Greetings.

I would like an ‘O’fficial answer on this question please.

The two last players of a PPTQ are about to play the final round of the top 8. The winner will earn 10 booster packs and be invited to the RPTQ. The loser will earn 20 booster packs. One of the player is superstitious and, before the match begins, he asks the other player whether he would agree on a 9/21 distribution of packs instead of 10/20, which is obviously an uneven split.

My understanding of MTR 5.2 about bribery is that, in this case, it is mandatory that one of the players also agrees to drop from the tournament immediately. They cannot agree on 9/21 and then play the match normally.

However at least two different L3s from different Regions have clearly told me that in that case it was legal to agree on such an uneven split even if nobody drops from the tournament, and then the players play the final round normally in order to determine the winner who will be invited to the RPTQ and earn 9 boosters.

What is the correct interpretation of the MTR, please?

Thread closed pending an Official answer.

Loic, I think I see how you're drawing that (incorrect) conclusion:

Originally posted by MTR 5.2:

As an exception, players in the announced last round of the single-elimination portion of a tournament may agree to divide tournament prizes as they wish. In that case, one of the players at each table must agree to drop from the tournament.

(emphasis added)

Note that that phrase begins with “As an exception…”, and the first part of that entire paragraph is what that exception refers to:

Players are allowed to share prizes they have not yet received in the current tournament as they wish and may agree as such before or during their match, as long as any such sharing does not occur in exchange for any game or match result or the dropping of a player from the tournament.

Essentially, until the last round (and the exception that applies to it), players may not combine match outcome with prize arrangements. In the finals, there's an exception that allows the match outcome to be determined in combination with one player dropping - typically “I win {byes}{RPTQ slot}, you get the prizes (and must drop)”.

The players in your example are sharing prizes not yet received, but the match result is not connected with that, so the exception isn't applicable.

Or, shorter version: the exception relates to determining match outcome.

d:^D

Edited Scott Marshall (April 4, 2017 04:27:03 PM)

So if I understand correctly, in the case of the final round, the change of prize distribution MUST be linked to a match result right?

To go a little further is it possible to explain
- why rearranging the prizes (unevenly) then playing the match to have a winner is not permitted? If they are trying to do it, how should we react? I have witnessed throughout the past years numerous times where the 2 finalists redifined the prizes (because commonly the TO gave more to the finalist of a PPTQ than to the winner because the invite to the RPTQ and the promo card was implicit for the winner).
- why the finals is exactly the opposite of the other rounds?

Overall, I would have quite some difficulties if I have to explain that to a player.

Edited Olivier Wattel (April 5, 2017 08:12:10 AM)

Theo, if we have Invite and 20 boosters for 1st place and 10 boosters for 2nd players can:
a) Agree that they swap or split 30 boosters differently for 1st and 2nd. Then they can play to determinate who is 1st, gets invite and new number of packs.
b) Player A says that he isn't interested in invite, but he want more boosters. Since invite is connected with 1st place, player A must drop from final.

Originally posted by Théo CHENG:

So if I understand correctly, in the case of the final round, the change of prize distribution MUST be linked to a match result right?

To go a little further is it possible to explain
- why rearranging the prizes (unevenly) then playing the match to have a winner is not permitted? If they are trying to do it, how should we react? I have witnessed throughout the past years numerous times where the 2 finalists redifined the prizes (because commonly the TO gave more to the finalist of a PPTQ than to the winner because the invite to the RPTQ and the promo card was implicit for the winner).
- why the finals is exactly the opposite of the other rounds?

Overall, I would have quite some difficulties if I have to explain that to a player.

I think you don't understand (quite) correctly.

In any round, the players may divide or reassign their prizes and then play their match.

In the final round of a single-elimination event, the players may also divide or reassign their prizes and then not play their match (in which case one player must drop, and the other player will be recorded as the winner for the purpose of invites and such).

Edited Thomas Ralph (May 9, 2017 04:24:21 AM)