Ask the Judge - New Tournament Rules! Rolling dices and using Smartphones!

Hey guys! In today's article, we're going to talk about some "fresh" changes to the Tournament Rules (our good old MTR! Didn't forget about it, huh?). These changes, which are already valid for all events (remember that Wizards is gradually allowing in-person events, according to their analysis and the specific conditions of the region relating to the pandemic), focus on two points: rules involving the data usage and the use of electronic devices. Let's understand each point better? Before the Forgotten Realms set, rolling dice was almost exclusive to “un-sets” (Unglued, Unhinged, Unstable and Unsanctioned). However, as it is now an “official” mechanic and valid in events, some rules about what you can and cannot do when rolling dices have been added. First, there is no obligation to use the same dice requested in the cad/effect in question, as long as it does not affect the proportion of the intended random result. For example, if you are asked to roll a D6 (a six-sided die), you can roll a D12 (a twelve-sided die). The obligation to have the appropriate dice/method belongs to who is using the card/effect, and this includes being a perfectly random object - which is why the "spindown life counters", i.e., the D20 that are numbered in sequence (the 20 next to the 19, which is next to the 18, which is next to the 17, etc) are

PROHIBITED

for use. Be careful with this, so you don't get some silly punishment for using the inappropriate dice! As recognized by Wizards itself, the use of smartphones and auxiliary electronics has been essential for various "mechanical" parts of the game to flow better - tracking life points, poison counters, even apps that generate random numbers for dice rolling effects, etc. As a result, the policy of not allowing the use of electronics in competitive events was revised. Now, their usage is widely allowed, as long as you don't use your device to get any kind of strategic information during a match. The way to "supervise" this is simple - when you are using your device for something, your opponent must also have access to what you are seeing. That is, you can use it to track life points, you can consult the text of a card in Gatherer, you can use an app that “rolls dice” for you - but all in a “public” way, with the opponent being able to clearly see what you're doing. If you want to see some information privately (for example, you want to confirm the text of a card in your hand, so you don't want your opponent to know what it is), just call a judge! Then you will have a follow-up to make the query, without giving more information to the opponent. Important to note: the use of electronics remains

PROHIBITED

during the draft and deck assembly part of Limited events. As each person pays attention to their assembly, controlling the proper use would be much more difficult and a logistical nightmare at major events, so only at this point Wizards maintained the impossibility of using electronics. For those who like to keep up with changes in the document itself, here is the link to the updated MTR. The changes, in this case, are in points 2.12 (electronic devices) and 3.9 (die rolling). Do you still have any questions? You can leave a comment here in the article, and I'll answer you! That's it, folks! See you next time!