Tournament Rules
First of all, please join us on Discord and check out the Barvatar website. There you will be able to find our calendar for all upcoming events!
Finally, the official Digital Magic Tournament Rules and Digital Procedure Guidelines will be in effect. They can be found at the JudgeAcademy website.
Wherever rules contradictions, alterations or specifications occur, this website (as the event's fact sheet) will take precedence, followed by the FAQ, followed by the official document. If multiple languages of any document are made available, only the English versions will be considered.
Registration and eligibility
General eligibility
All Barvatar tournaments have an entry fee of €5. This entry fee includes a free drink (soft drink/beer) at Barvatar on the day of the finals.
There is no limit to the number of tournaments a player may play in, but each individual event may have its own limitations and restrictions. Participants can sign up for Barvatar tournaments through mtgmelee.com up until half an hour before the tournament starts. Late registrations will not be processed (and no exceptions will be made).
Age restrictions
All players under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian during the finals at Barvatar.
Player cap
All Barvatar tournaments have limited attendance, expressed in a player cap. This is to ensure we can make the events run smoothly and finish at a reasonable time. These events will take attendance in a first-come-first-serve manner.
Exceptions
The Barvatar organization has the right to make any exceptions and changes to the above rules without prior or public notice.
Decklist submission
You are required to send in your decklist. This can be done via the Player Controller on mtgmelee.com and should happen at least 30 minutes before the event starts. Players who have not submitted their decklist will be automatically dropped from the event, meaning they will not be allowed to participate. Be sure to check that you have correctly submitted your decklist. You will need to both IMPORT and SUBMIT your deck via the player controller on mtgmelee.com. We recommend doing this the day before the event rather than at the last minute, to avoid problems. We strive to provide a smooth tournament experience, which is nearly impossible to combine with exceptions to this policy. Playing with a first round less is not an option.
Decklist sharing
Each round, your decklist will be shared with your opponent before your match starts - likewise, you will be given access to your opponent's deck list at this time. This is done through mtgmelee.com in the player controller. Please make yourself familiar with this before the event (for example, by playing in another tournament on mtgmelee.com); this will help you throughout the event.
Check-in
To prevent the tournaments from having a high percentage of no-shows, Barvatar tournaments will be using mandatory check-in. Check-in for an event opens 90 minutes before the start of the event. Players should check-in no later than 30 minutes before the start of their event to avoid being dropped. To check into the event, simply load up your Player Controller from the event page. Like with deck lists, no exceptions can be made to this policy. Re-entering players who missed the check-in deadline is not possible.
Other player responsibilities
Beside the above mentioned decklist submission and player check-in, participants have additional responsibilities.
Hardware, connectivity, and software
Players are required to provide their own system with a working Arena client, connected to the internet. The organization does not provide these and is not responsible for the stability of your system, your connection or the software.
Communication
Players are required to maintain communication with the organization at all times. Presence and reactivity on mtgmelee.com (via the Player Controller) as well as Discord is required, as well as reading any official announcements on both platforms. Failure to answer a private message over Discord or mtgmelee.com in a reasonable time may result in your match scores being altered or assumed, or in you being dropped from the event. Players are required to share their screen via Discord's Go Live feature upon request by an admin or stream staff. Failure to do so may result in your match scores being altered or you being dropped from the event. To clarify: aside from facilitating the stream (see the section on feature matches), these measure mostly exist to ensure the smooth running of the event: verifying software or decklist issues, properly detecting and dealing with tardiness and no-shows, moving forward with the tournament at the end of the round when results are missing, etc. Admins will always try to contact you before making decisions that may negatively impact you, but it is your responsibility to stay reachable.
Result submission
Both players are required to submit and/or verify the result of their match on mtgmelee.com and, upon request by an admin, verify that result in direct communication.
Match check-in
You are also required to check into your match at the start of each round using the player controller. This is needed to receive your opponent's Arena ID; it also serves as a way for staff to verify that you're still in the tournament. This is also what we use to verify that you aren't around when your opponent tells us so. If neither player has checked into a match and we have no result at the end of the round, we will set your result to a draw and drop both players automatically.
Tournament structure
Each Barvatar MTG Arena League consists of 2 online Qualifiers and 1 Finals round in the Club space in Barvatar. Up to 32 players can take part in each Qualifier tournament. The top 8 of each Qualifier will continue to play in the Finals at Barvatar.
Online Qualifiers
Up to 32 players can take part in a Qualifier tournament.
The Qualifiers will consist of a number of swiss rounds determined by the total size of the event as detailed below:
Up to 8 players: 3 rounds single elimination
Between 8 and 32 players: 5 rounds
Finals @ Barvatar
Up to 16 players can qualify for the Finals.
The first phase will consist of a number of swiss rounds determined by the total size of the event as detailed below:
Up to 8 players: 3 rounds single elimination
More than 8 players: 4 rounds
The second phase will consist of a single elimination bracket between the top 8 players of the first phase.
Play-Draw rule in single elimination portion
As an exception to the digital Magic Tournament Rules, the player who chooses to play or draw first will be randomly determined.
Tournament issues
Disconnections
During the Qualifiers, players are fully and solely responsible for the presence and stability of an internet connection, which is required to play in the event. Players are also responsible for stability of the system running MTG Arena. Players disconnecting from their game are likely to end up forfeiting the match, but the following procedures will be in place to provide leniency where possible:
- If a player disconnects from an ongoing game and can reconnect before timing out, they can continue playing that game. This is handled within the Arena game client.
