Competitive REL & the Judge Team
How Competitive events differ, the three documents, and how a judge team is organized.
10 min read · Lesson 1 of 8
What changes at Competitive REL
At Competitive REL, players are responsible for their own game state and are expected to know the rules. Key differences from Regular:
- Infractions carry defined penalties from the IPG (Warnings, Game Losses, etc.).
- Players must maintain a clear, accurate physical game state (life totals written down, tapped/untapped clear, etc.).
- Decklists are usually required and are the authoritative record of a player's deck.
- Judges generally do not fix the game state for players proactively — they respond to what has actually happened.
The three documents
- Comprehensive Rules (CR) — the complete rules of the game. The final word on how cards interact.
- Magic Tournament Rules (MTR) — how tournaments are run: structure, deck construction/registration, communication policy, time limits, player responsibilities.
- Infraction Procedure Guide (IPG) — what to do when something goes wrong at Competitive REL: infractions, penalties, and fixes.
The CR answers "what happens in the game." The MTR and IPG answer "what happens in the tournament."
The judge team
At larger events judges are organized into a team structure:
- The Head Judge (HJ) has final say on all rulings and is the only one who can hear appeals.
- Team Leads coordinate areas of responsibility (Deck Checks, Logistics, Paper, etc.).
- Floor Judges take calls, make rulings, and can be appealed to the Head Judge.
Any player may appeal a floor judge's ruling to the Head Judge; the floor judge should facilitate that appeal, not take it personally.
Lesson test
Answer these 5 ruling questions to complete the lesson. You need 70% to pass — passing marks the lesson done and counts toward unlocking the level exam.