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Doomkaiser Dragon
Card# CSOC-EN043
Doomkaiser Dragon's effect isn't just for Zombie World duelists: remember that its effect can swipe copies of Plaguespreader Zombie, too!
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Anyone who has participated in a recent Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament is probably aware that Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments now operate with floor rules. These rules carry a specific list of penalties that can be applied if a judge or tournament organizer (TO) considers a penalty necessary. The penalties vary in severity from a written warning to disqualification, so every duelist who plans to participate in a tournament will want to learn what the rules are to avoid an infraction and what penalties might be administered if a rule is violated. A complete listing of these rules and the penalty guidelines is available here.
Let's start with an overview and description of the penalty list. If a duelist incurs a penalty at a tournament, the penalty will be recorded by the judge on the back of that duelist's result slip, then entered into the tournament software and subsequently kept on file with that duelist's Tournament ID number in the Upper Deck Entertainment database. The mildest penalty a duelist can receive is a warning. It's not a simple spoken word—the warning and the offense for which it was administered will be kept on record, so it will be a lasting mark on your Tournament ID. One or two warnings will not likely affect your standings in the database, but a duelist who collects a great many runs the risk of damaging his or her standing in the Organized Play program. Basically, a warning is how judges make note of minor infractions, and since it stays on your Tournament ID, officials at future tournaments will also be alert to the possibility of a problem.
Next in severity is a game loss. A game loss is the forced loss of a game, which would be one duel in a match format tournament. If a match is not being played, a game loss would count as a match loss. A game loss can be applied to a duelist's current game, or applied to the next game. Game losses are also recorded into the Upper Deck Entertainment database and will also negatively affect your standing in the tournament. The judge should explain the penalty to the duelist receiving it, and the reasoning behind it.
Next comes the match loss. A step up from a game loss, a match loss is the forced loss of an entire match. Like the game loss penalty, a match loss can be given on the current match, or on the upcoming match. It will be permanently recorded, and it severely impacts a duelist's standing in a tournament. The reasoning behind the penalty should always be explained to the duelist.
The final level of penalty is disqualification. Disqualification means a duelist is removed from the tournament. Depending upon the severity of the infraction, a duelist may be disqualified with or without prizes. Disqualifications are rarely given, usually only in cases of major infraction or repeated offenses.
Why would a tournament have penalties? If a duelist is on the receiving end of a penalty, he or she might think it is unfair. Most penalties given out at a tournament are given with the assumption that the rules violation was accidental. So a duelist might reason, "If it was an accident, why impose a penalty? Can't I just apologize and let the game go on?" In a casual play situation, that might seem appropriate. However, when duelists participate in a tournament, expectations and potential rewards are much higher. Entry fees have been paid, decks have been carefully assembled and tested, and there are prizes and, more importantly, ranking points on the line. It is essential that to preserve the highest degree of 'fairness,' all duelists play strictly by the rules. In order to ensure and promote correct play, penalties must be administered when the rules are not followed. Whether an accident or a deliberate infraction, a penalty applied to a rules violation helps all duelists take the rules more seriously and pay closer attention to their play.
That explained, what are the rules? It's wise to get a complete copy of the floor rules so you can be certain you are familiar with them, but we'll give a quick overview here.
Floor rules are broken down into several categories, which are procedural error, including drawing extra cards and marked cards, deck error, and unsporting conduct. Each category has different levels of severity of infraction, and the penalties given for each infraction will correspond with the level of the infraction. Here's an example. Let's start with procedural errors. A procedural error is essentially an error in gameplay, which can range from placing cards in areas where they don't belong, to misplaying a card, to playing the wrong opponent. Depending on how easily fixed the error is, it is graded from minor to severe.
A minor procedural error, something that is easily fixed and does not have a great impact on the game, would be something along the lines of a duelist placing his or her side deck in the Fusion deck zone, or attempting to activate a spell card when Imperial Order is in play. If the state of the game has not been greatly affected, then a minor error will receive a warning. While it might seem unfair to receive a penalty for something accidental that a duelist sees as not really affecting the game, it is still important that correct gameplay be enforced. Slow play is also considered a minor procedural error, with warnings given to duelists who do not play in a timely manner.
Major procedural errors are errors that have a significant impact on the game, altering the state to a degree that it cannot be easily repaired. This would include a duelist forgetting to restore his or her deck to its original state between matches by leaving side deck cards in it. If a duelist attacks a Cyber Jar, mistakenly thinks it is a Fiber Jar, and gathers up all of his or her cards, the state of the game has been badly compromised and it would be considered a major error. Major procedural errors carry a game loss penalty.
Severe procedural errors are errors that prevent a match from being completed. Usually this would include disruption of or damage to the cards or play area. If, say, a duelist were eating a chili dog while dueling (which is a bad idea to begin with) and dropped a large amount of chili onto his or her cards and ruined them, the match would be unable to be completed and the player would receive a match loss.
Two special categories exist, which cover procedural errors related to looking at or drawing extra cards, and having marked cards. All penalties issued for procedural errors in these areas are also administered under the belief that the errors resulted accidentally, nevertheless, the penalties can be serious.