- If a player disconnects from an ongoing game and loses that game in MTG Arena, but the match would not have been over with that loss, players should contact an admin (via Discord or mtgmelee.com) as soon as this happens. Admins will try to resolve those situations as best as possible. The ongoing game will be inevitably lost, but it may be possible to continue the rest of the match, at the admin's sole discretion. Note: if your opponent disconnects from the game or loses a game due to a time-out, you should contact an admin immediately (via Discord or mtgmelee.com). You may not submit a result before having done so and gotten verification by an admin that you may submit your result, even if that game was the last game of your match. Any results submitted this way without prior verification by an admin are subject to being voided and/or changed at their sole discretion.
Software crashes
The organization cannot be held responsible for MTG Arena crashes and any resulting match results. Players' ability to provoke crashes or disconnects make it impossible to apply any exceptions other than those stated above.
Software bugs
The organization cannot be held responsible for any bugs encountered in MTG Arena. Players are encouraged to report bugs to MTG Arena customer service and read the Known Issues List.
Bribery & wagering
As per the Magic Tournament Rules, bribery and wagering are not allowed. Reach out to us as soon as anything of this nature happens.
Outside Assistance
The Digital Magic Tournament Rules will be followed in this event. Specifically, this means that:
- It is not allowed to watch the stream of your opponent;
- The burden for avoiding Outside Assistance is on the players themselves; for example: players are personally responsible for ensuring they cannot be put in a position where they may receive Outside Assistance from their stream audience;
- Players are required to immediately report any (accidental) outside assistance they may have received. It is required for players who stream their games to either have a 5 minute delay or change to their viewer chat to emote-only. Failure to do so, even without proof of any outside assistance will result in penalties. It is highly recommended (but not required) that players streaming their event use a delay of ten minutes.
Tournament procedures
Connecting to your opponent
When you receive pairings via mtgmelee.com, you will immediately see a chat box in which you can talk to your opponent. Be sure to say hi! You can also use this function to resolve any issues in making a connection.
Generally, players need to initiate a Direct Challenge with each other in MTG Arena. Both players will also need to use the same game mode for that challenge (see below).
Adding your opponent as a friend
Barvatar recommends adding your opponent as a friend in MTG Arena. This enables chatting and makes challenges easier as only one of two friends need to initiate a challenge, with the other receiving a notification. It also reduces the amount of errors significantly and should be tried if directly challenging does not seem to work. Adding your opponent to your friend list is not mandatory unless requested by an admin. Refusing to do so may lead to you losing the match. Note that you can always remove people from your friend list after the match.
Case sensitivity of Arena IDs
When challenging your opponent, be aware that the Arena ID is case sensitive and has a 5-digit discriminator as well as a handle. For example: MyArenaID#35791 is a valid Arena ID, but MyArenaID is not. Furthermore, there is a difference between myarenaid#35791 and MyArenaID#35791.
Troubleshooting connections
If, after trying double-checking spelling and challenge modes, you still have connection issues, reach out to each other in the mtgmelee.com chat. Coordinate so that you both cancel ongoing challenges, then have one person add the other as a friend, then have that same person initiate a challenge while the other player waits to receive it. If this does not work, please reach out to the staff via Discord or mtgmelee.com.
What if you started a Best-Of-1?
When challenging your opponent, be sure to use the Tournament Match (best-of-3) mode in Arena. If you did everything correctly, you should be playing in a Romano-Greek coliseum setting. If your playing field is different, you have likely started a best-of-1 game. Play out that game, then initiate another challenge afterwards (this time using the correct mode). The loser of the first game should concede in that match.
Decklist issues
If you notice that you and/or your opponent is playing an illegal deck or a deck that doesn't match the decklist, contact an admin (via Discord or mtgmelee.com) as soon as you discover the problem. If the problem is your opponent's deck, be prepared to provide a screenshot. Playing a deck that does not match the deck list you have submitted before the event may result in penalties, at the sole discretion of the tournament admins. These penalties will depend on the exact situation, and may include a warning, game loss or disqualification (in case of cheating).
Timing and tardiness
Round length
Each round will last 55 minutes. That is the usual 50 minutes given to any match plus an additional 5 minutes to connect to your opponent and resolve any issues you may encounter. This round time is separate from the in-game timer in Arena, which also applies.
Tardiness
Players are expected to start their games within 5 minutes of pairings being posted, but leniency will be given up to 10 minutes after that. If you haven't started your game and your opponent has not been in contact with you after 5 minutes, you are encouraged to contact an admin so that we may reach out to them or let you know of any ongoing issues we are aware of. If you still are not playing and have not been in contact with your opponent 10 minutes later (for a total of 15 minutes into the round, or when the clock shows 40 minutes remaining), you may submit a ticket on mtgmelee.com. Please be ready to provide screenshots that show you have reached out to your opponent via mtgmelee.com. You may not submit any results without verifying with an admin.
Early round start
Should a round end early (due to all matches being done before the round is over), we may start the next round earlier than planned. The earliest moment at which tardiness will apply in that case is at the announced time of the end of the previous round.
Arena Timer
When a player's timer runs out in Arena, they will lose that match and the score should be reported. To ensure that the tournament goes smoothly, the round time limit of 55 minutes will also be enforced in addition to the in-game timer.
End of Round procedure
When the round ends and your match is not finished, reach out to an admin through Discord or mtgmelee.com, letting them know the status of your match (current score and the time each player has left). At their sole discretion, the admin may decide to let you play out the entire game or decide the match is a draw.
- If you are not in contact with an admin at the end of the round and neither player has checked into the match on mtgmelee.com, your game score will be set to a draw and both players will be dropped from the event.
- If you are not in contact with an admin at the end of the round and we do not receive a result within 5 minutes after the end of the round, your game score will be set manually by an admin and the next round will be paired soon after. To clarify how we intend to operate: if it is reasonably possible to finish the match without impacting the overall tournament speed, we will let you do that. However, what is “reasonable” is at the admin's sole discretion to determine and may vary from match to match.
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