Policy & Penalties¶

This page covers the Procedure and Penalty Guide (PPG), plus the parts of the Tournament Rules and Policy (TRP) that come up at the table. The PPG is written for Competitive and Professional REL. Casual events use the separate Casual Procedure Guide.

Quick reference¶

How penalties work¶

The ladder (PPG 1.4)¶

Severity	Penalty	What it does
0	Caution	A spoken warning. Not recorded
1	Warning	Recorded. Repeats can upgrade
2	Intellect Penalty (IP2)	-1 intellect for the next 2 end-of-turn draws
3	Game Loss	The game ends as a loss
4	Disqualification	Removed from the tournament

• IP details: the player draws 1 fewer card at the end of the next two turns (including the first-turn draw). An IP given before a game starts lowers the opening hand too. A second IP adds turns to the one already running. Any upgrade or downgrade that lands on an IP is an IP2.
• Game Loss between games, or after time is up: it applies to the player's next game. Game Losses for both players at once are recorded as a double match loss.
• DQ: the player loses the current match and is dropped. They keep prizes already received and get no more. Players below them move up one place, unless it happens after the cut. Both the player and the HJ fill out DQ forms.

Rules for every ruling (PPG 1.2)¶

• Don't step into a game unless there's an infraction or you're investigating. Don't step in for a Missed Trigger that would only be a Caution, or for a Caution or Warning the players fix quickly between themselves.
• Explain the infraction, the fix and the penalty to everyone involved.
• Check with the Head Judge before giving an IP2 or higher. The exceptions are Tardiness and Decklist Error.
• Several related infractions: apply each fix, but give only the single highest penalty.
• Time extension: if a ruling takes more than 1 minute, add that much time to the match, rounded up to the minute.
• Repeat upgrades:
  • Gameplay: the 3rd infraction of the same type in a day goes up one level. Failure to Maintain Game State never upgrades this way.
  • Tournament: the 2nd of the same type in a day goes up one level. Tardiness and Slow Play are excluded.
  • Repeat upgrades never go past a Game Loss, and the count resets each day.
• Deviations: only the Head Judge can depart from the PPG. They have to explain the normal ruling and why they're deviating. Floor judges can suggest a deviation.
• Judge mistakes: admit it, apologize, and fix it if you can. A judge's mistake can be a reason for the HJ to deviate.
• The three principles: education (the player understands what went wrong), equity (any advantage is removed), and mission ("playing great games").
• The four kinds of advantage: information, state, strategic and tournament.

Fixes (PPG 1.3)¶

Gameplay infractions¶

Assumed to be accidental. If it was deliberate, it's Cheating.

Game Rules Violation — Warning (PPG 2.1)¶

A player gets the rules wrong in a way no other infraction covers: not paying a full cost, defending from arsenal, playing an action on the opponent's turn without instant speed, or forgetting to draw.

• Fix: caught right away, do a simple rewind. Otherwise do a partial fix, then a full rewind. If neither works, leave it.
• Upgrade to IP2: if it can't be fixed and the player gained a significant advantage.
• The opponent: if they had a fair chance to notice and didn't, they get a Warning for Failure to Maintain Game State. If they share responsibility (it was their card that made the play illegal), they get a GRV Warning instead.

Failure to Maintain Game State — Warning (PPG 2.2)¶

The opponent's side of someone else's gameplay infraction. It can't happen on its own, it doesn't apply to Missed Triggers, and it's never upgraded for repeats.

Missed Trigger — Caution (PPG 2.3)¶

The controller doesn't acknowledge their own trigger by the time it matters. Acknowledging means a visible change or confirming it out loud, and any player can do it.

When a trigger is missed:

• Triggers with choices (targets, modes): before the controller next passes priority.
• Triggers that change the rules: before the action they'd make illegal.
• Triggers with visible results: before anyone does something that could only happen after the trigger resolved.
• Triggers with hidden results: before they first show up visibly.

Not a missed trigger:

• A trigger that wouldn't have done anything.
• One whose only effect is optional. The player is assumed to have said no.
• One that partly resolved. The missing part is a GRV instead.