Looking at extra cards is considered a minor error, and can be penalized with a warning. Picking up extra cards due to a card effect like Magical Merchant or Morphing Jar #2, or knocking cards off of the top of a deck and revealing what they are would be examples of looking at extra cards.
Drawing extra cards is a more serious infraction, and is considered a major error, since it alters the state of the game to a point that it is not easy to repair. The disruption to the state of the game is what earns a penalty of a game loss for drawing extra cards. Drawing two cards at the start of a turn, drawing four cards instead of three for Graceful Charity, or drawing a card from the deck when it is not legal to do so (if a duelist were to forget it was not the start of his or her turn) would all fall under the drawing extra cards rule.
Marked cards are also considered an infraction. A marked card is considered to be one that is readily distinguishable from other cards in the deck. Cards with dirt, wear, surface markings, or worn or marked sleeves can all be considered marked, and the number of cards and degree of the marking will influence the penalty that is given. One or two cards with small markings, or dirt and random wear on all the sleeves would likely result in a warning, and the duelist would be required to replace or resleeve the cards. If a duelist has a large number of cards that are marked, or there appears to be a pattern to the markings on the cards (all spell cards are in different colored sleeves, or all monster cards have a bent corner), then a match loss could be administered. A duelist would have to replace or resleeve the cards in order to continue to participate. Penalties for marked cards are issued under the assumption that the marking is unintentional—intentionally marked cards fall under unsporting conduct.
Procedural errors cover who and when a duelist plays, not just how he or she plays. For instance, if a duelist arrives late, after a match has started, he or she could face either a game loss or a match loss, depending on the tardiness. If a duelist sits down at the wrong table and plays the wrong opponent, depending on when the error is caught, a game loss or match loss could be applied. Lateness is never acceptable when there is a time limit for a match, and dueling the wrong opponent can ruin the carefully prepared pairings, so these infractions must carry a heavier penalty.
On to the next category—deck errors. Just like procedural errors, deck errors range in severity from minor and easily corrected to major, having a definite impact on the game. Minor deck errors, which would result in a warning, generally apply to having an illegal decklist. At most tournaments, duelists are required to fill out and submit a decklist, listing all cards in their main, side (if used) and Fusion (if used) decks. These lists are reviewed by tournament officials, and if an error is discovered, such as two copies of a limited card, a deck with only 38 cards listed, or a side deck that contains an additional copy of a limited card, then the duelist will be contacted, the deck will be compared to the list, corrections will be made, and a warning will be issued. It should be kept in mind that in these cases, the duelist in question is using a legal deck—the decklist doesn’t match the actual contents of the deck being used.
Major deck errors would cover illegal decks, both main and side. An illegal deck could be a deck that does not meet the minimum card requirement or contains extra copies of limited or semi limited cards, or cards that are not legal for play. The usual penalty given for an illegal deck, either main or side, is a game loss.
Now we reach the group of infractions that can carry the most severe penalties, the unsporting conduct rules. Duelists at a tournament are expected to show professional, cooperative behavior, and conduct that is disrespectful, insulting or threatening will result in a penalty. Unsporting conduct penalties range from warnings all the way to disqualification without prize. Let's take a look at the range of infractions and the penalties they can incur. Unsporting conduct infractions are assumed to be intentional, rather than accidental.
Minor unsporting conduct results in a warning. This would include, but not be limited to, creating a messy play area and not cleaning up after oneself, using bad language or offensive gestures, and making insulting or disrespectful remarks to your opponent. Major unsporting conduct results in a match loss. Repeated offenses for which a duelist has received a warning, such as swearing or derogatory remarks to another duelist, using profanity to argue with a judge, or mildly violent actions, such as throwing objects, can all result in a penalty of a match loss.
Severe unsporting conduct covers two areas: unacceptable behavior such as threatening a judge, assaulting another duelist, stealing, or intentionally damaging other people's property; and cheating. Severe unsporting conduct carries a penalty of disqualification from the tournament. A duelist that has previously received warnings for misbehavior can also find his or her penalty upgraded to disqualification, if he or she continues to commit infractions. The second area covered by severe unsporting conduct, cheating, covers infractions committed intentionally by a duelist to misrepresent the state of the game, to influence the outcome of the game, to deceive tournament officials, and even to bribe opponents. If a duelist is believed to be cheating, the head judge will review the situation and determine if the infraction(s) were intentional or not, and whether disqualification is merited. Reporting a loss as a win, attempting to bribe another player or tournament official, deliberately drawing extra cards, or manipulating the randomization of a deck all constitute cheating, and all can carry the penalty of disqualification from the tournament. Severe or frequent infractions can also result in a duelist being expelled from the Organized Play program.
Repeat offenses for any infraction can result in an escalation of the penalty. If a duelist receives multiple warnings for a similar minor procedural error, the judge may decide at his or her discretion to increase the penalty, so a duelist should take any warnings he or she receives seriously and make an effort towards correct play. This is only a general overview of the floor rules and the penalties associated with them, and this review shouldn't be taken to be complete. A duelist will want to get a current copy of the floor rules and review them carefully before participating in a tournament. As Organized Play spreads and more and more tournaments become available, it is important that correct game procedure and proper conduct are taught and enforced, so that duelists can get the most out of their tournament experiences.
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