Competitive REL MTR/IPG Addendum for Commander Events

TopDeck.gg Rules and Tournament Policies

Tournament Mechanics

MTRA 2.1

A match consists of a single game of magic. In the event the game would naturally result in a draw the match is considered to have ended in a draw.

MTRA 2.2

Players are seated in a predetermined order established by pairing software with Seat One as the starting player.

MTRA 2.3

Commanders are revealed prior to shuffling and presenting decks. A game should not start until all players are present or 5 minutes have elapsed in the round.

MTRA 2.4

When time is called the active player finishes their turn and there are no additional turns. The game ends when the active player passes their turn. If a non-active player is acting in the end step of the active turn when time is called the subsequent turn becomes the final one.

MTRA 2.5

During a multiplayer game players are encouraged to concede while they have priority and the stack is empty on their own turn. A player who needs to concede at any other time will be dropped from the event and must talk to a tournament organizer in order to re-enter. In this case a judge will facilitate any mandatory actions of the conceded player until the stack is empty. In the event this happens in response to combat the turn will be facilitated until the end of combat.

Tournament Rules

MTRA 3.1

Any player receiving a bye will have 3 opponents added to their opponent history with a .33 win rate percentage.

MTRA 3.13

Clarification on Hidden Information. Hidden information is a resource to be shared at the controlling player's own discretion and may be shown to as many players as they choose. If a player is shown the face or faces of cards in a hidden zone they may not display those cards to anyone at the table who does not have permission to see them. Players are however free to communicate this type of information both verbally or through written notes.

Appendix

Match Points

Players earn 5 match points for each match win, 0 points for each match loss, and 1 match point for each match ending in a draw. Players receiving byes are considered to have won the match. All players listed on a Match must agree to an intentional draw in order to report a Match as such.

Pairing Guidelines

Priority should be given to forming as many pods with 4 players as possible each round. In cases where this isn't possible, pods may consist of a minimum of 3 players to avoid multiple byes. However, no more than one pod of 3 players should be formed per round, ensuring that only 2 or fewer byes are given due to player count each round.

Topcut Layout

Players in top cut will play in seed order with the highest seed taking the first turn.

For the arrangement of players into Topcut pods, we follow a specific method to ensure fairness and maintain competitive integrity across all pods. Here's a step-by-step guide on how players are distributed into pods based on the total number of participants:

1. Divide the total number of players by 2 to find the halfway point. This helps in evenly distributing players across the pods.
2. For each pod:
   • The first player is selected from the top of the player list, ensuring we start from the beginning or an offset if specified for broader contexts.
   • The second player comes from the halfway mark of the player list, counting back towards the top. This selection method ensures that we mix players from different segments of the rankings.
   • The third player is chosen similar to the first, but starting from the halfway point of the entire list of players. This approach ensures that pods contain a mix of players from both halves of the ranking.
   • The fourth and final player in each pod is selected in a manner akin to the second player, but from the bottom half of the player list. This strategy ensures each pod has a balanced mix of players based on their standings.

When advancing from top 64 to top 16, these numbers refer not to players’ seeds but to the pod in which they played in the round of 64.

Definition of Penalties

Turn Skip

A player receiving this penalty will forfeit the next turn they would receive. The skipped turn is treated entirely as though it did not exist and the next turn they take is treated as if it were the skipped turn.

Gameplay Error

In priority order, opposing players decide “Yes” or “No” to place the ability on the stack. The ability is missed unless one or more opposing players decide “Yes” and the judge determines that it would not be too disruptive to place the trigger on the stack. Do not place the ability on the stack if significant decisions have been made based on the trigger being missed. Unlike other illegal actions (which must be pointed out), opponents may choose whether or not to point out their opponent’s missed triggers. (See IPG for upgrade path.)

The opponent furthest in turn order from the active player who is not the infracting player is the opponent as described in the 1v1 IPG. The erroneous set is revealed only to them, and they make any choices required for the remedy. The player making the decisions may not discuss choices with the other players involved.

Tournament Error

Tournament Errors upgrade after a player has committed 2 infractions in the same category.

Players not in their seat within 1 minute of the start of the round will skip their next available turn, in this case, likely the first turn. After 5 minutes, the player will be counted as a no-show, receive a Match Loss, and be dropped from the event. A match will not begin until either all players are in attendance or 5 minutes have elapsed in the round.

A player, spectator, or other tournament participant does any of the following:

• Seeks play advice or private information about their match from others once they have sat for their match.
• Gives play advice or reveals private information to players (outside of their match) who have sat for their match.
• During a game, refers to notes (other than Oracle™ pages) made before the official beginning of the current match. (See 1v1 MTR section 2.12 for proper use of electronic devices.)

Players no longer active in the game are no longer a part of the current match, and attempting to influence the pod would be considered Outside Assistance.

The decklist is illegal, doesn’t match what the player intended to play, or needs to be modified due to card loss over the course of the tournament.

The contents of a deck do not match the decklist registered, and the decklist represents what the player intended to play.

Considering there are no sideboards in this format, only cards that are presented at the time of cut are considered, and any other cards stored in the deck box are not considered part of the deck.

(Upgrades still follow the conventional path noted in the IPG, but any Game Losses are replaced with Turn Skips.)

Cards or sleeves in a player’s deck have inconsistencies on them that might allow them to be differentiated from each other while in the library. This includes scuff marks, nail marks, discoloration, bent corners, and curving from foils.

The player needs to replace the card(s) or sleeve(s) with an unmarked version or, if no sleeves are being used, use sleeves that conceal the markings.

If the player is unable to find replacement cards, they may replace those cards with any combination of cards named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, Forest, or Wastes. As the decklist is being changed to match the new contents of the deck, the penalty is a Turn Skip. This change may be reverted at a later point without further penalty if replacements for marked cards are found.

A player causes a delay specific to the timely progression of the event resulting in the consumption of additional tournament resources.

• A player leaves excessive trash in the play area after leaving the table.
• A player fails to follow the request of a tournament official to leave the play area.
• A player fails to provide match results in a timely manner.

Unsporting Conduct

Examples of unsporting conduct minor include:

• A player uses excessively vulgar and profane language. (A player may be using inappropriate language without realizing it. A comment of “Please avoid using this language” is often appropriate prior to giving this penalty.)
• A player inappropriately demands to a judge that their opponent receive a penalty.
• A player appeals to the Head Judge before waiting for the floor judge to issue a ruling.

Downgrade: A Warning may be applied instead of a Turn Skip if the player in question displays ignorance or remorse regarding their actions and the impact on other players is minimal. However, it is important to inform the player that subsequent penalties will be upgraded as per the standard rules.

Judge Contributions

• Maxwell Molinari — L2
• Michael “Baldy” Arrowsmith — L3
• Seth Arar — L4
• Brook Gardner-Durbin — L5

Competitive REL MTR/IPG Addendum for Commander Events —- Version 2.1 - February 12th, 2024