Other points:

• A missed trigger still counts toward its "once per turn" type limits.
• Triggers that depended on the missed one are missed too.
• Nobody has to point out an opponent's trigger. Deliberately rushing the game so an opponent misses theirs is Rules Sharking.
• Fix: caught right away, simple rewind. Otherwise a partial fix that resolves it now, then a full rewind. If neither works, the trigger fails.
• Upgrade to Warning: if missing it helped the player and it was the player's own trigger, not one the opponent created.

Looking at Extra Cards — Warning (PPG 2.4)¶

The player sees cards they shouldn't have, but the cards haven't moved zones.

• Seen while drawing for the end of turn, before the opponent has accepted the phase change: leave them on top.
• From a fully randomized deck: shuffle them back in.
• From a non-random deck, and the player already knew them (through opt and the like): leave them. If they didn't, the opponent sees them and picks top or bottom.
• From other zones, or the opponent's cards: show them to the opponent and leave them.
• Upgrade: 5 or more cards from a non-random deck is an IP2, and the deck is shuffled.

Hidden Card Error — Warning (PPG 2.5)¶

Private cards get mixed in a way public information can't untangle. Drawing 5 when intellect is 4, opt cards mixed into the hand, an arsenal card picked up into the hand, or equipment put face down without an effect allowing it.

• Fix: show the whole mixed group to the opponent. The opponent decides which cards go back where, keeping each zone's count right. Cards going to the deck go top or bottom, as the opponent chooses. Face-down equipment that wasn't allowed is removed from the game.
• Upgrade to IP2: if cards are already gone from the mixed group and it can't be fully fixed.
• If the cards can be separated cleanly, it's Looking at Extra Cards instead.

Shuffling Error — IP2 (PPG 2.6)¶

Randomizing an ordered set by mistake, like shuffling pitched cards into the deck. Make sure the deck ends up properly randomized.

Presenting Cards Error — Warning (PPG 2.7)¶

The decklist and card-pool are legal, but the player starts the game with an illegal set of cards: the wrong deck size, equipment in the deck, two weapons that can't go together, or a double-faced card showing its back.

• Take out cards that can't be in the deck. Cards that can't start outside the deck go back in the deck, or into inventory.
• Before the game starts: add cards (Cracked Baubles if needed) or remove cards to fix the size. Once the game has started, the size stays as is.
• An unclear set of starting arena-cards: lay out the legal options, and the opponent picks.
• Downgrade: a flip-card on the wrong face is a Caution at every REL.
• Upgrade:
  • At Pro REL, an IP2 for everything except double-sided cards on the wrong face.
  • An IP2 for transcend cards that can't be corrected.
  • A Game Loss if the deck is still 2+ cards off after the fix.

Tournament infractions¶

Tardiness — IP2 (PPG 3.1)¶

Not seated when the round starts, or late with a required procedure such as the decklist.

• Extend the match by the time lost.
• Under 1 minute is a Warning. Over 10 minutes is a Game Loss, and the player is dropped unless they check in before the next pairings.
• If the round started early, lateness counts from the scheduled start.

Note Taking and Outside Assistance — Warning (PPG 3.2)¶

• Illegal notes get destroyed.
• A spectator who helps gets a Game Loss in their next game and is sent away.
• Upgrade to Game Loss if the player gained a strategic advantage.
• Getting advice you didn't ask for isn't the player's fault.

Slow Play — Caution (PPG 3.3)¶

Taking too long without meaning to gain from it.

• Caution and educate the player.
• If they stay slow, a Warning.
• After two Warnings in the tournament, a Game Loss.
• Only penalize what a judge sees, not what players or spectators report.
• No extra time is given for accusations alone.
• Slow play done on purpose is Stalling.

Decklist Error — IP2 (PPG 3.4)¶

The list doesn't match what the player meant to play, or it's illegal. That covers missing equipment, a missing pitch, an ambiguous hero name, or a banned hero. Fix the list to match what they meant. The player can finish the current game, but can't start a new one until it's fixed.

• Warning if it's minor and caught before round 1, or the player reports it. Also a Warning if the hero is missing but only one hero makes sense.
• Game Loss if it's a big difference or gave a strategic advantage. Also a Game Loss if the list has illegal cards the player meant to play. Those get swapped for Cracked Baubles.

Card-Pool Contents Error — IP2 (PPG 3.5)¶

The cards don't match a correct decklist. The card-pool includes anything stored nearby, like the same deck box compartment. Remove the extras, note any missing cards, and let the player find replacements.

