As judges, we put a lot of time and effort into studying up on the game—we study rules, we study policy, and we apply the fruits of those studies to our judging experiences. To be an effective judge, though, we can’t rely solely on the black-and-white of the printed page—we have to be able to assess a situation and tailor our response to make it appropriate. This is something we learn with time. One situation in which a judge can’t fall back on black-and-white is dealing with rule sharking.

In case you’ve never encountered this phenomenon, let’s start with a short explanation. It’s a situation in which one player tries to use the penalty guidelines against his or her opponent in order to intimidate him or her or win the match by default. “Rule sharking” does not automatically include any player bringing any major procedural error to the attention of the judge—after all, if the game state has been irreparably damaged, a penalty has to be given out. I’m referring to the players who deliberately try to use such errors against their opponent and (in extreme cases) create situations in which they can entrap their opponents. This is a rotten example of unsportsmanlike conduct, and as judges we need to do what we can to curtail it.

Why do some players do this? There are a lot of reasons. Some can’t take the pressure of high-level play and will grab at the chance of an easier win. Other players view themselves as a rules authority in and unto themselves, and view the official judges as little more than service personnel put there to do their bidding. Then there are the ones who just like to bully opponents they perceive as unskilled, new, or too young.

Whatever the motivation, any judge who has had to deal with it just hates it. It’s irritating to be called over and told what to do, it’s outrageously poor sportsmanship to do it as an intimidation tactic or instant-win technique, and it creates an unpleasant level of tension at the event. No judge likes to be used as a cat’s paw to eliminate an opponent because the player can’t do it him- or herself. None of us want to see that kind of thing continue, so let’s talk about what we can do to eliminate it.

First, we need to identify rule sharking behavior. Some players sort of fall into it, while others are old pros. You might see a player who has lost control of the duel grasp at the chance offered by an opponent with sticky card sleeves who inadvertently takes up two cards in his draw phase. You might encounter a player who hovers just on the edge of clarity in gameplay, hoping that the opponent will jump the gun or misinterpret his or her intentions and then clamor for a harsh penalty when it happens.

I’ve found the easiest way to spot rule sharks is to wait for them to call you over and tell you who they are. If the first words out of the player’s mouth are “Judge! We need a game loss here,” it’s usually a sign of sharking. I’ve been judging for a while now, and I’ve yet to meet a player honestly concerned about the state of the duel who greeted me with a demand that I immediately smite the opponent. Sometimes the player is just being paranoid, but most players who begin by insisting that their opponents are cheating, have marked cards, or made horrible misplays that ruined the game are looking for a quick win.

Other signs are more subtle—scaling back on the denunciation and demands—but they’re still trying to get those wins. The best way to track down this variety of rule shark is good communication between judges. Floor judges: share information on suspect players with each other and make sure your team lead is told. Team leads: consult with your floor judges (between rounds is a good time for judge teams to catch up with one another), and take this kind of information to the head judge. Head judges: keep track of it. Watch for a pattern. If you find that a particular player is making multiple procedural complaints against every opponent, you need to do something about it.

So what do you do about it? Rule sharking is unsportsmanlike conduct, pure and simple. Players who try to get a win by having penalties assessed against their opponents are often opening themselves up to penalties against themselves. Even when a game loss has to be given out, if I feel that a player is using that as a win condition, I’ll apply a penalty to him or her as well. How far you want to go depends on the situation and the players involved, but at the very least you need to warn players who are doing this. These warnings do get tracked, and other judges need to know that a player has a propensity for any kind of bad behavior.

When you have to deal with a call like this, evaluate the person reporting the offense. Is he or she trying to tell you what the penalty should be, or misrepresenting what happened? Does he or she seem happy about it? If you believe a player is trying to use an opponent’s mistake against him or her, then a penalty isn’t out of line. Warnings escalating to game losses for unsportsmanlike conduct reinforce that this behavior isn’t acceptable, and provide an object lesson for players who might be similarly tempted. If I feel that a player is really crossing the line, I’ll hand down a stiff penalty as well.

This sort of behavior reaches past the opponent who’s been knocked out of the match, and impacts the entire event—players who are constantly reporting their opponents for minor, fixable things in hope of getting a fast win gum things up. How frustrating is it to see three hands in the air when you’re the only judge in your zone, and upon picking the closest one, you find that it’s nothing more than a player demanding to know why his opponent’s used-up spell card is still on the field? “He gets a game loss for that!” Judges become overworked, players with legitimate questions are left waiting, and matches become a source of frustration.

If this kind of behavior is becoming a problem at the events you’re judging, it’s not going to go away without some work on your behalf. Begin by educating your players about what does and does not constitute a game loss. All you have to do is have a copy of the policy document, and oblige them to read it. You can also remind them to read it at home, and print out their own copy. Explain the difference between a warning, a game loss, a match loss, and a disqualification. Oddly enough, there are players out there who don’t really understand the difference—that’s where all of the, “My teammate was DQ’ed for picking up an extra card!” posts come from.

You should also do all you can to promote correct gameplay. Some players are very precise and methodical, while others are casual, cheerful slobs. If you really keep after them to resolve their cards correctly, draw cards one at a time, announce what they intend do and wait for a response, and clarify murky situations with their opponent before proceeding, then there’s not much water for the rule shark to swim in, is there? Some players really resist this kind of thing due to an excess of youthful rebellion—it’s just so much more “pro” to grunt and wave cards at one another—but keep working on it.

Well-informed players can help prevent the problem in the first place—most rule sharks back down against opponents who are calm, competent, and know the guidelines. It’s the timid, uncertain, or sloppy players who are their natural prey. Educate your players on both the penalty guidelines and correct gameplay and you’ll find that it will cut down a lot on the number of conflicts you have to deal with. Judges and players alike will experience a smoother, less stressful event.