Lately, I’ve been focusing on tournament play and procedure, as opposed to game mechanics. That’s probably because of all the judging I’ve been doing. I’ll notice something and think, “Why don’t more players know about this?” Since I have the good fortune of being able to instruct as well as judge, I’m going to take advantage of my situation yet again to talk about what players should do when time is called in a round.
Rounds in a Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament last for 40 minutes. The majority of players will finish two or three duels within that time, but there are often a few tables still engaged in games when the clock runs out. In a smaller event that’s plentifully supplied with judges, that usually isn’t a problem. Judges will look for ongoing matches close to the end of the round and observe the matches as time runs out. In a larger event like a Shonen Jump Championship, there might not be a judge available for each ongoing match. It’s important that everyone participating in a tournament knows the correct procedure for matches that are called on time. You want to make sure that wins are awarded correctly, and you don’t want judges and players to get tangled up trying to resolve awkward situations.
If you haven’t done so already, you should read and familiarize yourself with tournament policies. You can find policy documents here. They explain what is expected of participants in events and go over correct procedures. Section A-10 of Appendix A deals with the end-of-match procedure.
If time is called and players are still involved in a duel, the turn player gets the opportunity to finish his or her turn. Then, it’s time to look for a winner. The winner is determined in one of three ways that generally depend on which of the three duels is currently underway. Let’s take a look at the ways in which timed-out matches are decided.
Most Game Wins
Once the turn player has completed his or her turn, the player with the most game wins will win the match. Let’s say that it’s the middle of game 2. Player B has just drawn a card when time is called. Player A has already won game 1, but Player B gets to complete the turn. If Player B is unable to reduce Player A’s life points to 0 or otherwise win the game, the match win will be awarded to Player A, since he or she has more game wins.
Equal Number of Game Wins, More Life Points
If time is called when neither player has won a game or when each player has won the same number of games, then the winner of the match will be determined by life points. If time is called during the first game on Player A’s turn, Player A will first finish his or her turn. Let’s say that Player A begins the turn with 4300 life points, while Player B has 7400 life points. Player A manages to knock off another 1600 life points, but since that only brings Player B down to 5800 life points, Player B has more life points and is declared the winner.
The same holds true if the players have each won a duel and the round ends during game 3. The turn player will finish his or her turn, and the player with the most life points will be declared the winner of the match.
Equal Number of Game Wins, Equal Number of Life Points, First Change in Life Points
If the round ends between games or when players are tied for both game wins and life points, the winner will be determined by the first change in life points. The first person to have more life points than the other will win the match. Let’s say that the round ends, and the players have just finished the second duel. Player B won the first game, and Player A won the second game. The players will begin game 3, and the first change in life points will determine who wins the match. The first player to have fewer life points than his or her opponent will lose.
Let’s say that Player A goes first, and sets Ceasefire and Magician of Faith before passing. Player B draws, summons Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, then activates Poison of the Old Man, choosing to increase his or her life points by 1200. In response, Player A activates Ceasefire. Ceasefire resolves first, dealing 1000 points of damage, so Player B loses the duel. The win condition kicks in with the first change in life points—the entire chain does not have to resolve. If Player B had gone first, activated Poison of the Old Man, and chosen either effect, Player B would have been the winner. Remember, you can win by increasing your own life points rather than reducing your opponent’s.
If the players were in the middle of game 3 and tied at 6000 life points apiece, the situation could have gone a different way. Let’s say that the round ends, and Player A concludes the turn without dealing any damage, so the players’ life points are still tied. Player B then takes an additional turn. He or she draws, activates Change of Heart to take control of Player A’s only monster, and then attacks directly for 1900 damage to win the game.
These are the ways that a winner is determined when time is called on an ongoing match. The tournament-policy documents clearly spell out the procedures, but I’ve seen players with some odd ideas about how to choose the winner of the match. Don’t mix and match the procedures! If time is called, you don’t get to decide, “Oh! Time was called! You won the last duel, but I have more life points in this one, so I’m the winner!” Go through these procedures step by step. When time is called, the turn player finishes his or her turn. Then, look to see who has won the most games. If both players have won the same number of games, or if no one has won any games yet, check the life point totals. If both players have won the same number of games and their life points are tied, the next change in life points will determine the winner of the match.
It’s a good idea to keep track of the time and keep an eye on your opponent. Wear a watch or remember to check the clock if you aren’t lucky enough to have a countdown clock at the event. Head judges or TOs will sometimes announce halfway points or other time markers, but it’s not something that everyone does. It’s your responsibility to keep track of how much time you have left. If the round gets closer to the end and you are still playing, make an extra effort to be clear and concise about what you’re doing. Play in a timely manner so your opponent will be less likely to accuse you of stalling. If you suspect that your opponent is stalling—taking unnecessary time to think about responding, decide which cards to play, or check and recheck set cards or the graveyard—raise your hand to call over a judge. Ideally, as the rounds get closer to time, judges will have located any ongoing matches. However, at a large event, there might not be enough judges to go around. Making sure that your play is as clear as possible will help judges resolve any sticky issues about who should have won games or matches, and sticking to the correct end-of-round procedure will ensure that the player who is entitled to the win gets the win.