As of December 22, 2011, WoTC has pulled the new version of the IPG. The old version will stay in effect for now. When they rerelease the new version, it will be very different. While some of the changes from the December 20 IPG will remain, the most controversial aspects, such as cards functioning differently at different RELs, will not.
Some among you may have noticed that the January 2012 version of the IPG has been removed from the rules section of our website. The changes to that document have been met with a lot of scrutiny and confusion over the last few days, and rightly so.
While we work on a new version of that document, the October 2011 version will remain in effect. We hope to have the new version up before January 1, but working around the holidays can sometimes be chanllenging, so don't be too surprised if it's a bit later than that.
Let me emphasize some of the philosophies behind the tournament rules: 1) Tournament play should welcome new players, protect the honest, guard against abuse, and foster competition. 2) Different levels of play will have different levels of enforcement, but the game doesn't change. The deck you bring to the kitchen table works the same way it does under the bright lights of the Pro Tour.
To that end:
1. Players will not be responsible for pointing out triggered abilities they don't control. This change was met with near-universal praise. At competitive events, the player must assume responsibility for his or her own cards.
2. If an optional triggered ability is missed, it is missed. No player is penalized, and the ability is essentially "lost." You can identify an optional triggered ability in two ways: it says "may" or it asks for a numeical choice (including number of targets), and 0 is a valid choice. The controller is simply assumed to have declined the ability or chosen 0, as appropriate.
3. Number of cards whose functionality is changing: 0. None. Zip. Zilch.
4. Number of cards that will play differently depending on what level of event you're at: 0. The empty set. The big goose egg.
There will be additional information made available in time detailing what exactly the Missed Trigger infraction entails, who gets penalized for what and when, and what players and judges can expect. Until then, I'll leave you with some principles of the changes:
1. If you forget a trigger that benefits you, you're unlikely to be penalized for it ouside of missing out on the effect. There's also little reason to alert a judge at that point. (e.g. Your opponent forgets to put a counter on his Shrine of Burning Rage. Just let it go. He's not getting a warning or the counter.)
2. If you forget a trigger that is to your detriment, you're likely to be penalized with a warning. Pay attention to your own stuff.
3. You will always have a window to point out that an opponent has forgotten a triggered ability and have the effect resolve. If he controls Honden of Whatever the White One Was Called, and you really want him to gain the 2 life, you'll be able to have that happen.
Also, keep in mind that under the current and future sets of rules, purposefully forgetting a mandatory triggered ability in order to gain an advantage is Cheating. Capital C there.
There are a lot of weird situations (e.g. Howling Mine, Curses, etc.) that can come up, and we hope the new IPG will cover them all. Minor gaps may exist, and we'll address them as we go along. (Really, I mean minor gaps, not glaring holes like last time.)
Thanks to everyone who sent email or grabbed me on irc. I apologize if I haven't replied to your message - I got... a few emails. I did read every single piece of feedback that was sent to me, though, and it was all valuable.
It's clear that what we tried to do didn't quite work for everyone. A lot of the criticism out there is just wrong (though that's a sign that it might be more complicated than we expected it to be), but a lot of people had legitimate points or good suggestions, and we'd be foolish to hang onto a policy that clearly wasn't going to accomplish our goals - they were getting lost in various side issues.
So, we huddled together in various groups and tried to get at the core of what we were trying to do, to see if we could find a system that was more streamlined but still achieved our goals. And I think we've gotten somewhere that gets us like 90% of what we wanted while being a lot easier for players and judges (and R&D, for that matter).
What I'm going to do here is lay out the new rules that will go into place for January 1. Because of the holidays, it's going to take a few days to get the formal wordings for the IPG posted to the website, but this should give you all you need to know at this point. Once again, don't panic.
Here's what the players need to know:
1) Unless your trigger has 'may' printed on it, it is mandatory and you can't choose to forget it. Doing so remains Fraud.
2) You are not required to point out your opponent's triggers. If they have missed one that you wanted to happen, you have until the end of first main/end of combat/end of turn (whichever comes first) to point it out and ensure it happens. After that, many triggers will not happen (though some will).
That's it! Please spread the word to all your players.
On the judge side:
1) 1.4 is being rewritten to be clearer. Now that the opponent has easy recourse, a lot of the quirkier definitions go away. Plus, a whole lot more cards have been looked at, which means we've fine-tuned some things. Thanks especially to David Lyford-Smith for his efforts and suggestions.
