Back when this resulted in a GL there was no real problem, since it would end the current game(s).
Now the IPG says Warning with a remedy - “Remove any incorrect cards from the deck, including any sideboard cards that could not yet legally have been added. Locate any cards missing from the deck and shuffle them into the randomized portion of the deck.”

Sounds great on paper, but in actuality time consuming and potentially disruptive:
Since I basically only have the player's word to go by and don't know the decklist, do I just let them resolve this? Can I trust them not to put any cards from the sideboard that they aren't supposed to? I'm sure the opponent wouldn't like that.
Am I even really needed to be there when they do it, if nothing else only for appearances?
Or is it the other extreme - go get the decklist, and with the play correct the deck by it? Sounds like a logistical nightmare in say, a GP.

The deck check team should be able to easily and quickly locate the list of the player. Use the list to make sure that all problems are fixed, to avoid any more problems that would have went undetected, and ensure we only have to intervene, penalize the player, and add extra time once.

I would discourage taking the player word for it, not because I would be afraid he would try to abuse it (it would be pretty easy to catch, as a quick verification during the match to the list would catch that), but because the player can easily get it wrong, a lot of players being confused about their own sideboard.

- Emilien

My approach is to issue the penalty, describe the fix, and then let the player follow through on the fix.

My thinking is this - the player has owned up to the penalty, which means they have a good solid measure of honesty. The type of player who would risk deliberately presideboarding is the type of player who wouldn't have called a judge in the first place.

Additionally, there are two types of sideboard card: (a) minor upgrade (e.g. extra cheap removal); or (b) game winning (e.g. Stony Silence versus an artifact deck). If I'm observing someone as they perform the fix, I'm not going to necessarily know if they're deliberately taking a category (a) card and putting it in the main deck or not. So my observation isn't particularly helpful, and is not much different to me not observing at all. However while I may notice a category (b) card (and hence ask some questions), the opponent is also going to be suspicious if, during Game 1, a category (b) card is played. And a judge is likely to be called and an investigation had. I don't need to watch out for sneakiness with category (b) cards as the opponent will likely catch those.

So ultimately, leaving the players to fix it looks, to me, like a very low change of shenanigans. And in the unlikely event of shenanigans, it would be very high risk and low reward for said player.

It's also possible to split the difference on these.

Have the player fix the issue themselves, and note down the cards they are
correcting out and in. You can even use your cellphone to take a picture
of the corrected sideboard if you want and it is faster than writing it.

That lets them fix it quickly.

Then once you have that info, you head to the checks area and go confirm
that it was correct. If it's not, the result is a DQ and it does not
matter if you took some extra time to come to this conclusion.

If you find out they were honest, then they did not have to wait on you
walking back and forth and getting the list.

You can also have them fix it quickly while you run get the list, take a
photo on your phone, and come back and use that photo to confirm. (That
way the list is not leaving the checks area, and you are less likely to
show that list to the opponent on accident.)

—
Rob McKenzie
Magic Judge Level III
Judge Regional Coordinator USA-North
Minnesota


On Tue, Nov 20, 2018 at 7:44 AM Mark Mc Govern <

Zohar,

What I would do is go off to the side with them and have them correct it (and actively watch). By being active with the player, you shut off avenues of Cheating and you have a clear path to detection.

You can watch them and check to see what they are siding in/out. If they seem like they are presideboarding, you now have avenues to explore:

-Ask them why they maindeck those cards. They should be able to tell you why.

-You can take what you've written down about what they moved, then run and check it vs their decklist.

-You can pull their decklist, and you can SB check them once they fix it. If you're concerned about the walk, you can pull their SB, fan it out on another table, take a picture, return it, then go pull their decklist and check.

You have some investigation, and physical evidence that you can then take to the HJ to alert them of Cheating.

In the more common case of “the player knows and can fix it, and does so”, you've minimized the time spent vs going through the decklist. By being active, you also present a better image to the player. They are aware of you trying to help vs you just being there to give them a penalty.


I'd highly recommend Eric Shukan's outstanding articles on investigations:

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/articles/2014/12/30/investigations-the-search-for-collateral-truths/

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/articles/2015/01/06/investigations-the-search-for-collateral-truths-part-2/

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/articles/2015/01/13/investigations-the-search-for-collateral-truths-part-3/

First, just ask the player if they know what's (supposed to be) in their sideboard; if they're confident in saying Yes, then stay with them while they fix it - then go check, after you get them back to playing and complete the process (write on the slip, add a time extension).

It's also possible they'll say “no, but I have my notes here”, and you can consult those notes to help them.

If it's clear that they'll need their decklist to correct the issue, enlist help from another judge, to go get the list. You shouldn't abandon the players at this point - too many things can go wrong! - and instead can help the player try to figure out most of the corrections, while you wait for the list.
Note: at smaller events, like a PPTQ, you're probably going to have to go get the list yourself - but you also won't have to walk 300 yards (or meters) across a convention center floor to do so, making it less likely that the players will go off the rails in your absence.

To Zohar's original point - yes, this isn't as quick and easy as the old “Game Loss solves all ills” approach (heh), but ultimately it's a much more reasonable outcome for a silly mistake.

d:^D

Originally posted by Rob McKenzie:

Have the player fix the issue themselves, and note down the cards they are
correcting out and in. You can even use your cellphone to take a picture
of the corrected sideboard if you want and it is faster than writing it.

That lets them fix it quickly.

Then once you have that info, you head to the checks area and go confirm
that it was correct.

I like this idea the most. Anything that won't develop into a full lengthy deck-check (or an outright investigation) and I don't need to leave the players for the first part.
Verifying only the sideboard afterwards seems elegant enough, and still makes use of the decklist.