Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

Austino's Texas States Report: DQ'd from Top Cut!

Austino

Austino

New Member
We head down through the rough weather friday night to make sure we'll be there on time Saturday morning just in case something were to happen. Pre-printed decklists to save time and kept everything in order; we were ready to take home some glass.

Get there as registration starts and we start standing in line for the deck checks. One of the judges makes an announcement for Masters that we can elect out of the deck check and just turn in lists, but will be DQ'd if something in the list is wrong (if making it to top cut). With pre-printed lists thanks to Steve-P's decklist program, we easily elect to skip the line and turn in our lists, making our way to the gaming area. I make some trades and get ready for round 1.

I'm playing Gyarados, same list from last week that I went 6-1 with. It's been doing well, so I decided to just "stick with it". 128 Masters / 7 Rounds / Top 16

Round 1: Sidney - Donphan
Sid's a great player who's a generally fun guy to play. His donphan is legit and takes me down to 1-1 prizes, but I know his deck pretty well and belt my crobat G so that when he warp pointed me, he couldn't KO my bat even with belted heavy impact. Best game of the day.

1-0

Round 2: Tyranitar
He went for overconfident instead of setting up and I got Gyarados setup turn 2 while gusting up his pupitar for the KO. He scooped afterwards.

2-0

Round 3: Adrian - LuxApe/Chomp
Regice is stuck active 5 turns and I hit 0/3 SSU and can't draw warp energy or warp point to save my life. I end up starting to make a comeback but he played well and shut me down

2-1

Round 4: Micah - Flychamp/phan
Gyarados eats the deck alive. I 6-2 him and reversal'd out of any sand walls.

3-1

Round 5: Brandon - Gyarados (same list, card for card)
Ugh, had to drive all the way down here to play my friend. I had sableye/sp dark to his lone baltoy. Sorry about that, man.

4-1

Round 6: Darryl - CurseGar
I jump ahead 4 prizes with sableye and end up misplaying by discarding my 3rd karp instead of saving it for when he ko'd my gyarados and retreated to tombs. The misplay cost me the game, without a doubt.

4-2

Round 7: SP (dialga/chomp/lux/ape)
I never used a single claydol or uxie this entire game. He had sprays AND 2 mespirit, along with his garchomp sniping my dol T4. He played well, but ran out his resources midgame as I dead drew a few turns. I was up against the ropes and finally topdecked a pkmn rescue to get my gyarados back into play and caught up/cleaned up his side of the field. VERY close match and really just came down to him having never played against my deck before.

5-2

I make it into top cut as 15th seed! I order my deck and turn it in for checks. Sidney and Will made it in as well, so 3 of us from OK are going into top cut. I'm chillin outside when Old Man comes out and asks me to come in for a second. I hop up and follow him into the play area where I'm informed my list is off. Shocked, I ask to see and sure enough, my magikarp/gyarados counts are switched. I made a typo on my decklist that showed me having 3 magikarp and 4 gyarados instead of 4 magikarp/3 gyarados (which was what WAS in my deck). He informs me I'll be DQ'd and I ask if there's anything I can do, it was a simple typo from my computer. I'm told I can appeal it to Mr. Fish, which I do, but to no avail. He tells me I was informed of the DQ when I elected to opt out of deckcheck, so I'm no longer in top cut. He hands me my deck and list and I leave. I fully understand it was my fault for not going over the typed up list and should have just hand written it. I simply wanted to save time at the event to make it easier on myself and the deck check people. I didn't think that was really enough to DQ me from the tournament since it was simple mix up on gyara line considering nobody runs 3 karp 4 dos (and not something questionable like expert belt/warp point count), but like he said, it was laid out beforehand and I opted out of it. I took the DQ well and tried my best to just laugh it off. I won't type up a deck list again, for sure.

Here's where things got MUCH worse.

