From: Greg Cantori To: DCIA list Subject: Scouting - Greg's Simple Solution Date: Friday, 4 September 1998 09:22 I ought to be paid for these - really. Right, so everybody scouts (yes, I admit it too - I've sneaked peeks at people building their decks, but it's never really helped), and team members *will* talk amongst themselves. The GSS is: (drum roll) Allow unlimited and unregistered sideboards! Thats right - bring as many format-legal cards as you wish to a tournament, and just dig into your bag for the ultimate tech after the first duel. Example 1. hardly anybody plays Necro any more, and who bothers to have 2 or 3 Anvils of Bogarden in their sideboard? Now you can, just to deal with the odd rogue deck. Example 2. The Trap deck (Pendrell Mists, Natures Revolt) is a damn good deck that is hard to beat without artifact mana. Now, you can side in a few Diamonds or Mind Stones, or even that Teferi's Realm. Example 3. Worried about Cursed Scrolls and Null Brooch in a Vineyard Deck? Just reach for your Null Rods! (that sounds rude!) To prevent players from totally changing their deck, you would have to have a rule where no more than, say, 10 cards can be swapped. This would still permit color or theme blocking, and in the event of a third (or further) duel, you would still be limited to no more than 10 cards from the original deck to be changed. In other words, you cannot change 10 different cards, resulting in a 20-card modification. Of course, your opponents will also have unlimited sideboards, and the game will become a lottery with each player guessing, second-guessing and bluffing his opponent into making the wrong sideboard choices. Opinions - would this idea work? Bear in mind that the game is already about matchups. A beats B, B beats C and C beats A. Would Greg's Simple Solution be any worse? Greg Cantori, Systems Consultant, HCF of Australia Ltd http://www.mpx.com.au/~greg/ tel: (02) 9290-0357 (bus) 0419-220-291 (mob)