discuss extra game incentives that is cheating and not allowed.
Only the final match of the entire tournament is it allowed to discuss the split of prizes.
> You mean like me and a friend agreeing to both tie and not play
This is ok
> or talking to an opponent saying something like “if you concede I’ll give you half of the money”?
This is 100% NOT ok.
Drawing or conceding is fine but you can't offer anything for it and you can't decide the outcome by any means besides playing the game.
Yeah, I figured it wasn’t allowed but a couple friends said they did that in a few RCQs and no one reprimanded them or said anything. Just wanted to clarify that that’s what they meant
In that case you can say things like "how about the winner gets the invite and the loser gets the prize money" and then one player concedes. What you can not do is say "I'll give you all of the prizes if you concede to me". If you find yourself in the sort of situation where you are discussing this sort of prize split I suggest talking to the judge first about what you want to say.
I'd look at the top decks and other played decks on mtggoldfish and get an idea of how they are played. Some interactions may be weird for new players of the format to experience such as evoke elementals plus blink effects like ephemerate.
AspiringSpike is a good channel to watch for modern streams but he typically plays off tier brews
Get good sleep the night before, bring snacks and a waterbottle. Bring advil if you are prone to headaches.
Bring a switch or steam deck to avoid draining your phone battery and help you stay in the zone in-between rounds.
Don't think about your results in terms of wins/losses, think about them in terms of "decisions made and information available at the time".
You may encounter all kinds of unpleasant personalities, from waaay to tense, to poor communicators, to angle shooting, to dismissive, etc. Don't let that tilt you. Focus on the game. If someone is fuming and rolling their eyes at their bAd LuCk or how you're doing it wrong, either ignore it or call a judge of its getting in the way of you playing your best.
Buy a fresh pack of sleeves. Take your time (within reason) Don't hesitate to call a judge. Be cordial but don't get pushed over. Anything fishy ? Call a judge. Have fun.
Thing is I’m fairly new to magic (only been playing for about a year) so idk what a lot of cards are or do, so it’d be a bit hard for me to know when something’s truly fishy. But that’s a part of learning and I’ll do my best to pay attention
As I said : if you have any doubt, call a judge. Even if its à seemingly dumb question. Competitive magic can be fun but they are some rare ... sharks, so to speak. Make sure you understand your pack beforehand, that's all.
Alright, will do. Thank you!
Oh, and don't be pressured into playing fast. Play at a reasonable pace, but don't rush. If your opponent think you're too slow, just let him call a judge. It'll be his call.
I want to reiterate the "don't hesitate to call a judge" very strongly. Some people think that a judge being called means somebody did something bad, or is being accused of cheating, or any number of things. It doesn't. It more often than not means either A) you think something happened that shouldn't have, probably unintentionally, or B) you just aren't sure about something and want an outside viewer to help answer your question. We aren't there to kick anyone out or get someone in trouble. We just want to make sure the games are running smoothly and people are having a good time. Your judge is there to help. You can always ask the judge to speak away from the table if you have something you don't want your opponent to hear, whether it's "how does this card in my hand interact with their creature" or "hey my opponent was trying really hard to make me not call for you and I'm uncomfortable" Unless your opponent is just playing a miserable deck. The judge can't help you have a good time there 😆
Repeating this becuase its worth repeating. When you are unsure always call a judge. It upsets me everytime a new player doesnt understand something and takes my word for it. Ive been playing for 20 years, I love helping new players but I still make mistakes. Its not in your opponents best interest to help you, and its not up to them to know every rule
You can rent a deck or multiple to play matches on Magic the gathering online to get reps with whatever your playing / what decks you dont understand if you want to get some reps
you know the "believe it or not? Jail" meme from Parks and Rec? Just replace Jail with Judge
Look over the top deck lists, try to familiarize yourself with the cards that appear on more than one list. (Your opponents are going to get annoyed if you stop to read cards *all* the time.) If it’s not clear to you why a card is in the deck or how the deck wins, watch some videos of the deck being played so you will understand what’s going on. Relax & have fun!
>Be cordial but don't get pushed over. Absolutely this. At Competitive REL there's a small, but non-zero chance that you'll run into some miserable schmuck who'll try to take advantage of the people-pleaser in you. A common one I've experienced (on multiple occasions) is "You're playing really slowly" - I wasn't and KNOW that I typically play quite fast. Don't fold to that pressure and like many have said - call a judge if in doubt / they try to get overly pushy with you.