We headed out to get a bite to eat, then decided to come back to support Will and Sidney in their top cut matches. I talked to Darryl (who got a bye since I was DQ'd) while he waited for T8. Afterwards, I sit down with matt and we decide to play a round. I get out my bag and go to put my lux X back into my deck from my binder and notice my binders aren't in my bag anymore....I'm freaking out, so I go back outside to the car to check if they're there and they aren't. BOTH of my Lv. X binders were stolen along with my entire base-set holo collection, all secret rares/holos, FULL Lv. X collection, about 20 EX's, Player reward energies I just got on Friday, victory medals, LEGENDS, and every pokemon prime I had (2-4 of each one).:frown:

All stolen at some point during the tournament. Around $700-$800 worth cards were stolen from me and I don't have the slightest idea of when/where/who. At this point I'm really at a loss for words and this has turned into a nightmare. Luckily I still have my decks and I had loaned out a Lux X, Uxie X, Floatzel X, to friends, and then 4 donphan primes to Sidney, so I still have a few cards left. My base set holos being stolen really was a punch in the gut, considering I've had them over 10 years now and were the pride of my collection. The road back to OK was a long one this time. Looking forward to dominating CO Regionals and already have Nats lined out, so hope to see you all there.

Props:
Will making T8
Sid making T16
Hanging out with some of the TX players (Dana, Alec, Robby, Kettler Bros, Demarcus, etc)
Completed RH'ing out LuxChomp

Slops:
Typos
People stealing $700+ worth of my cards. :nonono:
 
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deredd04 said:
Dude... that sucks. It looked like you were having a good day and it went down hill. How are you holding up dude?
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"Shake it off, pick yourself up, they say"

Doing my best. I wanted it so bad and my deck has been running so well over states.
 
Nice to meet you in person! sorry so much horrible crap happened to you, man. sheesh :(

I haven't looked on heytrainer to see if i said anything to you. but for future reference, everything i say on the internet (minus the 'gym) is for lulz <3
 
It is such a shame to hear of all the lack of Spirit of the Games throughoutt hese otherwise great-enviroment events. I had 3 Donphan Primes taken out of my deck at some point during states (they left the sleeves though, nice of them i suppose) so I can sympathize, though not on the same scale.

GJ making it to Top Cut even if they didn't let you in. Gyara seems like an amazing deck.
 
I'm really sorry about the loss of your collection, but I'm glad you're trying and, thus far, succeeding, to stay positive. Congrats on 2/2 top cuts at States.
 
The whole point is spirit of the game:
As a game of skill, the Pokémon TCG is enjoyed for its complex strategies, entertaining characters, and atmosphere of friendly competition. While the objective of a Pokémon TCG tournament is to determine the skill level of each player involved, our ultimate goal is to ensure that every participant has fun. It is this attitude that Pokémon Organized Play wishes to emphasize during Pokémon TCG events.

Regardless of the size of the prizes on the line, adherence to the Spirit of the Game helps to ensure that all participants, including players, spectators, and event staff at a Pokémon TCG event, have an enjoyable experience. This spirit should guide the conduct of players as well as the tournament judges as they interpret and enforce the rules.

The Spirit of the Game is composed of the following tenets:

Fun: The Pokémon TCG is a game, and games are meant to be fun for all parties involved. When a game ceases to be fun, players find other things to do.
Fairness: Games cease to be fun when players break the rules to achieve victory. A player should prefer to lose a game than to win by cheating.
Honesty: Players of any game should strive to act honestly while playing that game. If a player inadvertently breaks a rule during a game and becomes aware of the error before his or her opponent or a judge, that player should make the opponent and the judge aware of the misplay.
Respect: Players, spectators, and staff should be treated with the same respect that players would expect for themselves. Distracting an opponent or a judge to gain advantage shows disrespect to everyone involved in a Pokémon TCG event.
Sportsmanship: Winning or losing with grace is vital to the enjoyment of a game. The desire to continue playing a game can be soured by players that berate their opponents after winning or losing a match.
Learning: Players should strive to help each other increase their Pokémon TCG play skills. It is not a player's responsibility to make his or her opponent's plays for that opponent. However, discussing strategies, offering deck tips, or constructively critiquing game play decisions after the match has been completed helps both participants to become better players.

