While there are many skilled Yu-Gi-Oh! players who have played the game for years, judges know that many duelists are relatively new to trading card games and tournaments in general. These players are used to the casual give and take of playing with friends—they haven’t quite grasped that Organized Play comes with rules that absolutely have to be followed and straying from those rules will incur a penalty. Inexperienced players sometimes view penalties as some kind of persecution from judges who don’t want to give them a break. One of the most important jobs that judges have is to make sure players know that consistent rules and protocols have to be followed in every tournament. To that end, it’s vital that we familiarize ourselves with the penalty guidelines so we know what constitutes a violation and what the appropriate penalty is. If players become accustomed to having strange, random, or made-up penalties assessed when they do something wrong, they’re not going to gain a solid understanding of play violations or what to expect when they commit an infraction.
While I suppose that there are a few judges out there who absolutely love handing out penalties, most of my colleagues consider that to be the least enjoyable part of judging. Penalizing players for play violations can stir up bad attitudes and unhappiness. Many duelists try to argue or charm their way out of penalties. It’s not uncommon to hear things like, “The judge at the store gives us ten minutes to be late before we get a game loss,” or, “My friend who’s a Level 2 judge said we don’t have to show our opponents that we have fusion decks, because that would give our opponent insight into what decks we’re playing.”
There’s also the annoying excuse that goes something like, “I was at the last Regionals here, and the judge didn’t give me a game loss for mixing up my hand with the graveyard. He just said I had to skip my draw phase on my next turn.” And then there’s the classic suggestion, “Why don’t we just reshuffle everything and start the game over?” And then, the dreaded conclusion. “That’s going to cost me the match! Why are you being such a jerk about this? It was just a mistake! You’re doing this to ruin my standings in the tournament. There’s no way I should lose the game because of that!”
Where do players get these nutty ideas? Unfortunately, too many players pick these notions up from judges. Now and then, one does hear of penalties created by judges or “violations” that aren’t listed in the guidelines. It’s against UDE policy to make up penalties or create violations. Judges need to restrict themselves to the four approved penalties and avoid creating obscure punishments to fit whatever situation crops up. There are a few gaps in the penalty guidelines, but they still thoroughly cover the basics. Judges should never invent penalties, and should think very seriously before handing out penalties for violations that aren’t covered in the guidelines. The penalty guidelines aren’t very long or complicated, and all judges (and players too) should know the rules. It’s a good idea to have a printed copy of the guidelines in your judge binder. That way, you can refresh your memory when needed and show the rules to players who demand to see their violations and penalties in black and white.
Basically, there are four approved penalties: a warning, a game loss, a match loss, and disqualification. These are the only punishments that judges can officially hand out. Warnings are given out for the most minor infractions and first offenses, and subsequent penalties are scaled upward from there. Bear in mind that penalties short of disqualification (specifically for cheating) are given with the assumption that the violation wasn’t intentional. When a player intentionally violates the rules, it is considered cheating, and the harshest penalty (disqualification with or without prize) is enforced.
When a player receives a penalty, explain the penalty and what he or she is being penalized for. Be prepared to hear, “But I didn’t do it on purpose!” and explain that the penalty must be handed down regardless of the player’s intent. The policy is very clear on this point, so if the player becomes belligerent, calmly point out that you can escalate the penalty if necessary. Remember to note the player’s name, the violation, and the penalty on the match slip, since the scorekeeper will need to enter that information into Mantis—but don’t make a big deal about issuing a penalty. The entire tournament doesn’t need to know that someone at table 14 got a match loss.
If we expect players to know what’s right and wrong, judges as a group need to be consistent in enforcing the rules. Players need to know the correct way to play so they can anticipate and accept penalties. When penalties are arbitrary and inconsistent, players are less disciplined and understandably angrier when they’re penalized. If you knew the penalty for a given violation, but instead of getting that penalty, you received an arbitrary punishment made up by a judge, wouldn’t you be angry too? If you’d been penalized in the past for an infraction, and then a judge let your opponent get away with the same infraction by saying, “Okay, it was an accident. Just pay attention from now on,” you’d have some second thoughts about the judge and possibly about the game itself.
As judges, we have enough to worry about without stepping outside of the bounds that have already been clearly established. While the penalty guidelines might not cover every conceivable problem, they do spell out what is to be done in most circumstances. Know what the violations are and understand the scale of each offense so you can apply the correct degree of punishment when an unforeseen problem arises. Above all, remember that when violations are handled with consistency and impartiality, players will learn to accept that there are standards they must abide by. As players understand this and take the game more seriously, the overall tone of Organized Play will improve, and judging will become that much easier.