With that in mind, most tournament organizers like to make random deck checks each round. If a pair of judges can be spared for this, that’s all the better! It works much better with two judges, because speed and accuracy are paramount. In this article, I’ll work under the assumption that there are two of you on the deck-check team. I understand that lots of times there just aren’t enough judges to spare, and one judge will be handling both decks. But even if this is the case, the same basic procedure will still apply. Let’s get to it!

The first thing to do is select the table number. Do this before the round begins. How you choose it is up to you—I’m partial to rolling a 20-sided die. However, as the rounds progress, I prefer to focus on the higher table numbers, since a deck error here is going to have more of an effect on the final standings.

Once you’ve got the lucky table number, the deck-check team lead should check the pairings list and get the names of the players at that table. You can ask the scorekeeper (nicely!) for a pairings-by-table number list, but please remember that the scorekeeper is hideously busy at the start of the round. There’s a lot of paperwork to print out, so be patient and respectful. If you speak to the scorekeeper ahead of time, you can request that a copy be printed each round and set aside for you. Once you know who’ll be sitting at the chosen table, pull their decklists from the file. You should do this while the pairings lists are being printed and posted. Each judge should take one player’s deck.  Be sure to look at the names. If one of the players being checked is a friend or teammate, you should check the other player’s deck.

Before the round begins, the deck-check team needs to get to the table being checked. This is important—the players should not know in advance that they are being deck-checked, so don’t be obvious about it. Move to an area where you can see the players who you’ll be checking, but look casual about it. Each judge should keep a stealthy eye on his or her designated player, because you need to make sure the player has shuffled his or her deck and presented it to the opponent before you collect the deck.

Watch how the player shuffles. Is he or she holding the cards below the table and looking down at them? Shuffling sideways, so the cards are visible? Players should shuffle thoroughly, not slap one pile of cards into another, and they should do it with the cards face-down towards the table. You want to watch out for any attempt by a player to manipulate the contents of their deck.

Ideally, you’ll collect the deck before the opponent cuts or shuffles it, because part of checking a deck involves looking for evidence of deck stacking. Sometimes this isn’t possible, because one player will shuffle and offer the deck to the opponent before the opponent has finished shuffling—and it’s more important that both players have shuffled and declared they are finished shuffling (they do this by offering the deck to their opponent). In case a problem with the deck arises, the judge needs to be able to state that the player had handed off the deck, and was thus stating it was shuffled and correct. If you are working with a deck-check partner, make sure you both understand to wait until both decks have been offered for the opponent’s cut or shuffle. If you’re working alone, make sure you’re watching carefully so you can step in at the right moment. And when you do step in, don’t disturb the contents of the deck or mix up the cards in any way.

You need to keep your eyes on your player at all times. I’ve been involved in deck checks where a player claims that he or she accidentally dropped a side deck card on top of a deck, was meaning to un-side deck and just hadn’t had time yet, or hadn’t actually presented his or her own deck to the opponent. Since I was watching the whole time, I knew with certainty when they weren’t telling the truth. A judge always wants to be sure of the penalties that are assessed. If a player has deliberately altered his or her deck, you need to be able to prove that. Likewise, if he or she really did accidentally knock the side deck onto his or her main deck, you need to witness that as well. It’s not a judge’s job to gratuitously hand out harsh penalties, but to make sure the event is played out correctly and responsibly.

Remember, if you just walk up and take the deck too early, a player can argue that he or she hadn’t actually prepared it for the next round, and you’ll have no way of proving that he or she intended to play with a problem deck. It can be difficult in the bustle at the beginning of a round, but watch the player, be inconspicuous, and don’t jump the gun when collecting the deck.

Once the players have presented their decks to each other, step up and inform them they’ve got a deck check. Be pleasant and non-threatening when you do this. Younger or inexperienced players can become very nervous, thinking they’re in trouble, and that can unfairly throw them off their game. You also don’t want parents to come after you, accusing you of harassing their child. (It’s been known to happen.) Explain to the players that they have been randomly selected, and ask them to hand you their main deck, side deck, and fusion deck. Make sure they clearly explain which is which. Remind them that they will get a time extension for the round, and make a note of the time so you can give them the correct extension. Carry the decks up to the deck-checking area, and be careful with them. You don’t want to drop or accidentally combine them!

