Ruling Questions for Nats

[AlexanderTheAwesome]

Okay so right before nats I do have a few questions not really about card rulings, but what is allowed and what is not.

1. Can I wear a watch? specifically a watch with a timer to time.

2. Sleeves. Can i sleeve my deck in 2 different sets of sleeves for each day? Also, do they check your sleeves everyday.

3. Lets say I have a DEX Professor Juniper. Later in the tournament I either buy or trade for a Full art Professor Juniper. Can I switch them out since they are Trainers and have the same name (I know I can't do that with Pokemon).

4. This one is about gameplay. Ive asked so many different judges about this its not even funny. Is the AMERICAN RULING for Colress Machine that you can or cannot play it if you have four Plasma Energy in public area (discard, play area, etc...) as long as your opponent can always say it.

I figured this was the right place since it was about gameplay, but if not feel free to move.

 

[King Arceus]

1. Can I wear a watch? specifically a watch with a timer to time.

I'm not on staff this year, so I can't confirm it. Make sure you are playing the game though and not the clock. That is a good way to be suspected of unsporting conduct.

2. Sleeves. Can i sleeve my deck in 2 different sets of sleeves for each day? Also, do they check your sleeves everyday.

Once again I cannot confirm if they will or will not allow it. If a judge sees a potential problem with your sleeves at a glance they might do a check of them.

3. Lets say I have a DEX Professor Juniper. Later in the tournament I either buy or trade for a Full art Professor Juniper. Can I switch them out since they are Trainers and have the same name (I know I can't do that with Pokemon).

I would not recommend it, but technically yes, it would be legal since the set name and collector number are not required for trainers. Keep in mind that in Top Cut they hold your decks so at that point they probably would not allow you to switch or you would have to switch with one of the judges watching to make sure the deck contents are not altered.

Q. If I have four Plasma Energy in play, either on the field and/or in the Discard Pile, can I use Colress Machine to search through my deck, find nothing, and shuffle my deck?
A. Yes you could use Colress Machine, because the game does not deduce the contents of a deck based on public knowledge such as the discard pile or cards in play. (Feb 28, 2013 TPCi Rules Team)

~KA

 

[AlexanderTheAwesome]

1. Can I wear a watch? specifically a watch with a timer to time.

I'm not on staff this year, so I can't confirm it. Make sure you are playing the game though and not the clock. That is a good way to be suspected of unsporting conduct.

Well the reason I ask is because at some tournaments lately I have been having issues with people taking WAY too long. Specifically last tournament I had someone sit their doing nothing for close to 2-3 minutes. When I said ok we need to get this going he said he was thinking. Sat there for another minute and then passed. -__- like really

 

[King Arceus]

If your opponent is slow-playing get a judge to your table and talk to them about it.~KA

 

[ESP]

3. Lets say I have a DEX Professor Juniper. Later in the tournament I either buy or trade for a Full art Professor Juniper. Can I switch them out since they are Trainers and have the same name (I know I can't do that with Pokemon).

I would not recommend it, but technically yes, it would be legal since the set name and collector number are not required for trainers. Keep in mind that in Top Cut they hold your decks so at that point they probably would not allow you to switch or you would have to switch with one of the judges watching to make sure the deck contents are not altered.

I have talked to judges in my area about this, and I would say the answer is no. If you make the top cut, and they see that the numbers and set names on your decklist that you registered with are different than the ones on your cards, they have every right to make you change those cards for basic energy. Even with Full Art Pokemon, if you say you have 4 RA Deoxys but you actually have 3 RA and 1 FA, someone might get mad about it. Basically, it's best to put down exactly what you have in your deck and don't mess with it. It'll just save everyone some headaches.

EDIT: I goofed, since you don't have to write down set names/numbers for Trainers, it wouldn't likely be a big deal. However, it's still good information to know about the Pokemon like the example I listed above. I still wouldn't ever recommend switching cards in your deck just as a precaution. Play the deck you get through the deck check with and there won't be any problems.

And about slowplaying, always always call a judge. You don't need a watch, it's obvious if someone is playing slowly.