Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

Should we have RELs in Pokemon?

A

Adv1sor

New Member
Under DCI/WOTC we had Rule Enforcement Levels (RELs).

http://www.mtghome.co.za/Rules/PG00_01.htm

The higher the REL the more stringent the enforcement of the rules. For example, drawing an extra card in an REL 1 event would be just a warning while doing so in an REL 3 event would cost you the game.

Under these rules I think that Pokemon was always REL 1 anyway.

Should we have RELs in Pokemon?

For example, a regular weekly tournament should be REL 1.

The City Championships REL 2.

States REL 3.

And so on?

If not, then how can we ensure consistency? I believe that the floor rules we have now leave everything up to the head judge’s discretion.
 
Most of the DCI Sanctioned Tournaments that were premiere events ran at REL 1. This is because most of these premiere events were open to the general public and newer players should have some fun at a first sanctioned event instead of learning the long list of penalties.

The basic criteria for a REL jump to level two or three was:
-The event was "Invitation Only", where it required previous experience at a Qualifier event
-Top Eight when LARGE prizes were given away (depending upon age group)
-A Professor-Only Sanctioned Event, whereas most players should know the rules

That's all I could think of. But a REL2 at a City Championship or in the swiss rounds of a State Championship isnt needed and will turn away players. Events like the Worlds Championship should have higher level of rule enforcement.
-Phil
 
Yes we should have something similar, but then that would require more documentation from PUSA/PUI that would have strange wording.
Getting the floor rules "lines out" would be a better use of their time right now I think.
 
All Pomemon events under WotC, Premier or not, were REL1 with the exception of 2 that I know of - Worlds in 2002 and Professor Championships in 2003.

Nationals and Worlds IMHO should be run at REL2, Worlds possibly higher - but, we don't even have penalty guidelines or established RELs yet.

However, qualitas definio severitas - let the circumstances dictate the severity.
 
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IIRC there is no difference in the penalties that "should" be applied between REL 1 and REL 2.

The difference comes as DaytonGymLeader states in how strictly rules should be enforced. Under REL1 you anticipate that players will commit infractions while under REL 2 you take a harder line on infractions. So under REL 1 a judge is much more likely to downgrade a penalty.

Even under wotc the RELs were 'guidelines'. so even saying that the Penalty guides state what penalty "should" be applied is not quite correct. Judges have a tremendous amount of flexibility in how the apply penalties.
 
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