When you’re dealing with a deck check, you need to pay very strict attention to what you’re doing. You shouldn’t be answering rulings questions or working with players in any other way. Other judges should attend to those issues, so if a player asks you for something, politely inform him or her that you’re doing a deck check, and that another judge will be with them shortly. (The player should keep his or her hand in the air.)

Take the decks to a spot away from the event participants, set out the deck side and fusion separately, and compare each of them to the decklist. You should never, ever leave a player’s deck unsupervised, and be careful not to drop or damage any of the cards. Treat the cards even more carefully than you would treat your own.

Deck checks should be completed in five minutes or less, and they need to be very accurate. Different judges have different preferences for how they like to do this, but however you choose to check a deck, you need to confirm the following things:

1)  The player’s deck should match the (legal) decklist he or she submitted at the beginning of the event.

2)  The deck itself must be legal for play in the tournament.

3)  The cards or sleeves must not be marked.

4)  Sleeves, if used, must be allowable under the tournament policies.

Remember to check the side and fusion decks as well. Most judges find it easier to sort the decks into monsters, spells, and traps, and then compare them to the cards on the deck list. Make sure to double-check the numbers of the cards as well! You should know the correct lists for the format, to make sure no illegal cards get through.

Don’t forget to watch for marked cards. Look at the sleeves and at the cards, both with your eyes and your fingers. Does one card feel thicker than another? Check the sleeve: there might be a piece of paper or another card tucked inside. Pay special attention to “picture” sleeves. Some players have been known to put key cards in upside down, so they can spot them in their decks. It’s not automatically an indication of cheating, because it can happen accidentally when the deck is shuffled (one reason I don’t use picture sleeves), so be careful when you’re assessing a penalty. Most marked cards are unintentional, and players with unevenly worn or randomly marked-up sleeves should be required to re-sleeve, but they shouldn’t suffer any other penalties.

If there are any inconsistencies or problems with the deck, alert the head judge, who will deal with the player and assess any needed penalties. These are the times you’ll be thankful that you followed the earlier steps about watching the player and waiting until the cards had been drawn. If you did take your eyes off the player or you aren’t sure, make sure the head judge knows that. You don’t want to be part of an unwarranted penalty.

If you end up as the only judge on the deck-check team, you’ve got a unique challenge. You must watch both players without seeming obvious, and you’ve got two decks to check in under five minutes. It might seem impossible, but it can be done! Dave Brent—head judge for the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG World Championship for two years running, the first-ever level 3 judge, and the best judge I know—uses a method that works very well in situations like these. It is speedy because it doesn’t actually require the judge to break the deck down into categories. Here’s how it’s done.

1)  Begin by completely checking the side deck, verifying that all fifteen cards are correct. If the side deck is in order, the chances of the deck being incorrect are very low.

2)  Count the number of cards in the deck, and verify that it is the same number as the cards in the decklist. If the numbers match, no extra cards have been added and the probability of an illegal deck drops even more.

3)  Look through the deck and count the number of traps. Don’t worry about actually looking for each specific trap on the list—just count the numbers. Since there are usually fewer traps in a deck than any other kind of card, it’s easiest to do them first. You’ll spot a problem here quite easily, and if there isn’t one, the deck has that much less a likelihood of being incorrect.

4)  Do the same thing for the spell cards. Look through the spells and count them, making sure that the number of spells in the deck equals the number of spells on the list.

5)  If the numbers of traps and spells match the numbers on the deck list, and the total number of cards in the deck list is correct, then you’ll know that the number of monsters is correct, by default! What a wonderful thing logic is!

6)  Look quickly through the deck to see if there’s anything odd going on, like three D. D. Warriors, a God card or two, or cards from a set that isn’t legal yet. Familiarity with the format list comes in handy here. If you notice anything weird, compare it to the decklist. In this check, you’re basically looking for any glaring discrepancies. This is a good time to cast your eyes over the backs of the cards or sleeves to check for markings.

7)  You can basically ignore the Fusion deck, after checking to make sure there’s only one copy of Thousand-Eyes Restrict. Fortunately, Fusion decks have gone out of style, so this is less of a concern than it used to be.

