Subject: A Contrast in "Cheating" Incidents
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 14:18:21 -0400
From: "John Robertson" <johnr@myna.com>
To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com

Preface: Hi Frank, it's John.  I'd like to contribute my $0.02 on the whole
cheating debate.

When I first heard about the Mike Long incident at the US Nationals, I was
shocked.  Not that Mike Long had supposedly been caught cheating, as he
certainly has that reputation, deservedly or not, but instead at his
punishment.

Last year, I was DQ'd from the Canadian Regionals because of a decklist
error.  I've never cheated, the decklist error was a simple one, but
according to the rules, it was a disqualification-worthy mistake, and so I
was out.  Fine, if that's the rules, then no problem.  My mistake was
fairly major, I guess, I had only 58 cards on my decklist, so I can live
with it.

This year, at the Canadian Nationals.  Jordan Christiansen made it to the
final 8, the stepping stone to the National team, only to be disqualified
because HE failed a deck check.  In Jordan's case, he had written down four
Tradewind Riders on his decklist twice, giving him 64 cards in his main
deck and 8 Tradewind Riders on his decklist.

Now, of course, he didn't have 8 Tradewinds in his main deck, that's an
obvious disqualification.  All he had done was write down the same card
twice as he was going through his deck and writing it down.  There's
absolutely nothing to be gained from making this  -- it's obviously just a
mistake, but the rules are the rules, and because Jordan failed his deck
check, he was disqualified.

This is what bothers me.  In Jordan's case, it was quite clear that it was
an innocent error, and yet he was punished quite severely for it.  Again,
that's fine, I can live with that, if that's the way the rules are being
enforced.  Yet in Mike Long's case, here's a player caught with a card in
his lap.  The key card of a combo deck.  To most people's thinking, there's
no question, he was cheating.  Even if he wasn't, and it was an accident,
and I don't rule that out, then he should still have been disqualified.  If
we're willing to disqualify people from major tournaments because of
mistakes, then we should definately not enforce this policy selectively.
Jordan Christiansen's mistake was absolutely an innocent one, and he's not
going to Seattle.  Mike Long's probably was NOT an innocent one, and he's
on the US National Team.

Something is very wrong here.  (duh)

John