Note that the goal here is still not to comprehensively identify every trigger or ETB replacement that could possibly be good. We just want to identify things that can realistically be handled in one particular way. What's that way?
2) When an ability covered by 1.4 is missed, and the opponent declines to point it out within the timeframe mentioned above, the ability goes away - no penalty, no trigger. If it isn't covered by 1.4, then you just go down the rest of the missed trigger flow chart and resolve it as expected, including penalty. Of course, if you think that an ability is being missed intentionally by the controller, you should investigate, but these situations now look a lot more suspicious than they used to.
We think that this approach places the appropriate responsibilities on the players at the appropriate times, and is much, much easier to explain. It also accomplishes our goals - making remembering your triggers a bit more skill testing at Competitive levels, cutting down on missed triggers for small beneficial things, and avoiding a lot of the unintuitive situations that putting a trigger on the stack at a later point can cause. Hopefully you'll feel the same way. Obviously you don't have the exact details yet, but I wanted to get this out as fast as we possibly could so that you know know that we were addressing the issues.
As always, I'm happy to hear your feedback. I'd like to thank everyone who sent it in, especially Jason Lemahieu and Matt Tabak, who spent a lot of time and energy working through everything.
Have a happy holidays, everyone!
Toby
Original post is below. Again, these changes, as written below, are not and will not become official policy.
Also released today is a new version of the Infraction Procedure Guide, which contains the following major change:
Quote from "IPG" »
1.4. OPTIONAL ABILITIES
Traditionally, some abilities include the word βmayβ as part of their text, indicating that their effect is optional. At Competitive and Professional REL, some additional triggered abilities and enters-the-battlefield replacement effects are considered optional. The player is not required to follow the instruction when the ability resolves, and if the ability is forgotten it will not retroactively be applied. An optional ability does one or more of the following things, and nothing else:
Gains you life or causes an opponent to lose life.
Puts cards from your library, graveyard, or exile zones into your hand or onto the battlefield. This includes drawing cards.
Causes opponents to put objects from their hand or the battlefield into the library, graveyard or exile.
Puts a permanent into play under your control or gives you control of a permanent.
Puts +x/+x counters, or counters linked to a beneficial effect, on a permanent you control.
Gives +x/+x or a beneficial ability to a target creature you control.
Exiles, damages, destroys, taps, or gives -x/-x to an opponent's target permanent. If the ability could target your own permanents, it is not optional unless that ability could target an opponent.
Gives you additional turns or phases.
Counters a spell or conditionally counters a spell, but only when cast by an opponent.
Abilities that trigger at the same point in each players turn and do something to βthat playerβ (e.g. Howling Mine) are never optional.
This list is comprehensive. An ability that does not fit all of the criteria above is not optional, even if it is to the benefit of the player controlling the ability. Similarly, an optional ability is always optional, even if it would be to the detriment of the player for it to happen.
So, you are now allowed (at Competitive/Professional REL events) to ignore certain instructions, even though they are mandatory as written. This may have significant strategic implications, allowing some cards to work very differently.
There are a few other changes. The most significant among them is that you are no longer responsible if your opponent misses a trigger:
Quote from "IPG" »
Players other than the controller of a trigger are under no obligation to point out that a trigger has been missed, though they may do so if they wish.
Useful Resources (read these before posting questions!)
Just to clarify, is this saying that something like Blue Sun's Zenith can no longer be used to forcibly deck someone at that REL?
I think it's more like if you have a Soul Warden out, and if you miss gaining life for other creatures coming into play, you just can't retroactively gain life from that anymore.
Seems like it addresses the issue of whether or not players can purposely misrepresent the game state if they are aware that their opponent misses a mandatory trigger that would benefit them (Angel of Despair anyone? Or am I completely misunderstanding this?)
As an example, under Rule 1.4, Angel of Despair's ETB trigger is not optional. This is what AoD says:
Quote from Angel of Despair »
When Angel of Despair enters the battlefield, destroy target permanent.
Rule 1.4 says this:
Quote from Rule 1.4 »
Exiles, damages, destroys, taps, or gives -x/-x to an opponent's target permanent. If the ability could target
your own permanents, it is not optional unless that ability could target an opponent.
Since destroying target permanents may target your own permanents and cannot target opponents, Angel of Despair's ETB trigger is therefore mandatory.
Just to make sure i'm understanding this correctly. A few weeks ago at FNM my opponent was playing RDW and incinerated me during his turn while chandra's phoenix was in the grave and did'nt notice until it until my turn (i noticed he did not return but did'nt say anything because i thought it was a may ability) he then returned the phoenix to his hand under this rules change would he not have been able to return it at that time having "missed the oppourtunity"?
