Rules about the Library

Asked by The_Epic_Dog 4 years ago

Basically, I just want to know if there are specific rules on how my library is arranged.

  1. Can I, when scrying or using Teferi's Puzzle Box put the cards on the bottom of my library at alternating right angles, so as to know when each group of cards is coming up?

  2. If I have scried a card to the bottom, can I look at it while it's still in my library if I haven't shuffled since then?

  3. Could I just decide to have my library spread out in a line in front of me, as a dredge player would do with their graveyard?

  4. Could I have my library split up into multiple piles, as long as it was clear to both me and my opponent which pile was in which place from top to bottom?

  5. Could I decide to play with my library upside down, so both players could always see the bottom card? If I can, could i combine this with question 3?

  6. Can I do any/all of these things with my opponent's library?

  7. Can I decide to always play with my hand revealed, as if there was always a Telepathy in play under my opponent's control?

Kogarashi says... Accepted answer #1

Some of what you're asking is covered in the Comprehensive rules.

Rule 401.2. "Each library must be kept in a single face-down pile. Players can’t look at or change the order of cards in a library." is relevant to most of these.

  1. No. That would be a form of marking the cards, which is not allowed per tournament rules. You might be able to get away with this with a casual playgroup, but you'll need to ask first.

  2. No. Per the above-quoted rule, once the card is back in your library, you can't look at it unless an effect lets you. There is, however, nothing stopping you from writing down known information.

  3. No. Per the above, a spread-out line is not a face-down pile.

  4. No. Per the above, it needs to be a single pile.

  5. No. Per the above, it needs to be face-down. Not only that, but if you spread it in a line, then your entire library is known, which is against the rules.

  6. No. Not only do the rules say not to, but it's your opponent's library, not yours. You don't mess with your opponent's hand/library/graveyard/etc. unless a game effect allows it.

  7. No. Rule 402.3. "A player may arrange their hand in any convenient fashion and look at it at any time. A player can’t look at the cards in another player’s hand but may count those cards at any time." -- The hand is a hidden zone and is only revealed if a game effect says so. If your opponent doesn't have something like Telepathy on the board, they can't see what's in your hand. That said, there's nothing stopping you from just telling your opponent things about your hand, but I'm not sure why you'd want to.

May 26, 2019 1:22 p.m.

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