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on Counting Deck Lists

Jan. 8, 2015 11:02:13 AM

Scott Marshall
Forum Moderator
Judge (Level 4 (Judge Foundry)), Hall of Fame

USA - Southwest

on Counting Deck Lists

This has come up multiple times recently, and I've addressed it nearly every time - but it's been in Tournament Reports, so I suspect a lot of people have those notifications turned off. To make sure this message gets out there to everyone, I'm (ab)using this forum. Here's what I wrote in one of those Tournament Report threads:

I'm seeing a common thread in a lot of these recent tournament reports: there is too much emphasis on counting all the lists.

Now, when I say “counting”, I'm referring to making sure each list adds up to 60/15 (or 40/xx). That's a practice that we're moving away from, as it doesn't give us value that matches the cost.

The value is making sure there aren't any silly clerical errors.
The cost is removing staff from the floor, where they could be providing great value - watching Magic, responding quickly to calls - and even doing deck checks.

We (L4+) began some time ago to de-emphasize counting all the lists at GPs, and measured the results. Our conclusion: if we count a portion of all lists on day 1, but increase the number of actual deck checks, the “return on investment” is higher. The things we're most concerned about re: decks and deck lists are more likely to be discovered via deck checks than counting lists.

Since reaching that conclusion, we've been trying to spread the word, because we agree that the concept is even more important at local events (which tend to have a lower Judge:Player ratio).

So, here's the conclusion: don't waste round 1 counting to 60 (or 40)! Make sure you have a list for every player in the event, then get out there and do mid-round deck checks. Be aggressive doing deck checks - but not at the expense of floor coverage.