MTG

1. Head Judging Preliminary PTQs
1. What is a PPTQ?
a. Who can run them?
i. Advanced
ii. Advanced Plus
b. What formats can they be?
i. Constructed
1. Modern
2. Standard
ii. Limited
1. Pre-January 23: 6x Khans/3x Khans
2. Post-January 23: 3x Khans+3x Fate/1x Fate+2xKhans
c. How often can they be run?
d. Tournament Structure
i. Modified Swiss with Cut to Single Elimination Top 8 (+1 Swiss
Round and Top 4 if 9-16 constructed players)
ii. 50 Minute Swiss Rounds, Untimed Single Elimination
iii. 4x PWP Modifier
e. Player Eligibility
i. No Silver/Gold/Platinum Pro Players
ii. No Hall of Fame Players
iii. No winners of previous PPTQs that season
f. Who can head judge them?
i. Level 2 Judge
2. Working with the T.O.
a. Responsibilities
i. HJ vs. TO (MTR 1.6 & 1.7)
ii. 1.6 Tournament Organizer
1. The Tournament Organizer of a tournament is responsible
for all tournament logistics including:
a. Securing a sanctioning number from the DCI.
b. Providing a site for the tournament that meets the
tournament’s expected needs.
c. Advertising the tournament in advance of the
tournament date.
d. Staffing the tournament with appropriate tournament
officials.

2. e. Providing all materials necessary to operate the
tournament (e.g. product for limited format
tournaments).
f. Reporting the tournament results to the DCI.
iii. 1.7 Head Judge
1. Sanctioned tournaments require the physical presence of a
Head Judge during play to adjudicate disputes, interpret
rules, and make other official decisions. The Head Judge is
the final judicial authority at any DCI- sanctioned tournament
and all tournament participants are expected to follow his or
her interpretations. Although it is beneficial, the Head Judge
does not have to be DCI-certified.
2. The Head Judge’s responsibilities include:
a. Ensuring that all necessary steps are taken to deal
with game or policy rule violations that he or she
notices or are brought to his or her attention.
b. Issuing the final ruling in all appeals, potentially
overturning the ruling of a floor judge.
c. Coordinating and delegating tasks to floor judges as
needed.
3. If necessary, the Head Judge may temporarily transfer his or
her duties to any judge if he or she is unable to fulfill them for
a period of time. Also, in exceptional circumstances, if the
tournament’s integrity would be damaged otherwise, the
Tournament Organizer may replace the Head Judge.
b. Scheduling
i. Other PPTQ dates
ii. Other major tournaments
iii. Black out dates
1. Prerelease weekends
iv. Judge availability
c. Expected attendance
i. Announce attendance caps
ii. Recommend pre-registration
d. Staff size (recommended, not including scorekeeper)

3. i.
e. Supplies
i. Table Numbers
ii. Printer
iii. Paper Cutter
iv. Tape
v. Folder/Accordion File
vi. Slip Box
vii. Round Clock
viii. PA System
f. Compensation
i. No set structure
ii. Don’t work for free, but don’t go overboard
iii. Each area a bit different
iv. TOs need to make money
v. If it isn’t worth it to you, don’t do it
vi. If TO is concerned about low turnout, consider scaling
compensation (with minimums and maximums)
g. Communication
i. TOs encouraged to decide on HJ 4 weeks in advance
ii. Discuss supplies and staff well in advance (3-4 weeks)
iii. Consider standby judges (recommend free play if not needed) in
case of larger-than-expected turnout
iv. Ensure compensation is finalized well in advance
3. Logistics
a. Room set up
i. Table numbers
ii. Pairings
iii. Deck check area
b. Running deck checks
i. 10% - Each table is 2 decks
c. Top 8
i. Modified Play/Draw - No Announcement Needed
ii. For limited, called versus zone draft

4. 1. Seat randomly, determine bracket based on seating
4. Announcements
a. Opening
b. End of Round
c. Top 8
d. TO Announcements
i. Upcoming events
ii. Upcoming sales
iii. Side events