Subject: Issue:How I would clean up the Pro Tour Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 23:11:22 -0400 From: "John Jenkins" To: I just finished reading an article on The Dojo by Andrea Kunstt, dated 27JUL98 regarding cheating on the Pro Tour and what can be done about it. Here are my ideas on how to rectify this situation. First, get rid of or change petty, unenforceable rules that have no real bearing on the game. One such rule that has been done away with is the desleeving rule(thank goodness for that). Another in this category is marked sleeves due to defect. Let's face it, you can look at the cards in a deck with malformed sleeves and tell if someone is cheating or just has crappy sleeves. If someone is cheating, punish them, if not leave it alone. Secondly, the fact that there are various levels of judges in a given tournament who may be reversed by others is a very precarious situation. If a player doesn't like a ruling, he can simply call over the next most senior judge and ask him to review it. Since Magic is being played at a competitive level it should follow the same procedures every other professional sport does, the official's word is final. That's it, game over, no questions, no arguments. If it turns out the judge is wrong, then tell him so and if he makes the same mistake again remove him. Simple, no problems. Third, let's have a policy for judges who are friends of players. If a judge is friends with a player , then he or she can't make a ruling involving that player. The juydge should recuse himself or herself and call another judge over. If a judge is lenient or forgiving to someone based on friendship, remove the judge. Again, no question. Fourth, as players we need to stop whining all the time. Sometimes if you lose, just accept the fact that you got your butt kicked and move on. Don't call a judge over to count cards and check sleeves and snivel about how your opponent looked at you wrong and made you mess up. You are a big boy or girl now, grow up. Finally, and most important, PUNISH people who viloate the rules. I have never seen a referee in football throw a flag for holding and then tell an offensive lineman that it was ok this time but don't do it again. 10 yards back and have a nice day. So punish players who violate the rules, penalize them in life or force them to discard (without effects being generated by the discarding of the cards), take away a turn, do something. And, hey if you get called for unsportsmanlike conduct(like sitting on the back of your chair, or having a card in your lap, hmmm) it's shower time bozo, enjoy the show from the locker room. So until next time, that's 15 yards and and an automatic first down.