It does have some effect on corner cases.
Say you're playing some genesis wave/elf deck. You have 10 various elf creatures and 20 cards left in your library. If you cast a wave with x=7 and procede to hit 2 or more Regal Force.
At regular REL you will deck yourself (12x2 > 13) but at competitive or professional you have the ability to simply ignore that and safely beat face.
Soul Warden is a good simple example. Whenever another creature enters the battlefield, it gains you 1 life. Under the current rules, this is mandatory. If you don't gain the life (at a Competitive/Professional) event, forgetting to gain the life can earn you a penalty.
Under the new rules, you are allowed to decline the life gain. So if you forget, your only penalty will be that you won't have that 1 life.
But here's the interesting bit. You are allowed to decline to gain that 1 life even if it benefits you for some reason. (Perhaps you are at 1 life and have Near-Death Experience on the battlefield.) At Competitive/Professional events, declining the life gain for strategic reasons is now allowed.
It seems very confusing and it is something that many people aren't going to realize even exists. I also feel there are going to be cards that are going to be "immune" to the rule.
If it's optional, it should be optional. If it's mandatory, it should be mandatory.
wait i don't understand. so if your opponent misses a mandatory trigger, for example, missing howling mine's trigger and forget to draw a card on upkeep, you can just say nothing? even if you're aware of?
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wait i don't understand. so if your opponent misses a mandatory trigger, for example, missing howling mine's trigger and forget to draw a card on upkeep, you can just say nothing? even if you're aware of?
No. Howling mine (and any other similar effect that triggers regularly at specific points in each players turn) are still mandatory as normal.
Quote from IPG »
Abilities that trigger at the same point in each players turn and do something to βthat playerβ (e.g. Howling Mine) are never optional.
It does have some effect on corner cases.
Say you're playing some genesis wave/elf deck. You have 10 various elf creatures and 20 cards left in your library. If you cast a wave with x=7 and procede to hit 2 or more Regal Force.
At regular REL you will deck yourself (12x2 > 13) but at competitive or professional you have the ability to simply ignore that and safely beat face.
Edit:
This has no effect on FNM. It only affects events like PTQs, GPTs, PTs, etc.
if your opponent notices this they may bring it to your attention and you will have to draw your cards however.
wait i don't understand. so if your opponent misses a mandatory trigger, for example, missing howling mine's trigger and forget to draw a card on upkeep, you can just say nothing? even if you're aware of?
This is correct. It is no longer your responsibility as a player to remind your opponent to place his triggered abilities on the stack
if your opponent notices this they may bring it to your attention and you will have to draw your cards however.
Traditionally, some abilities include the word βmayβ as part of their text, indicating that their effect is optional. At Competitive and Professional REL, some additional triggered abilities and enters-the-battlefield replacement effects are considered optional. The player is not required to follow the instruction when the ability resolves, and if the ability is forgotten it will not retroactively be applied. An optional ability does one or more of the following things, and nothing else:
You have the option of ignoring such things, regardless of what your opponent says.
Especially important in Koopa's Transcendence example.
makes me sad, as that is the way i've always played at my LGS. i've been at that LGS since i was a noob, and i would forget optional triggers. then when i would say oops i forgot my opponent would just be like sorry dude it's too late when he knew perfectly well that i was forgetting. is this saying that in the past he should have been punished in some way?
EDIT: oh, nvm. i just realized it was for mandatory triggers as well. i guess that is the main change, no?
It seems very confusing and it is something that many people aren't going to realize even exists. I also feel there are going to be cards that are going to be "immune" to the rule.
If it's optional, it should be optional. If it's mandatory, it should be mandatory.
Also, we may have new decks which only work at Competitive/Professional REL.
No. Howling mine (and any other similar effect that triggers regularly at specific points in each players turn) are still mandatory as normal.
It's not an optional trigger under 1.4, but isn't this still covered by the change to 3.1 which removes the obligation to mention opponents missing triggers?
Basically, if there's a trigger or other similar effect that only effects you in a positive way, and you miss it, well too bad so sad. And your opponent does not have to remind you of it.
Previously, if it was missed, it could result in BOTH players getting a caution/warning for failure to properly maintain game state or whatever the appropite penalty would be.
There's an exemption for triggered effects that occur at the same point on every turn (Howling Mine effects are the most common), in these can not be missed either, and as such would probably still fall under the old rules.