This has now passed the line, and it is no longer fun. that is unacceptable.
 
As his round six opponent(Darryl), I cannot totatal agree that I would have lost if not for his misplay. But I do agree that it was a lot of fun playing agianst him, and he is one heck of a nice guy, and I can only hope I continue to see him at future tournaments, even though this will probably be the only tournament i ever beat him at. Hope to see you in Houston. Darryl
 
gallade said:
The whole point is spirit of the game:
As a game of skill, the Pokémon TCG is enjoyed for its complex strategies, entertaining characters, and atmosphere of friendly competition. While the objective of a Pokémon TCG tournament is to determine the skill level of each player involved, our ultimate goal is to ensure that every participant has fun. It is this attitude that Pokémon Organized Play wishes to emphasize during Pokémon TCG events.

Regardless of the size of the prizes on the line, adherence to the Spirit of the Game helps to ensure that all participants, including players, spectators, and event staff at a Pokémon TCG event, have an enjoyable experience. This spirit should guide the conduct of players as well as the tournament judges as they interpret and enforce the rules.

The Spirit of the Game is composed of the following tenets:

Fun: The Pokémon TCG is a game, and games are meant to be fun for all parties involved. When a game ceases to be fun, players find other things to do.
Fairness: Games cease to be fun when players break the rules to achieve victory. A player should prefer to lose a game than to win by cheating.
Honesty: Players of any game should strive to act honestly while playing that game. If a player inadvertently breaks a rule during a game and becomes aware of the error before his or her opponent or a judge, that player should make the opponent and the judge aware of the misplay.
Respect: Players, spectators, and staff should be treated with the same respect that players would expect for themselves. Distracting an opponent or a judge to gain advantage shows disrespect to everyone involved in a Pokémon TCG event.
Sportsmanship: Winning or losing with grace is vital to the enjoyment of a game. The desire to continue playing a game can be soured by players that berate their opponents after winning or losing a match.
Learning: Players should strive to help each other increase their Pokémon TCG play skills. It is not a player's responsibility to make his or her opponent's plays for that opponent. However, discussing strategies, offering deck tips, or constructively critiquing game play decisions after the match has been completed helps both participants to become better players.

This has now passed the line, and it is no longer fun. that is unacceptable.
Click to expand...

IMO: I don't think DQing me followed SOTG at all. I think it was something merely to flex authority and teach a hard lesson. Spirit of the game would be realizing that it was an error on my part, notifying me, and having me correct the issue. I completely understand the list issue was my fault, but was a simple error that shouldn't have resulted the way it did.

HOWEVER, there's nothing I can do about the decision made. I personally know that I did well and nothing about my character or lack of playing ability caused me to lose this Championship, merely a typo. It won't happen again.
 
Sorry about you getting the D.Q. and even more sorry that you don't have your collection anymore. If you ever need to borrow cards let me know and we should have them available for you.
 
There are some judges there I have alot of respect for (Shane and Birch being the two biggest) but I had a few SOTG questionable things (both from specific judges and players) happen that were just aggrivating. Some of the judges seemed very aggrivated at times and I know that this is a stressful thing to do, judging an event that goes on for almost 24 hours, but I can say that there seemed to be a line between understandable actions from stress and actually acting on it in an unnecessary way. Still, MASSIVE respect even more to Shane and Birch who seemed to keep their cool through the entire thing, and kept the highest level of respect through all of it.
 
you might need to re-think the DQ.

flexing muscle?

what if they made you play with 3 magikarp and 4 gyarados? you probably would have lost (no offense- but that severely hinders the deck)- and lost points.

by DQing you, your points are maintained and you don't have an 'autoloss' because your deck is butchered.

