Dissension Release Party Tournament from a Judge's Perspective

By gendruw

07.00 a.m.
I woke up and saw my lovely wife and my daughters still sleeping soundly in their blankets.

08.45 a.m.
I kissed my wife good bye and set to go. I picked my brother and his friends on my way to the venue.

09.40 a.m.
Arrived at the venue. Some people were already there. We set up the perimeter and ready to go. This time we got a female player. First time to me to see a non-male player in the tournament scene in Jakarta which is a good thing for the Magic community :)

11.00 a.m.
Players meeting.
Players Meeting is where the Judges make some announcements and explain the new mechanic within the new set. I saw the Head Judge half yelling to explain the mechanics. We had less participants than we expected due to exam seasons. Good luck on your exams for people out there that couldn't make it to the release tournament.

Side note.
I remember some people expressed their dislike of being yelled or treated badly by the Judges. They said that the Judges did not respect them. They told that the Judges are arrogant and yada yada yada.... Well, we apologize  if we hurt your feeling but I can assure you that we’re not like that. There's a saying like this "If you want to be respected, then respect others". Don't get me wrong, We don't want you to bow your head to show some respect, all we need is you , to listen to us when we're making some announcements
End of side note.

11.15 a.m.
Products and deck checklists were distributed. Sorry to those who expecting Ravnica packs. We only had Dissension packs available. In fact, you should appreciate the distributor. Without his effort, we wouldn't have the release tournament on time.
Kiss your foil rare good bye, it's a deck swap time. We had a little seating problem at the start of deck swap, but the problem was handled shortly after.

Side note
Please avoid unnecessary penalty by filling the deck checklist correctly. First thing to do after deck swap is to count the cards. Afterwards, check the cards to the checklist. Yes, this will take your precious time to build a deck but bear in mind that the penalty for incorrect deck checklist is Game Loss. For players registering the cards, please sort the card by colors so that the players using the deck can check easily. If you believe that someone deliberately spreads the cards all over the colors, don't hesitate to call Judge. We'll be happy to give them Warning or event DQ without prize.
End of side note

12.15 p.m.
First pairing and the tournament began.
We handed three game losses due to deck checklist problems. One player didn't fill the played column in the checklist and the other two fell under the illegal main deck and illegal sideboard. Another lesson for you: always count your deck between rounds, especially with the Ravnica block enchantment-friendly environment. Your Plumes of Peace might end up in your opponent's deck after game. Another advise: bring your own pens and counters/tokens. I hate to see torn pieces of paper all over the place, not to mention if wind blows somehow (or someone sneezes) and fly those counters made of papers, leaving confused players and Judges. Don’t memorize your (and your opponent) life total. Do you know that Judges have the right to issue Warning if you cannot show a reliable method to keep your life total? Now that you know, use those pens and papers.

17.05 p.m.
Last round has finished. Final standing has been posted and it's time for prize distributions. A lot of new faces on the top standings, including the non-male player. Was it a sign of the rise of the new generations? only time can tell.

17.30 p.m.
Booster draft!!

19.10 p.m.
Finally we could go home :D

20.30
Home sweet home.
I kissed my wife and kids. You should do that to your family. Show them that you care whilst you can.

On this occasion I would like to thank the other Judges for their great effort and also the players for your participation and we hope you enjoy the tournament as much as we did. Any comment to improve the tournament will be much appreciated.

That's all for now.
See you and keep the play fair.
-gendruw-

 

 

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