Philosophy

Both players and tournament officials share the responsibility for maintaining a fair and consistent event, by understanding their roles in the event. Penalty and Policy Guidelines are intended to educate the player and tournament officials on proper, expected behavior at events. These guidelines may not serve as a resource for players to attempt to take advantage of one another through "rule-sharking", or otherwise attempting to influence the decisions of tournament officials. The Head Judge of the event has final say on all ruling and policy decisions. Once the Head Judge has made a decision, the decision is final.
 * Players
 * There are many kinds of tournaments offered, to provide different kinds of players with the level of challenge that most appeals to them – but at each of these events, players are expected to understand and follow tournament policy. Players should always do their part to ensure they are in compliance with policy, by reading policy documents and asking questions before the event if something is unclear. Players are ultimately responsible for the contents of their Deck, their actions and words at a tournament, and as such they are expected to take an active role in their own tournament participation.


 * Judges
 * The role of the judge is complex – while a judge needs to uphold tournament policy by enforcing these Penalty Guidelines, he or she must also educate the players. Tournament fairness and consistency relies upon the judge’s knowledge of policy and his or her understanding of the penalties that accompany it. Judges should remain focused on the primary goals of the event while maintaining a positive attitude. Judges should be approachable and ready to assist. When a player commits an infraction, a judge should be able to correctly identify the infraction, administer the appropriate penalty, and educate the player about both the infraction and the penalty.

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