Original post is below. Again, these changes, as written below, are not and will not become official policy.
Also released today is a new version of the Infraction Procedure Guide, which contains the following major change:
So, you are now allowed (at Competitive/Professional REL events) to ignore certain instructions, even though they are mandatory as written. This may have significant strategic implications, allowing some cards to work very differently.
There are a few other changes. The most significant among them is that you are no longer responsible if your opponent misses a trigger:
Useful Resources (read these before posting questions!)
Official explanation of the change
Degenerate functional changes are not intended and will be fixed. So, no fun new Transcendence decks. ;(
Unofficial FAQ
Channel Fireball article on the change
Update from Scott Marshall (L5 Judge)
Clarification on "+X/+X"
Practice for Khans of Tarkir Limited:
Draft: (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) (#5)
Blue Sun's Zenith is not a triggered ability, or an ETB Replacement effect, so it isn't changed under 1.4
No, since BSZ is a spell. This only applies to "triggered abilities and enters-the-battlefield replacement effects."
Practice for Khans of Tarkir Limited:
Draft: (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) (#5)
I think it's more like if you have a Soul Warden out, and if you miss gaining life for other creatures coming into play, you just can't retroactively gain life from that anymore.
Seems like it addresses the issue of whether or not players can purposely misrepresent the game state if they are aware that their opponent misses a mandatory trigger that would benefit them (Angel of Despair anyone? Or am I completely misunderstanding this?)
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=399504
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Rule 1.4 says this:
Since destroying target permanents may target your own permanents and cannot target opponents, Angel of Despair's ETB trigger is therefore mandatory.
Say you're playing some genesis wave/elf deck. You have 10 various elf creatures and 20 cards left in your library. If you cast a wave with x=7 and procede to hit 2 or more Regal Force.
At regular REL you will deck yourself (12x2 > 13) but at competitive or professional you have the ability to simply ignore that and safely beat face.
Edit:
This has no effect on FNM. It only affects events like PTQs, GPTs, PTs, etc.
Soul Warden is a good simple example. Whenever another creature enters the battlefield, it gains you 1 life. Under the current rules, this is mandatory. If you don't gain the life (at a Competitive/Professional) event, forgetting to gain the life can earn you a penalty.
Under the new rules, you are allowed to decline the life gain. So if you forget, your only penalty will be that you won't have that 1 life.
But here's the interesting bit. You are allowed to decline to gain that 1 life even if it benefits you for some reason. (Perhaps you are at 1 life and have Near-Death Experience on the battlefield.) At Competitive/Professional events, declining the life gain for strategic reasons is now allowed.
Practice for Khans of Tarkir Limited:
Draft: (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) (#5)
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Wizards Certified Rules Advisor
It appears so. I started a thread in rulings to double check (since that's extremely weird), but haven't gotten any replies yet.
Practice for Khans of Tarkir Limited:
Draft: (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) (#5)
It seems very confusing and it is something that many people aren't going to realize even exists. I also feel there are going to be cards that are going to be "immune" to the rule.
If it's optional, it should be optional. If it's mandatory, it should be mandatory.
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No. Howling mine (and any other similar effect that triggers regularly at specific points in each players turn) are still mandatory as normal.
if your opponent notices this they may bring it to your attention and you will have to draw your cards however.
This is correct. It is no longer your responsibility as a player to remind your opponent to place his triggered abilities on the stack
You have the option of ignoring such things, regardless of what your opponent says.
Especially important in Koopa's Transcendence example.
EDIT: oh, nvm. i just realized it was for mandatory triggers as well. i guess that is the main change, no?
Also, we may have new decks which only work at Competitive/Professional REL.
It's not an optional trigger under 1.4, but isn't this still covered by the change to 3.1 which removes the obligation to mention opponents missing triggers?
Nope. According to the new rules, the trigger is now optional.
No. Confidant's trigger is not optional, as it does not only do things on the approved list. Specifically, it also causes you to lose life.
Practice for Khans of Tarkir Limited:
Draft: (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) (#5)
Basically, if there's a trigger or other similar effect that only effects you in a positive way, and you miss it, well too bad so sad. And your opponent does not have to remind you of it.
Previously, if it was missed, it could result in BOTH players getting a caution/warning for failure to properly maintain game state or whatever the appropite penalty would be.
There's an exemption for triggered effects that occur at the same point on every turn (Howling Mine effects are the most common), in these can not be missed either, and as such would probably still fall under the old rules.
Emille, Seven-Sting Dancer Shalin Nariya