Subject: Fradulence and inconsistencies at the Virginia State Championships Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 09:44:43 -0400 From: dgallitz@trmnet.com To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Note: WOTC equates a LEVEL FOUR event to be the equivalent of a PRO TOUR EVENT. Why am I writing this instead of a tournament report? Because no matter how much I like John Slaughter, the VA State Champion and best looking long haired lawyer man you'll ever meet, the fact that Virginia States was run as a Level Four Event is basically horsedung. (writing for the kiddies here) First off I'll begin with my own experience at the tournament..I got deck checked in Round three and sure enough I had left off a card from my decklist, which was COMPLETELY MY FAULT. As much as I did not care for the Match Loss penalty I was given (I was 1-1 at the time and for all intents and purposes eliminated from the final eight) I excepted it based on the fact that this was a LEVEL FOUR event, at least that was what the tournament organizer Bill Edwards (Level Three Judge) informed me. I had a 61 card deck and my deck list only accounted for 60 of those fine fellows...sigh, this is what happens when you are signing up for a tournament at the last minute, borrowing cards for your deck and trying to make a deck list all in the span of five minutes while every magic guy you haven't seen in a week feels the need to come and talk to you. I was told that I could make my deck list match my deck and continue on in the tournament. So I drop from the main tournament. Play some side booster drafts win cards go home right...well almost. The VERY NEXT ROUND State Champion John Slaughter and young, budding, blossuming, superstar, well trying to blossum, well at least not always a scrub and Team Lucky Frog Co-captain Ken Russel both get deck checked. Lo and Behold they BOTH had incorrect deck lists. So of course, they will both be getting a match loss and have to make their deck lists match their registration sheets right? OF COURSE NOT! that would have made sense. Ken's deck list is at 58 cards (EVEN HE SAYS HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN EJECTED) Instead, the newfangled Yokuls of southern Virginia have discovered the computer to run this Level FOUR event and the computer seems to NOT be able to handle two players BOTH being given a match-loss. Panic. Agony. What do we do? What would you do? Of all the conceivable possiblities who would have thought up the brilliant strategy of allowing Ken to fix his deck list to 60 cards and to give Ken and John a DRAW for the match and to let the next round continue on as normal. WOTC sanctioned Level Three Judge Bill Edwards thought up this very strategy in fact. Holy amazement Batman! There's some consistency for you. But hold on there boys and girls, just in case you thought this was over, it gets better before it gets better. First off, resolve a batch of effects..you know last in first out and all that jargen... I can do it..you see it involves active players initiating a batch and finishing the batch before allowing their opponent to respond with a fast effect of their own, OK so maybe it isn't Magic 101, probably more like Magic 202, but Level Three Judges should KNOW this. ANd pyroblast, Mind over Matter fiascos shouldn't be causing such a fuss. How do you let a guy play a deck for THREE rounds that uses Yagmouth's will and Hermit druid and Seismic Assualt before A PLAYER IN THE TOURNAMENT has to show the judges in the ORACLE that Lands in your graveyard cannot be 'Discarded'???...in fact, it says it right under the card YAGMOUTH"S WILL! Why do they print that foul fangled Oracle anyways, oh yeah to help our judges..sheesh. Why is it that another Level Three Judge can't simply be left alone to play magic at this Level FOUR event? I for one would have a hard time concentrating on my match if the tournament organizer and judge force was asking ME for rulings during the middle of my match. At least on FOUR seperate incidents Gary Fortunberry was asked how HE would rule on something during this Level FOUR tournament....now any of you out there may correct me if I'm wrong but I for one have never seen THAT at the Pro Tour. I overheard a judge say in the second to last round of the tournament. "We got him! We got him! It's a Slam Dunk! He can't complain. It's a Slam Dunk!" This was in response to a player wanting to know why his opponent wasn't penalized for drawing a card with a NECRO in play and given no penalty while he was given a match loss for misregistered deck. You showed him fella. Those that know me, both at Wizards, abroad and here in Virginina know that I don't say things lightly. I ALWAYS try to give praise where it is due (ie Nuetral Ground in Boston, numerous WOTC events, even when my outcome was not so favourable, Dreamwizards, etc..) It would be one thing if Prezcon and Bill Edwards were new to all of this, but the fact is that they are not. Prezcon has been involved with Magic tournaments since at least regionals in 1995. I also believe that Bill Edwards is a nice sorta fellow who generally likes magic and its players, but the crap that happened this weekend is bad and according to others I have talked to not the first time hazeyness of this sort has been involved in their events. I also know that I'm not exactly making any friends of the guys from Prezcon by posting this. But by GOD, if we are going to run a LEVEL FOUR event Gentlemen than let's run a LEVEL friggen Four event..not some backwater gator hunt under the facade of a Level FOUR event. There are currently THREE Level Three judges in the State of Virginia. My opinion is that Bill and the guys at Prezcon look into hiring one of the OTHER two before ever being allowed to run an event at a Pro Tour level again. Thats about all i have to say (rant on..) about in this matter- Peace- Don Gallitz