Subject: Sportsmanship and rules enforcement at GP Birmingham
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 00:04:20 +0200
From: Manuel Bevand 

I first wanted to write a tournament report about GP Birmingham.

Then, halfway through describing my deck and strategy, I started to
think about the two things who really marked me during that weekend,
aside from the tournament's terrible organization.

These were two of my matches during the actual Grand Prix. They probably
affected my vision of competitive magic much more than anything else
petitive magic much more than anything else
lately.

The first was on day one of the Grand Prix, on round five. I was 3-1
(meaning I had lost my only match after my 3 byes). I sit at my table.
My opponent, Lino Emanuel Lopes Nu from Portugal, shows up in time, and
we start playing.

After a few turns it's obvious that he's playing White weenie. For the
record I was playing a strange, but effective red/green land destruction
deck. White weenie is definitely and without doubt the worst match-up
for my deck.

He plays a soltari priest in the first game and kills me. I sideboard my
mazes of shadows (about my only way to deal with priests) and take the
second game rahter easily. So basically, we're now 1-1, and we know the
loser of this match will NOT make day 2 and lose all his chances at the
money, PT slots or PT points or anything he was looking for coming to
Birmingham from another country.

I finish shuffling my deck and hands it to my opponent. I take his deck
on the table and start pile-shuffling it. My opponent does nothing to
stop me, making it obvious that he had finished sideboarding. However a
few seconds later, as I am halfway shuffling his deck, he stops me.

"I have forgotten a card in my sideboard".

He shows me a disenchant.

Now, I am here, I have his deck in my hands, and I wonder what to do.
Now, I'm a professional player, I have been to almost every Pro Tour
event for like 2 years, and I definitely know the penalty guidelines.y know the penalty guidelines. I
am aware that if I call a judge, it will look like something wrong was
done and I will be likely to win the match WITHOUT playing.

And what do I do?

I notice Carl Crook (head judge of the tournament) passing by, and call
him over. I explain the situation as truthfully as I can. My opponent
gets a double-warning for presenting an illegal deck to shuffle, and a
match loss.

Now, Lino Emanuel Lopes Nu is completely surprised and angry and
confused. He tries to argue with the judge, without success. I had never
seen someone who looked so disappointed, so cheated.

I had just done that.

What did my opponent do that was wrong or unethical?

He forgot a card in his sideboard and told me. BEFORE THE GAME EVEN
STARTED.

What did I do that was wrong or unethical?

I used really stupid rules to gain an unfair advantage over someone who
didn't do anything to deserve that, who was coming from a far place to
play magic. I actually made him cry.

Who got punished?

Obviously the wrong person.

                ****

The second match is the exact opposite of what happened in the first.

It is now round 11, the last round of the tournament. My opponent is
Marco Blume from Germany. He's playing Awakening, a fairly easy matchup
for my deck, and he knows my deck is awfully difficult for his to beat
(I have 4 boils in the sideboard and since we were seated next to each
other before and I bragged about my ch
other before and I bragged about my boils, he knows about it).

We are now out of contention for top 8, but we're playing for the money.
The winner of this match will make top 32 and earn $250. The loser will
not.

We start playing. Marco is friendly and talkative, and plays well. It's
a real tough first game, which ends with both of us at 2 life and me
topdecking a shock, avoiding to lose to his 3/3 spike weaver the next
turn.

Did Marco look disappointed? did he swear about my luck? Did he frown
and stopped talking and hurried me to sideboard?

No. He shook my hand, congratulated me for a good game and proceeded to
sideboard.

I double mulligan in the second game and lose quickly. Now we're 1-1 and
playing a last game to determine the winner.

I take his deck to shuffle, and of course we're now both playing against
time (nobody wants a draw). There is about 15 minutes left, which SHOULD
be enough but we cannot be sure (first game lasted 40 minutes).

So I shuffle quickly, and while shuffling, a few cards drop from my
hands face up on the table.

I panic and turn my eyes to the ceiling to avoid looking at the cards. I
know the penalty guidelines. Doing what I just did means a game loss AT
LEAST.

So does Marco call a judge?

NO. He HELPS me to gather the dropped cards. He tells me I can now
finish to shuffle.

We play the third game. My deck is slow to kill, but I quickly know that
I am going to win, after my boil was uncounteng to win, after my boil was uncountered. I play as fast as
possible. Marco, despite having awakening on the table and things to do,
does them in a timely manner. With 1 minute or so remaining, his playing
style has remained exactly as fast.

I finally win the game, the match, and $250. Marco Blume shakes my hand,
congratulates me for my victory, discusses a potential mistake I might
have done in the first game, and leaves the table.

I stay seated in disbelief as I had just received a lesson in
sportsmanship, politeness and respect.

So now, I really think 2 things should be done.

1 - change the rules enforcement level for open tournaments and the
penalty guidelines in general. Come on guys, this Grand Prix was an OPEN
event. Why throw a lot of the honest, less competitive magic players
into the Rules Lawyer's jaws? Do we really need the highest K value for
this kind of tournament? Do we really need to give game and match losses
for such little, unsignificant and honest infractions?

2 - Make up REAL penalty guidelines for unsportsmanlike conduct. I was
recently at a chess tournament, in which I totally sucked (I'm a really
bad chess player). One thing that totally amazed me was the general
behaviour of player, and more than that, the SILENCE. People told me
that if someone was trash talking or even talking crap in ANY way the
judge would just DQ him immediatly. This is real intellectual sport. A
battle of intellect. As Rob Hahn very clellect. As Rob Hahn very clearly says, just kick the
assholes out of Magic.

Manuel Bevand
Team Legion