Ruling How Far Can Once Stretch The Card Condition Rule?

[Emskas]

I am simply a player of the Pokemon TCG, however, I love that bling. When the opportunity to obtain a less than awesomely conditioned secret rare ultra ball, I jumped on it. I wanted to have at least one "Battle Scarred" Eball, as i've heard stories of people obtaining up to 3 at a time. However, unlike those before me, I wanted to actually play this card in decks, as ultra ball is one of the most played cards right now, and playing the gold just looks amazing. After examining the card, I made the trade. Inserting it into an Ultra Pro sleeve, I felt around the back to see/feel any bumps. I didn't find any, except an indent on the left corner. I took the Eball out and scratched the spot away. I then resumed my checking. The back was now flawless. However, the front is not as lucky. Creases, corner foil peel and serious corner scrunch adorn it, but to be honest, I cannot feel a noticeable difference from a regular card whatsoever. I now have switched the card to a Dragon Shield sleeve, and there again is no difference.

My question is if a card like this would be playable. I got other opinions saying the card was playable (2) and one very strong opinion that the card isn't due to the front bends. If the cards ends up being fine, I might actually invest in a playset of heavily damaged secret rare Ultra Balls, as the one I currently use is literally just like any other card. I doubt a picture of my card could help with this, as it's really a matter of feel as i've been told. However, if I was to rank it, i'd rank it as a "Heavily Played" on this TCGPlayer link. https://help.tcgplayer.com/hc/en-us/articles/202822258-Pokemon-Condition-Guide

Thank you for your help!

 

[bbninjas]

Moved from the TCG News to the Ask a Professor as the OP is asking moreso a question on rulings. ~bbninjas

 

[My Little Keldeo]

A card is playable if it cannot be distinguished from the other cards in a deck from the back. It really boils down to the tournament staff, particularly whoever is checking your deck. Most likely it won't be an issue, but somebody else may say otherwise. It's going to boil down to actually examining the card, which can't be done online, and is ultimately the discretion of the deck checker and Head Judge.

If you have any doubts, then I would suggest not using that in your deck and playing a regular Ultra Ball instead.