General Grand Prix questions
General forum
Posted on March 5, 2014, 8:51 a.m. by iVampire
GP Richmond will be my first Grand Prix and I have some general questions regarding how competitive they are.
1) Are there people that will call a judge just to get a win?
2) Should I put shenanigans in my deck, like snow covered basics instead of regular basics, to put people on edge?
3) Can I have my Rock Lobster , Paper Tiger , and Scissors Lizard and some various tokens in my deck box with my deck and sideboard?
4) How often are there deck checks?
5) Which matches are live streamed?
6) A tournament of this size must have a little lee way for finding a table with 3000 other people around, right?
Thanks for any help!
1/ Depends on what you mean by that. It is always a good idea to call a judge over before anything escalates.
2/ I do not think anyone will be fooled by that, but it will allow you to play Skred and other awesome cards. I tip my hat to you if this actually works.
3/ I would like to say it is no problem, as everyone will know they are for, and I would be pleased to use this way to determine the starting order.
I dare not answer anything else lest I confuse thou.
March 5, 2014 8:58 a.m.
@ThatBlueMage regarding number 5, what about for rounds one, two and three? A lot of people will be tied and near the top tables
March 5, 2014 8:58 a.m.
Servo_Token says... #5
It's up to the system to determine who's seated at #1. Much like assigned seating at FNM, it's pretty much random up until round 3.
Also, I totally forgot that GPRichmond is Modern. In which case, you may be able to pull off the snow lands. It'd at least give your opponent something to think about. I wouldn't personally do it, but if you think it will give you an edge, go for it.
March 5, 2014 9:03 a.m.
I have the snow lands and the only basics in my deck are mountains so I thought it might be fun. Thanks for the help!
March 5, 2014 9:05 a.m.
Depends on exactly what you mean by this, but I suspect you're referring to folks either rules lawyer or trying to manipulate you into a game loss. But yes, at a tournament as big as GP Richmond there will be these kind of people. It's not nearly prevalent enough to necessarily worry about it though. Just play tight clean Magic and announce what you're doing and you shouldn't have any problems. If a Judge is called just calmly, and truthfully, explain what happened. On the flip-side, don't be afraid to call a Judge yourself. They are there to resolve issues, use them.
You can, but this kind of next-leveling is rarely worth the effort. You'll win more games focusing on your technical play and lines rather than trying to bluff or psyche out our opponent.
You should have nothing in your deck box but your 75 cards and maybe some clearly identifiable tokens. If you get deck checked, you will get a game loss if there is any other cards in the box. You can double check with a judge, but I wouldn't risk keeping Rock Lobster , Paper Tiger , and Scissors Lizard in the deck box. Even if everyone knows their purpose you still technically have real and non-legal Magic card in the mix with your registered deck list, it would be not that different than say finding a Force of Will in your sideboard.
I believe it's supposed to be something like 10% of the field is supposed to be checked. GP Richmond is capping at 5000, so max there will be 500 deck checks. They are chosen randomly, but your odds are otherwise 10% - perhaps with some increase if you do well while others drop.
Feature matches and who needs to report to the feature match area will be announced.
Yes, and the cut off times for game loss and match loss for arriving to your table late will be announced.
March 5, 2014 12:29 p.m.
Slycne the way you describe it, if I'm using a dragon egg bag to carry my deck around and it has 4 deck slots, I use 3 of the other slots for decks, it'll be a problem... Which I don't think is true as many others use the same kind of thing.
click image for full size.
March 5, 2014 12:35 p.m.
fluffybunnypants says... #9
1) Yes.
2) Don't expect it to win you the game. I like the Snow-Covered Island art, so I use one.
3) Well you CAN, but you'll get a game loss if you get deck checked.
@ gufymike: They should be providing you a cardboard box to keep your deck + sideboard in. They check your deck box, not your backpack.
4) No idea, but expect at least two rounds of them.
5) Whichever they choose?
6) You should be made aware how much time you have at the players meeting in the AM.
March 5, 2014 1:23 p.m.
fluffybunnypants Technically it's not a 'back pack' and it's not a deck box, it's a hybrid in between, with no room for the deck box. Last gp I took it too there was no issue or questions.
March 5, 2014 1:26 p.m.
fluffybunnypants says... #11
@ gufymike: It was a little hard for me to determine the size of the bag from the photo, my b.
In that case, I wouldn't expect issues unless it wasn't clear what decks were which (i.e. they all have the same sleeves) (aside from other things they check for).
March 5, 2014 1:36 p.m.
gufymike I'm not a judge, so I can't say how they would handle Dragon Eggs. If they make you hand over the whole thing or just the deck of cards. Though I'll likely ask one tonight just because I'm curious.
But I have received a game loss in the past for something as innocuous as having an unsleeved Island in my deck box. Considering it takes all of 5 minutes and you only stand to loose by not preparing for it, it seems in favor of erring on the safe side.
March 5, 2014 1:42 p.m.
fluffybunnypants says... #13
@Slycne: I've seen it happen to a lot of people. No extra cards in your deckbox while at a competitive REL event.
March 5, 2014 2:21 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #14
1) There are some players out there who will work any angle they can get if they see an opening, but they're not pervasive. Just be on your best play-behavior and try not to worry too much about this.
2) Snow-Covered lands are legal in Modern, so yes that's fine.
3) Tokens in your deck box is fine. Because silver-bordered cards aren't legal in Modern, they can't conceivably be played in your deck, so they're also fine. A judge won't assess a "Deck/Decklist Error" penalty if he sees those cards during a deck check (at least he shouldn't).
4) The judge staff will have a goal of some predetermined number of checks each round, based on the total size of the event. In anything more than a very small event, it's impossible to check everyone.
5) In early rounds, matches featuring high profile players with interesting decks. In later rounds it's mostly the same thing, but with more emphasis on particularly high-stakes matches.
6) The announcements from the judge staff will make it clear how much time you have to get to your seat after matches are posted.
March 5, 2014 2:26 p.m.
the3rdH0kage says... #15
Most of the question have already been effectively answered but I'll throw in my slight judging experience knowledge
First off deck checks. A tournament is generally supposed to do deck checks on at least 10% of the decks. Generally they do deck checks every round.
Extra cards, when I did deck checks at the Comp REL tournament I judged I didn't come across that, but I put all extra cards in different colored sleeves then my deck when in my deck box. I use either pink or black sleeves for my deck, and then generally my tokens/ emblems are in my City of Brass sleeves.
At the last competitive tournament I competed in (just 2 weeks ago) we had like 5 minutes after pairings to get to our seat.
There's my 2 cents, take it for what it's worth, and every head judge is different, so the last one may be different at the GP this weekend.
Servo_Token says... #2
1- yes
2- no
3-yes
4-Depends on the head judge, but expect at least 2.
5-Just the top tables, or any matches that are still going on after the features are over.
6-Yes, you aren't expected to be at your table within 30 seconds of pairings going up, you have a couple of minutes, but make it a point to get there quickly.
March 5, 2014 8:55 a.m.