• Caution if cards are only missing.
• Warning if the extras couldn't have helped.
• Warning for extra copies the player reports right away that didn't affect the game. If one was drawn or revealed, use the next card instead.
• Game Loss for a big difference or a strategic advantage.

Draft Procedure Violation (PPG 3.6)¶

• Minor — Warning: a pack passed the wrong way and caught before the next pick, a late pick, looking around, or reviewing picks outside the review time. Pause the draft only when it won't disrupt anyone.
• Major — Game Loss: two cards taken from a pack, a pack mixed with your picks, announcing what you're drafting, or showing your picks. The Game Loss is given after the draft ends, so it doesn't affect the rest of the draft.

Marked Cards — Warning (PPG 3.7)¶

The player re-sleeves or replaces the cards before their next match. A proxy is possible in rare cases, and Cracked Baubles if no replacement can be found. Fix it mid-game only if that's quick. Otherwise wait for the match to end. Game Loss if the HJ thinks the marking gave a significant advantage.

Insufficient Shuffling — Warning (PPG 3.8)¶

Watch the player shuffle and teach them. Pile counting alone isn't shuffling.

Communicating Incorrect Game Information — Warning (PPG 3.9)¶

Wrong or incomplete information about non-private facts that the opponent acted on. "Attack for four" when it's three is an example. Rewind to before the opponent's affected action, if it's not too late. If the opponent assumed something without asking, it's not this infraction. At Competitive REL, a stale marker can be lowered to a Caution.

Conduct infractions¶

Tournament rules that come up¶

Event tiers and REL (TRP A.1)¶

• The TO may also judge only at Tier 1.
• Officials may also play at Tier 1, except Skirmish.

Formats (TRP 7–9)¶

Match logistics (TRP 3)¶

• Start-of-game time: 5 minutes for game 1 and 3 minutes for later games. Going over is slow play.
• Who goes first:
  • Random for game 1.
  • In a play-off, the higher seed chooses.
  • After that, the loser of the last game chooses. After a draw, the same player chooses again.
  • A player who looks at their hand without choosing goes first.
• Time called in Swiss: the turn-player finishes their turn, then one more turn is played. If there's still no winner, it's a draw.
• Play-offs have no draws:
  1. Warn the players.
  2. Highest life total wins.
  3. Otherwise, more game wins takes it. If tied, play a 4-turn tiebreaker game.
  4. Keep going until one life total is higher.
  5. If still tied, the higher seed wins.
• Concessions are allowed until time is called, and only before an action is taken after that. Intentional draws are allowed, except in elimination rounds. Never ask for a concession.
• Deck checks:
  • Decklists are required at Competitive and Professional.
  • Regular deck checks are required at Pro and recommended at Competitive, on at least 10% of players.
  • The match gets the time the check took plus 3 minutes.
• Judge calls:
  • At Competitive and Pro, spectators can't call a judge, but may quietly tell one.
  • Players can't ask for a particular judge.
  • Appeals go to the Head Judge and must come before the fix is applied.
• Feature matches: players can turn them down in Swiss at Casual and Competitive. At Pro, or in any play-off, saying no is a match loss.

Information (TRP 5.1)¶

Note-taking, shortcuts and play (TRP 5)¶

• Allowed notes:
  • Life totals and their sources, and the game result.
  • Dice for floating resources and action points, power, or X.
  • Counting cards in a public zone.
  • A card named by an effect.
• Not allowed:
  • A turn counter.
  • Tracking pitch order or cards played or revealed.
  • Counting cards in a deck.
  • Doing math on paper.
  • Sorting your graveyard to work out what's left in your deck.
  • A marker that's out of date.
• Players may use notes and devices during the start-of-game procedure, for things like sideboard guides.
• Shortcuts need everyone to understand them. Anyone can interrupt one before its result is accepted.
• Out-of-order play is fine if every action is legal and the end result is the same. It can't be used to go back and do something that was missed.
• Reversing an action: generally not allowed. A judge may allow it only if no information was gained, like "No blocks — wait, I'll block with these."
• Default decisions: no target declared means the opposing hero. An optional trigger that isn't acknowledged means "no".
• Random cards: say which die numbers match which cards before rolling. If the cards aren't marked face down, you can shuffle them face down and have the opponent pick.
• Card text: the official text is on cardvault.fabtcg.com. The Head Judge is the final authority.

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