This deck-check method is effective about 99.5 percent of the time. What it won’t catch is a player substituting one kind of card for another, like a monster for a monster or a spell for a spell. However, the time this method saves makes up for the risk of error when there’s only one judge available to do a check. It takes a bit of practice, but it works very well when speed is important.

If one judge finishes his or her deck check before the other, he or she can help out by checking the side or Fusion decks. Once you’re done checking, put the decklists away, make sure you’ve got all the cards (check to see that you haven’t dropped any), and carry the decks back to the players simultaneously. Make sure you give the correct deck back to the correct player! Return the decks, and mark the time extension on their match slip. Give them the time it took to check the decks, along with at least a minute so they can reshuffle thoroughly. You should also remind them to do so! It’s common sense and you might think they’d know to shuffle well, but sometimes they don’t, and they sometimes blame the judge when they draw nothing but spell cards for ten turns.

You’ll find your speed increases with practice, so practice! The great thing about deck checking is you don’t have to actually wait for an event to practice it. You’ve got decks, right? Your friends have decks, right? If you’re lucky enough to hang out with some of your fellow judges, you can even have a deck-check competition. You’re striving for speed and accuracy. If you’re good, fast, and reliable as a deck checker, you’ll be a definite asset at an event. The faster you get those decks checked, the sooner the players can begin (and hopefully finish), and the sooner you’re out on the floor doing the other hundred things judges need to do.

I’ve got another little section for the players who are reading this article! If you are a player, you’ll find your deck check goes a lot more smoothly if you’ll do the following things.

Get New, Fresh, Approved Sleeves

I have never been to an event where an award was handed out to the player with the oldest, most disgusting sleeves. If your sleeves are old, splitting, marked up, or (shudder) sticky, it’s time to go sleeve shopping. They’re not that expensive—treat yourself! It’s easier to do it before the event than to be forced to do it during the event. Also, don’t double sleeve, put more than one card in each sleeve, or use sleeves with a holographic pattern on the front. Upper Deck Entertainment policy forbids all of these practices. Also, some TOs won’t allow the use of highly reflective sleeves or picture sleeves with art that extends to the edges of the cards, so choose your sleeves accordingly.

Shuffle Correctly

Don’t shuffle with your cards held sideways, so you can see what you’re doing. It’s amazing how many players I see doing this. They hold the deck sideways and actually sit there looking at the cards as they shuffle. Stop it! It looks really, really bad. If you shuffle like this, you’re going to have an incredibly hard time convincing all but the most gullible judges that you aren’t trying to cheat. Turn the card faces to the table so you can’t possibly see them and shuffle like that. While we’re at it, never shuffle with your hands under the table. Don’t shuffle for too long, and for goodness sakes, don’t stack your deck. Some of us have been judges or TOs for a long time, and we know it when we see it. It’s not worth risking a ban from the Organized Play program.

Make Sure You Have All Your Cards at the End of the Round

Check around your play area, under your table, and with your opponent. If you lose a key card and can’t replace it, you might end up having to drop out of the tournament, apart from losing a potentially valuable card. This is a very sad experience. Don’t let it happen to you.

While we’re on the subject, be sure to hang onto your deck! Someone’s deck always seems to go missing at any given event. If you’re careful, it won’t be yours.

Restore Your Deck to Match the Decklist Between Each Round

It’s easy to forget, especially if your match went to time (or over time). But if you’re deck checked and your deck doesn’t match your list, you’re going to suffer a penalty! Keep a copy of your decklist handy if you need to, to make sure you’ve taken all the side deck cards out. “I forgot that card belonged in my side deck,” is not a valid excuse.

If You Get Picked For a Deck Check, Accept It Philosophically

We select the table numbers at random before the rounds are even paired, so don’t take it personally. If you spend most of the tournament at the top tables, you’re much more likely to get a check, because that’s where the judges tend to focus their attention.

Shuffle Your Deck Thoroughly When You Get It Back

The judge should remind you, but sometimes they forget. Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle! Then shuffle some more! I survived for twelve turns once without drawing a monster, but I didn’t enjoy it very much. I’m betting you wouldn’t enjoy it either.