Jump to Lightspeed

Policy Update

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Hello there!

Welcome to the Jump to Lightspeed policy update lesson! Today we’re going to go over both the Tournament Regulations and Master Event Document, covering what has changed, and what that means for the game!

We’re just going to go through these in order, and then tie things together as it makes sense to do so, with one exception. Most of the updates in these documents are clarifications or refinements, but there’s a significant policy change, so we’re going to hit that one first.

Tournament Regulations

Draws Worth One Match Point

We’re going to jump to section 5.6 of the tournament regulations, which covers tiebreakers. Previously the first tiebreaker was Match Wins, but it has been updated to be Match Points, with wins worth 3 points and a draw worth 1 point.

This means that a player with a record of three wins, one loss and one draw will have 10 match points and will place higher than a player with three wins and two losses (or nine match points). This is pretty significant, as previously a draw was similar to a loss for a player’s final standing, but now a draw is distinctly better than a loss (but still worse than outright winning the match).

Okay! Let’s jump back to the top of the Tournament Regulations and work our way through from the top.

Draft Updates

In Section 2.3.2.1, we cover a couple of clarifications to drafting.

Cards are owned by the event until they have been specifically drafted by a player. You do not own the cards in the pack that you open, until you’re able to draft them as part of the draft process.

Furthermore, there’s instructions on how to draft, so as to minimize the chance of two packs getting mixed together. This is a process colloquially called “zone drafting”. There are three zones - the pack that you are holding, the pack that is being passed to you and the pack that you are passing. There should never be more than one set of cards in any of these zones at a given time. That means that if the player you’re passing to is still looking at their pack, and they already have a pack waiting for them, do not pass your pack until they pick up their next pack.

Note Taking and Electronic Devices

Moving to section 3.1.6 we have some clarifications on note taking. The restrictions on electronic devices have been modified, and they’re now allowed during single-elimination portions of the event as well as swiss rounds, and can be used as long as they are not connected to the internet. This means that LCD tablets are entirely legal for use throughout an event for tracking damage or other notes.

Match Resolution Updates

In 4.2.2 we see one of the first changes due to the implementation of 1 match point for draws. Previously, if neither player had won the game at the end of a single-game match, both players received a loss, but they now receive a draw. This is mirrored 4.3.2 where the language indicating that a draw is considered a loss for both players was removed.

We also have a whole new section, in 4.4 - Intentional Draws. Now that a draw is worth one match point and impacts player standings, some players may wish to intentionally draw, to ensure that both competitors are guaranteed a certain standing.

Players can only intentionally draw before taking game actions. Once a player has drawn an opening hand, the match must be played in full.

Offering or accepting an intentional draw (or concession) in exchange for a reward or incentive other than the match point earned by drawing is not allowed, and falls under the rules for Bribery and Collusion.

Decklists

Section 4.5.1 is updated to clarify that players are allowed to look at their opponent’s decklist only before the match begins while shuffling for the game. Once players present their decks and leaders, they are no longer able to look at their opponent’s list.

Furthermore, they are not allowed to take notes during the deck list review period, but once the game has begun, they can make quick notes from memory.

In this section we also get some clarification on game loss penalties. If a player receives a game loss before game one has begun (usually due to a deck check or absence penalty), players are not permitted to sideboard for game two (the first actual game that the players will take action in).

Reporting Match Results

Section 5.7 is another new section, which covers triage and remedies for incorrectly submitted match results.

This minimizes the impact on the progression of the event and doesn’t keep players from playing the game, while also maximizing the outcome integrity, to ensure that players are playing against opponents with similar records.

Proxies and Counterfeits

There is one small adjustment in proxies, which indicates floor judges can also issue proxies, with the Head Judge approval - so that the Head Judge doesn’t need to personally have a hand in it, but they must be aware that the proxy is being issued.

Players are not allowed to play with cards that are not authentic, even if they have official copies of those cards, including leader, base, cards in the main deck, or side deck.

If a player is knowingly playing with counterfeit cards, this is considered cheating. If a player is unknowingly playing with counterfeit cards, this will result in a deck/decklist error.

Master Event Document

Prize Splitting

In 3.8-E, there’s new language that explicitly calls out prize splitting or any sort of equity split. This is considered to fall under bribery and collusion, and is not allowed at any level of event.

Time Extensions

There’s a bit more clarity on time extensions - in short, all judge calls should be accompanied with a 1-to-1 time extension, rounded up to the nearest minute. This includes Tardiness and Absences, even if a game loss has been issued.

For Deck Checks, issue an additional three minutes to allow players to reshuffle their decks and set up for their game.

Penalty Points

For errors where the opponent does not call attention to an issue immediately, they should receive a warning penalty, but no penalty points - this is used internally for tracking, and to help judges determine if a player is intentionally letting their opponent make mistakes in order to gain an advantage.

Both minor and intermediate errors gained language that indicates that if the call takes a certain amount of time to handle the call, consider increasing the penalty point value (but not increasing the infraction itself).

This update brings the penalties more in line with each other and makes it clear that the penalty isn’t being upgraded, and that it should still be treated the same way. Be careful with upgrading penalties if it’s caused by you needing to verify something or checking in with another judge. We don’t want players to feel penalized because you spent the time to give them a better answer.

Take the time you need to give the best answer you can with the resources you have at your disposal and don’t rush the process. You’re the final arbiter of how severe the infraction was, and if you believe that it was a minor disruption, but you wanted to take extra time to verify with another judge or with the documents, don’t penalize the player for your diligence.

And that’s it! Thanks so much for joining us, and I encourage you to take the Jump to Lightspeed mastery quiz after you’ve looked at the rules updates. This quiz is not required, but it’s a good way to make sure you’re up to date with the new rules and mechanics! You can find more details about mastery quizzes on nexus.cascadegames.com/exams/mastery/

Until next time, good luck and have fun!