in florida, eric crag went 7-0, and when he got into top cut they noticed he wrote "pokeMON" instead of "pokeTURN"- he had to use basic energy to replace them, so he just didnt bother at all and scooped. he got a loss for the scoop of course, but didnt feel like 'trying' to win without 4 poketurn and with 4 more energy in the deck (bringing him close to 20 energy).

its not always a worse thing to be DQd than to be allowed to play. they certainly couldnt allow you to go on with 4 karp 3 gyarados when you wrote differently, and a DQ was probably better for you than merely going on and losing in t16.

with all that said, good job on double cutting states. its tough. just write the list correctly! motivate!
 
I think the point is that it wasn't that he was misleading in any way that could be seen as cheating. A simple flip that could have been easily fixed. Even if they forced him to switch it around, who cares? If they say he can't just fix the typo, maybe give the option to choose...play with the deck list you turned in, or DQ yourself.

Honestly, if there are obvious changes or differences in the deck list, I'm all for a DQ. But typos are ridiculous. We all make mistakes but something as simple as that shouldn't be a DQ. At the least, not an immediate one. DQs are extremely harsh and very final, so it should be for things that truly warrant a DQ. Cheating, bad sportsmanship, and so on...these definitely warrant a DQ. Having two numbers switched...it may be on the line but I don't see it crossing that line.
 
The loss of your collection is awful.

At a glance, it doesn't appear that the typo gave you a competitive advantage. I mean, none of your opponents saw your decklist.

I guess somebody would have to show me how the error gave you a competitive advantage before I agreed with the DQ.

So until that happens, I’d have to say that the DQ was shortsighted; the product of adherence to the rules to a fault. Someone needed to make a judgment call, and instead of using their head, they blew it, and hid behind the rules.

Let’s not be silly. Let’s not start throwing out example after example of how rules need to be adhered to and that the oversight that led to the DQ rises to the level of those examples.

…and I don’t want to hear about the fallacy of judges; or how they had been there all day and that they were tired too. Judges don’t have that luxury.

That’s why they wear the professor’s jacket. That’s why they take tests to maintain currency. That’s why they show up before everyone else, and leave after everyone goes home… it’s why any professional sport has a team of referee’s, umpires, and judges. So they can get the call right.

The bottom line is this: You could have gone through deck check and the oversight could still have been missed, and you’d still get DQ’d.

I’m sorry for your bad Saturday.
 
No judge EVER wants to DQ a player.

That is not what we are there for. Do things right, and you'll have a good time.

Do something off, and...you're gonna have a bad time.

I know the judges involved here, and have a tough time believing they were doing anything except for the ultimate role of a judge...

Preserve the integrity of the event.

If you allow deck changes in the top cut, or just a slap on the wrist...there is a slippery slope.

Totally bites about your collection. Theft is never acceptable. Trust me, I am one of the only PTOs to have kids walk out of my event in handcuffs.

Best of luck to you at Regionals...you know, St. Louis is just about as far of a drive (not really, but I can try :)). See you at Nats.

Vince
 
But it wasn't a deck change. The deck stayed the same. If he had 3 magikarps and 4 gyarados in his deck, and listed having 4 magi's and 3 g-dos, THEN I'd agree, it would be unfair. But his deck stayed the same...it was just an issue with a typo on his deck LIST. This wasn't anything that could have changed the competition, and certainly wasn't a glaring issue.
 
I think some of the people here are missing what happened at this tournament regarding the DQ. Before the tournament began, to save time, the judges allowed people to opt out of deck checks if they so chose. If you did so (I did so I know the judges told me this) then they told you right then and there that if you opted out of checks and were checked later on in the tournament and your list did not match your deck, you would receive a DQ. Austin chose to opt out of deck checks and received this same warning. If he wanted to prevent this from happening he could have either 1. filled out his decklist properly (come on people, we do it every tournament), 2. proofread his list or 3. gotten his deck checked so the error would have been caught before it became a problem. The right call was made.
 
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