Regulations & Penalties

Penalties are carried out in the event of rule violations which may cause hindrance to others and/or disruption of the event.
Please note that the penalties listed on this page is not exhaustive, and the actual penalties enforced may vary depending on severity.

The Official Tournament Rules & Regulations will be used as a guideline for Judges to determine the penalties to be issued, including its severity. Heavier penalties may be issued for Duelists caught repeating these violations.

Types of Penalties

  • A: Cautions
    Cautions are given to inform a player that he/she has violated certain rules, and to be aware of them in the future.

  • B: Warnings
    Warnings are given to inform a player that he/she has violated the rules.
    These are to be considered more serious than Cautions.

  • C: Duel Forfeiture
    Duelists given this penalty will instantly lose the current duel.
    If this penalty takes place between duels, the Duelist will then forfeit their next duel.

  • D: Match Forfeiture
    Duelists given this penalty will instantly lose the current duel.
    If this penalty takes place between duels, the Duelist will then forfeit their next duel.

  • E: Disqualification
    The Duelist loses the current match, and is disqualified from the tournament.
    However, the Duelist may keep any prizes and/or awards that he/she has won before the penalty was applied.

  • F: Total Disqualification
    The Duelist loses the current match, and is disqualified from the tournament.
    The Duelist will also be required to forfeit any prizes and/or awards that he/she has won before the penalty was applied.

Deck & Card-related Violations

Deck Violations

  • Having a Main Deck of less than 40 cards, or more than 60 cards
    Penalty: Duel Forfeiture
    Please make sure your decks have the appropriate number of cards.

  • Having more than 3 of the same card in your deck(s) combined
    Penalty: Duel Forfeiture
    Please make sure to remove these from your deck, and replace them with other cards.

  • Having forbidden cards in your Main/Side/Extra Deck
    Penalty: Duel Forfeiture
    Please take out those forbidden cards, and replace them with other cards.

  • Having too many Limited/Semi-Limited cards in your Main/Side/Extra Deck
    Penalty: Duel Forfeiture
    Please take out those cards, and replace them with other cards.

Deck List/Roster Violations

    Deck Lists will be cross-checked with the duelist's deck(s) for events which require a Deck List submission.
    Duelists caught with mismatched decks and lists will be forced to forfeit the event.

    To prevent this, please make sure the conternts of your deck(s) match the submitted deck list.

Duel-related Violations

  • Unintentional misinterpretation of rules and/or Card descriptions
    Penalty: Caution
    If this happens before a critical point of the duel (determined by the Judge), the duel may be reset to the state before the mistake took place. Otherwise, the duel will continue as normal. The penalty will be given to whichever Duelist's turn it is when the mistake took place.

  • Unintentionally drawing too many cards
    Penalty: Warning
    Place the excess cards drawn back on top of the deck the cards were drawn from. However, a "Duel Forfeiture" penalty will be issued to the Duelist if: * The drawn cards cannot be identified * The situation is irreversible * The card drawn is decisive to determine the winner of the Duel

  • Unintentionally seeing the contents of a face-down card (or one you shouldn't see)
    Penalty: Caution
    Return the card in its appropriate position. If the card in question is determined to be decisive to the game's outcome, a "Duel Forfeiture" penalty will be issued to the Duelist.

  • Intentional misinterpretation of any rules or card descriptions
    Penalty: Total Disqualification

Tardiness

  • Not being in your assigned place on time
    Penalty: Warning

  • Not being in your assigned place 5 minutes after the given time
    Penalty: Duel Forfeiture

  • Not being in your assigned place 10 minutes after the assigned time
    Penalty: Match Forfeiture


Markings on Cards and/or Protectors

  • Unintentional or non-distinctive markings
    Penalty: Caution
    Please change the card sleeves/protectors to make sure the card is no longer marked.

  • Markings concluded to be intentional
    Penalty: Duel Forfeiture
    Duelists will then be required to change the card sleeves/protectors to make sure the card is no longer marked.


Unnecessary Delays

  • Unintentionally taking too long on a single turn
    Penalty: Caution
    Please note that the Judge may issue more severe penalties if this is determined to affect the outcome of the match (based on the circumstances).

  • Intentionally stalling for time
    Penalty: Match Forfeiture



Duel/Match Fixing

  • Deciding the winner of a match without dueling (e.g. Rock-Paper-Scissors)
    Penalty: Disqualification

  • Bribery involving money, cards, or any other means
    Penalty: Total Disqualification



Fraud

  • Intentionally lying about match outcomes
    Penalty: Total Disqualification


Talking/Chatting during a duel

  • Talking or asking for advice from other players, spectators, and/or any nearby third party during your duel
    Penalty: Warning
    The judge may enforce more serious penalties if the conversations are concluded to have an impact on the outcome of the match.

  • Usage of mobile phones (talking, text chatting, etc) during a duel for non-emergency purposes
    Penalty: Warning
    The judge may enforce more serious penalties if the conversations are concluded to have an impact on the outcome of the match. Judges have the right to inspect Duelists' phones if suspected of cheating using them.

  • Heckling and/or harassing of other duelists by the Duelist, or by their supporters
    Penalty: Warning
    The Duelist is responsible for all actions by his/her supporters (if relationship is proven to be genuine), and the Judge reserves the right to enforce more serious penalties if the resulting actions heavily affect the outcome of the duels/matches.