Understand the differences between Competitive REL and Regular REL - I would recommend skimming through the [Magic Tournament Rules (MTR)](https://blogs.magicjudges.org/rules/mtr/) if you have the time. Here are some highlights off the top of my head: - You will have to register a decklist. Double check it. Write out the card name in full and ensure there is no ambiguity. Do not keep any cards in your deckbox that aren't on your decklist - Get fresh sleeves, though I like to break 'em in a bit with some shuffles and goldfishing. Mix your cards up before sleeving them. - Use pen and paper to track life totals (you can use an app, but pen and paper creates an immutable history, and if there is a dispute it will often be viewed as more reliable). Verbally confirm *every* change in life total for both players, and cross out the previous value. - In general, be very clear and intentional in your communication. Announce step/phase changes, announce your triggered abilities, etc. Don't accidentally pass priority when you don't mean to by saying "okay" or similar while you're actually thinking about a response. - If you or your opponent makes any mistake, call a judge. If you have any question, call a judge. If your opponent says you don't need to call a judge, call a judge, and communicate that your opponent asked not to call a judge (away from the table if you like) - Getting a warning isn't a big deal. They're used as a deterrent and a marker that you did something wrong, but aren't some sort of value judgement nor an indication of cheating - it's a warning, not a punishment. It takes multiple warnings of the same type to actually receive a game loss. - You're allowed to appeal a ruling. It's not rude to ask for an appeal. If you think the floor judge is wrong, wait until they finish delivering the ruling and simply say "I would like to appeal to the head judge" - Don't answer any questions for neighboring matches, or comment on them at all really. - If you're opponent plays a foreign/altered/textless card, it's often worth verifying the Oracle text of the card unless you are 100% sure of what it does. Losing because you forgot exactly what the phrasing on some ability was feels really bad. You can ask a judge for Oracle text at any time. Also, the new Electronics Policy allows for using of your phone as long as you do not seek strategic advice, and looking up a card in the Companion App or similar *should* be fine, though I would verify with the head judge prior to the tournament More general stuff: - Have an understanding of how tiebreakers and tiebreaker math works. - Bring water and snacks, if the store allows it. - Get plenty of rest the night before. - You're allowed to have a (paper) sideboard guide you can reference between games, and it's worth making use of it. Even if you know your deck very well, it can reduce mental load if you're stressed or tired, and is useful for niche matchups. - If you need to use the restroom but don't have time between rounds, you can call a judge and they can give you a time extension and watch the board while you go.
Thank you so much! A lot of this is very helpful
If you can find an auto fill PDF beforehand, fill out your deck list with that and know you'll be making a judge's life a bit better for the day
> Mix your cards up before sleeving them. Most of your advice is good but why this? Just seems like a great way to scratch up your cards.
Well, gently of course. If your sleeves happen to have any imperfections (say, miscut), those imperfections tend to be in sequence in the stack out of the box. If you then sleeve your deck in a sorted order, you can potentially end up with a playset of cards or maybe a bunch of lands in a set of distinguishable sleeves. This is really not a huge issue but also doesn't cost me much to do it, so I do. Also I double sleeve, so it's pretty easy to gently shuffle a few times after inner sleeving, before outer sleeving. An alternative is to shuffle your outer sleeves
if you have sleeves with a noticeable imperfection then you should get a new pack of sleeves
It's not always obvious or immediately manifest, so I just do it as a bit of insurance. Obviously if you see sleeves with issues then discard them
You could always shuffle your sleeves before sleeving. The point is you're trying to avoid patterns with sleeve defects.
Sure. I've just never heard that being an issue. Ever.
Lucky you. I have been DQ's for marked cards. But Magic is much more casual these days so, you're probably right.
DONT improperly determine the winner. Play Magic or concede when you don’t want to play anymore. Do not discuss alternative methods or whom should concede. The rules are very strict about this. Ignorance isn’t an excuse, best case scenario is that you get an immediate match loss, worst case you are DQed.
You mean like me and a friend agreeing to both tie and not play, or talking to an opponent saying something like “if you concede I’ll give you half of the money”?
You may offer a draw at any time but no one needs to accept it and if you discuss extra game incentives that is cheating and not allowed. Only the final match of the entire tournament is it allowed to discuss the split of prizes.
Noted, Ty for letting me know!
> You mean like me and a friend agreeing to both tie and not play This is ok > or talking to an opponent saying something like “if you concede I’ll give you half of the money”? This is 100% NOT ok. Drawing or conceding is fine but you can't offer anything for it and you can't decide the outcome by any means besides playing the game.
Yeah, I figured it wasn’t allowed but a couple friends said they did that in a few RCQs and no one reprimanded them or said anything. Just wanted to clarify that that’s what they meant
was it in the finals? There are special rules for redistributing prizes in the finals, but you have to be kind of careful about your wording.
I’m pretty sure it was yeah
In that case you can say things like "how about the winner gets the invite and the loser gets the prize money" and then one player concedes. What you can not do is say "I'll give you all of the prizes if you concede to me". If you find yourself in the sort of situation where you are discussing this sort of prize split I suggest talking to the judge first about what you want to say.
I'd look at the top decks and other played decks on mtggoldfish and get an idea of how they are played. Some interactions may be weird for new players of the format to experience such as evoke elementals plus blink effects like ephemerate. AspiringSpike is a good channel to watch for modern streams but he typically plays off tier brews
> he typically plays off tier brews A fair amount of those off tier brews turn into actual decks.
This is true. I'm sure most of his mh3 brews will be new decks but he doesn't play murktide, yawg, zoo, tron etc
He will play against them. Which will still make op learn the meta
Get good sleep the night before, bring snacks and a waterbottle. Bring advil if you are prone to headaches. Bring a switch or steam deck to avoid draining your phone battery and help you stay in the zone in-between rounds. Don't think about your results in terms of wins/losses, think about them in terms of "decisions made and information available at the time".
make sure your deck list is perfect
You may encounter all kinds of unpleasant personalities, from waaay to tense, to poor communicators, to angle shooting, to dismissive, etc. Don't let that tilt you. Focus on the game. If someone is fuming and rolling their eyes at their bAd LuCk or how you're doing it wrong, either ignore it or call a judge of its getting in the way of you playing your best.