GymLeaderPhil
New Member
I find it very unprofessional to comment on a ruling/judgement made by another judge at events that I was not at, but I would like to address a couple points to clear any misconceptions up.
Announcements
Prereleases are the most common and frequently scheduled (sealed) premiere events. As such they are usually the first tournament experiences for many Pokemon Players. There is never a time that I find it more important to talk about the rules of the game and the event itself than at Prereleases. So many multiple questions can be answered with detailed announcements and that is the reason they are done. Not to annoy those who already "know it all" who are in the vast minority. This is the standard announcements guide that I have and that is used at almost every premiere event.
Detailed? Yes. Lengthy? Occasionally. Necessary? Only because one tends to be asked the same questions over and over if things are covered early on. We want everyone to be on the same page.
Deck Construction Parings
For any sealed event there should be seperate parings for deck construction. I'm not quite sure if the new software allows this, as I have not played around with it much, but this is a must so that players who are constructing their decks are not playing one another the next round. It should never be a problem if friends or family members are paired against one another or across for the construction period (however it should be stressed about not allowing trading as mentioned above).
Deck Checks
Deck checks are not a necessity ALTHOUGH I stress the importance of doing them after players have constructed their decks (for Prereleases checking the list to the cards, counting the extras to check to see if it adds up to the magic number of 54) and during the beginning/ending of rounds randomly. We tend to be a bit more thorough about this and I'm sure different TOs/Judges have different standards/policies.
Prize Card Penalties
Here is the current Prize Card Penalty:
Is a judge allowed to issue a prize card penalty to a player inbetween rounds? That's a gray issue and is dependant fully on a case by case basis. I interpret the Prize Card Penalty to be used for in-game mistakes for the game state when it adversely affected the opponent. If I should issue a Prize Card Penalty to a player inbetween rounds I would be giving his next opponent an unfair advantage. Again, this is my interpretations based on the wording in the Penalty Guidelines.
No player should ever be required to draw for a Prize Card Penalty given to their opponent if they wish not to.
Overall
Prereleases are casual fun events, where the cards are new to everyone and, to some, the entire game/tournament scene. Major penalties should be avoided at all costs in favor of teaching players the correct things to do. However some situations make this unavoidable.
Whatever rulings and decisions that were made at the event are obviously not going to be overturned. Any appeals should have been made onsite, but I'm sure if you address whatever problems you might have to the tournament organizer, head judge, and POP that things will be cleared up.
Announcements
Prereleases are the most common and frequently scheduled (sealed) premiere events. As such they are usually the first tournament experiences for many Pokemon Players. There is never a time that I find it more important to talk about the rules of the game and the event itself than at Prereleases. So many multiple questions can be answered with detailed announcements and that is the reason they are done. Not to annoy those who already "know it all" who are in the vast minority. This is the standard announcements guide that I have and that is used at almost every premiere event.
Announcements
-Thank everybody for coming out to the event
-The format of the tournament, the number of rounds that will be played, the length of a round, if there are any breaks (for lunch)
-If it's limited, the time for deck construction, the kind and number of Energy that players are allowed to add (and where they are located), what is and what is not allowed during construction (like trading cards), filling out what you opened before you build your deck, putting your deck in order based on the deck sheet, explain the exception to the four card per deck limit and that decks should be 40 cards and you should play with four prize cards.
-If it's a draft, the commands that will be used during the draft, the time between commands and when players can look at their cards in addition to the limited rules.
-Don’t change your deck
-Outside translations must be present during the round
-Deck Checks (inside the rounds and during registration, if applicable)
-Short introduction of the staff and their role
-The rules enforcement level and what that implies (active or passive judging)
-Explain the reasons to call a judge over to your match (Your opponent is the worst person to ask about rules issues. If you have a question and you don't know the answer, ask the judge.)
-Explain how penalties will be dealt and how repeated mistakes add up
-Ask players to verify when seated that you have the right opponent
-Damage counters and dice, Coins (must land at 15 degree angle, flip 3 times in the air, must land in your play area (Deck to prizes), and must be an Pokemon USA coin from RS-On.
-Make your opponent shuffle in front of you
-Discuss acceptable conduct within the event
-Touch on cheating and the importance of Spirit Of the Game
-Give detailed examples of rushing and stalling
-Remind spectators/parents that outside assistance is not allowed
-Explain that drinks, food, and electronical devices are not allowed on tables, throw away trash
-Discuss end of the match procedures with match slips
-Give details about what will be raffled off and that no more raffle tickets will be issued
-The amount of prizes available and the way they are divided
-Show where the information board is and explain what is on it (Conduct, Schedule, Standings, Prize Listings, Future Events, Misc. Information)
-Open the floor for questions and discuss recent rulings from PUI and important changes to the rules (errata)
Detailed? Yes. Lengthy? Occasionally. Necessary? Only because one tends to be asked the same questions over and over if things are covered early on. We want everyone to be on the same page.
Deck Construction Parings
For any sealed event there should be seperate parings for deck construction. I'm not quite sure if the new software allows this, as I have not played around with it much, but this is a must so that players who are constructing their decks are not playing one another the next round. It should never be a problem if friends or family members are paired against one another or across for the construction period (however it should be stressed about not allowing trading as mentioned above).
Deck Checks
Deck checks are not a necessity ALTHOUGH I stress the importance of doing them after players have constructed their decks (for Prereleases checking the list to the cards, counting the extras to check to see if it adds up to the magic number of 54) and during the beginning/ending of rounds randomly. We tend to be a bit more thorough about this and I'm sure different TOs/Judges have different standards/policies.
Prize Card Penalties
Here is the current Prize Card Penalty:
6.3 Prize Card Penalty
The Prize Card Penalty is used when a mistake has been made that signifcantly affects the game state and there is no clear way to resolve the issue, or when a Warning has been given and a Game Loss penalty would be too harsh. When issuing a Prize Card Penalty, a judge gives the player who did not commit the penalty the option to draw one of his or her Prize cards into his or her hand. The penalty is still recorded, even if the player chooses to not draw the prize card. If this Prize card happens to be the last Prize card, the game is over, and the player who drew his or her last Prize card is given the game win.
Is a judge allowed to issue a prize card penalty to a player inbetween rounds? That's a gray issue and is dependant fully on a case by case basis. I interpret the Prize Card Penalty to be used for in-game mistakes for the game state when it adversely affected the opponent. If I should issue a Prize Card Penalty to a player inbetween rounds I would be giving his next opponent an unfair advantage. Again, this is my interpretations based on the wording in the Penalty Guidelines.
No player should ever be required to draw for a Prize Card Penalty given to their opponent if they wish not to.
Overall
Prereleases are casual fun events, where the cards are new to everyone and, to some, the entire game/tournament scene. Major penalties should be avoided at all costs in favor of teaching players the correct things to do. However some situations make this unavoidable.
Whatever rulings and decisions that were made at the event are obviously not going to be overturned. Any appeals should have been made onsite, but I'm sure if you address whatever problems you might have to the tournament organizer, head judge, and POP that things will be cleared up.
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