TOURNAMENT RULES

When challenging, players should use the "Challenge Match" with options 'Deck Type: 60 cards Rebalanced', 'Format: Best of 3', 'Coin Flip' as this enables both turn timers and ensures coin flip is randomized in a Best of 3 setting. This will be used in Swiss rounds. For the top 8, we will have it so that the player with the better record chooses who goes first.

The tournament will be composed of up to 7 Swiss-system rounds (depending on amount of participants; see 'Number of Rounds' section below). Players will be entered into these rounds against opponents with equal or like records, with the top 8 seeding decided by a point-based system. Points will be given based on Win/Draw/Loss. The top 8 will compete in a single elimination bracket to determine ranking. Depending on the number of players and prize pool size, winnings may be distributed to the top 4 or top 8 - we expect that all top 8 will receive some prize. Each round will be restricted to a 50-minute timer. If a pairing surpasses the 50-minute mark, participants are to immediately submit their current score (be it 1-0 or 1-1). This helps us keep the tournament progressing in a timely manner.

INTENTIONAL DRAWS

The primary goals of the tournament organizers are two-fold:

1. Run our events professionally and in a manner that, to the greatest extent possible, mirrors the high-stakes competitive events run by Wizards and other well-known, respected tournament organizers at the highest levels of competitive Magic: The Gathering play.
2. Have events that are fun for all participants, focusing on good sportsmanship, friendly play, and other qualities that make for the best Magic tournament experience for everyone.

Generally, these rules are not in conflict, but because we are a community-run event with smaller prize pools that wishes to emphasize playing out games, intentional draws will only be allowed when we have 33 or more participants. This deviates from tournament practices at the highest levels of competitive play, but we do this to make sure that smaller, lower-stakes events are just that: lower-stakes and focused more on fun.

NUMBER OF ROUNDS AND TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE

We will follow the tournament structure corresponding to the amount of entrants here: MTR Appendix E — Recommended Number of Rounds in Swiss Tournaments - Rules Resources (magicjudges.org)

DECKLISTS

This tournament is open decklist, meaning that decklists must be submitted before the tournament begins and will be viewable by all participants and the public as the tournament is progressing. They should be visible here on Matcherino at tournament starting time.

Decklists shared on Matcherino MUST match the list you are playing with in the tournament. If there is any discrepancy, you may be disqualified at the staff's discretion.

GENERAL LOGISTICS

The tournament will primarily be run and organized via the Discord server linked here: https://discord.gg/Uwcb23bxTK

We ask that you are active on the Discord server, Matcherino, and MTG: Arena as a participant for the duration of the tournament to ensure you may be reached when needed by opponents and/or tournament staff.

If you are not checked in before the tournament begins, you will be dropped from the tournament.

The chat labeled '#tournament' will be the primary discussion venue for all things related to the tournament, and we will also have a voice channel dedicated to open tournament discussion. All other channels labeled 'Feature Match N' (where N is some number) are free for participants to stream their matches, with the following rules:

1. Only one actively playing tournament participant is allowed in a 'Feature Match' channel at a time for viewing by spectators. These spectators are either not participating in the tournament or have finished their match that round.
2. As a participant, you may ONLY view others' active matches after you have completed your match in a given round.
3. To mitigate the chances of stream sniping, we suggest for Twitch streamers to either NOT publicly stream their matches, or simply record their matches and upload them to Twitch, Youtube, or wherever after the completion of the tournament/after your match is done. Of course, we cannot enforce this, so you may stream at your own risk, or perhaps with a slight delay to discourage stream sniping.

Upon completion of a round, participants should send their results to either Matcherino, or tournament organizers if need be.

No unsportsmanlike behavior - do your best and focus on having fun! If you plan on dropping out of the tournament after rounds have started, please let staff know so we can adjust accordingly. You also have the option of dropping out of the tournament through Matcherino directly.

TOURNAMENT ORGANIZERS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO ADJUST THE PRIZE PAYOUT STRUCTURE AS NECESSARY TO CORRESPOND TO THE NUMBER OF ENTRANTS. PARTICIPANTS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF ANY MAJOR CHANGES.