Notes

[Simon Baldwin]

What are the rules on notes in tournaments? 

Example 1: Can I bring along a few hand written notes to a tournament, things like potential cards to use from my sideboard against certain decks, or a list of cards to think about naming with a Pithing Needle. 

Example 2: Can I write notes while in the middle of a tournament? For example, noting down cards revealed by my opponent for whatever reason. Or, writing the name of a card named with Pithing Needle on a small scrap of paper to put on top of the card so it is clear what has been named. 

[Dan Barrett]

Hi Simon,

1 - The rules changed reccently, you're now allowed to bring full sideboarding guides or whatever with you.

2 - Yes, you'll frequently see people do this when they duress you and see your hand, see a card in sealed/draft they need to play around, etc

[Raymond Wat]

E.g 1 Yes, you can.

e.g. 2. Also, yes you can, for eg. Duress. In fact, all the pros will advice you to do so. I think I would add is that when you do write them down, you should do it in a speedy fashion and not to slow the game down too much. Also, when you are searching your opp.'s library for whatever legal reasons, it's consider "bad" to write all his/her cards down. Judges might (probably would) give out penalties for time wasting, or even unsporting conduct.

I hope this help and any comments on my answers are welcome.

[Daniel Royde]

1:yes, but you can only look at them during SB time, not during play.
2: Yes eg for therapy.

[Simon Baldwin]

Thanks all for the replies :D Handy things to know.
I usually jot down something interesting if I see it with a Goblin Guide, to pre-emptily name it with Pithing Needle (particularity amusing naming those ZEN sac lands, Mwahaha). I wasn't sure if I could then write down what I am naming and place it on top of the Pithing Needle while it is in play in case someone mistook it for a counter or marker or something.

Follow up question about bringing pre-made notes along, is there a limit to how many notes and what they can contain? For example, could someone bring along entire printed deck lists of, say, 10 popular decks from the Magic Website to aid in their side boarding choices?

[Thom Richardson]

From the DCI Tournament rules:

2.9 Taking Notes
[/b] Players are allowed to take written notes during a match and may refer to those notes while that match is in progress. At the beginning of a match, each player’s note sheet must be empty and must remain visible throughout the match. [/b] Players do not have to explain or reveal notes to other players. Judges may ask to see a player’s notes and/or request that the player explain his or her notes. Players may not refer to outside notes during games. This includes notes from previous matches.

[/b] Between games, players may refer to a brief set of notes made before the match. [/b] They are not required to reveal these notes to their opponents. These notes must be removed from the play area before the beginning of the next game. Excessive quantities of notes (more than a sheet or two) are not allowed and may be penalized as slow play.

Players and spectators (exception: authorized press) may not make notes while drafting or registering a card pool. However, they are allowed to do so when constructing a deck.
Artistic modifications to cards that indirectly provide minor strategic information are acceptable. The Head Judge is the final arbiter on what cards and notes are acceptable for a tournament.

[Thom Richardson]

From the DCI tournament rules:

2.9 Taking Notes

Players are allowed to take written notes during a match and may refer to those notes while that match is in progress. At the beginning of a match, each player’s note sheet must be empty and must remain visible throughout the match. Players do not have to explain or reveal notes to other players. Judges may ask to see a player’s notes and/or request that the player explain his or her notes. Players may not refer to outside notes during games. This includes notes from previous matches.

Between games, players may refer to a brief set of notes made before the match. They are not required to reveal these notes to their opponents. These notes must be removed from the play area before the beginning of the next game. Excessive quantities of notes (more than a sheet or two) are not allowed and may be penalized as slow play.

Players and spectators (exception: authorized press) may not make notes while drafting or registering a card pool. However, they are allowed to do so when constructing a deck.
Artistic modifications to cards that indirectly provide minor strategic information are acceptable. The Head Judge is the final arbiter on what cards and notes are acceptable for a tournament.

Important points:

You can only look at pre-written notes between games.
You can make notes during the match, but the note sheet you use must be blank at the beginning of each match
Excessive note taking can be penalized as slow play.

[Thom Richardson]

sorry for the double post, cant seem to edit or delete on my Ubuntu/Firefox configuration

[Simon Baldwin]

Right, I think the 'sheet or two' is the most important thing to take note of there. I guess instead of multiple complete lists, just a shorter list of key/common cards for similar style decks would be prudent.

What constitutes an 'Artistic Modification'? Does it have to be a image or doodle? Or can something just be written with words?

[Thom Richardson]

take a sharpie to your needles and make a list of targets!

guess it depends on the judge though. i'm sure someone here must know