Like many players who have made it to the finals of a Magic Online tournament, you might have chatted with your opponent about what you would like to get from winning the match. Perhaps you have even discussed splitting the prizes from that event or conceding to your opponent. But how can you have this discussion without engaging in bribery or collusion?

In an effort to make this distinction as clear as possible, we have crafted new Bribery, Prize Splitting, and Collusion guidelines that will be included in our updated Magic Online User Agreement on 8/20. The text of those guidelines is below.

Bribery Players may neither offer nor accept booster packs, rewards, or any other objects in exchange for modifying the outcome of a game or match. For example, during round two of a three round Swiss event, if player A says to player B “Concede to me for 2 tickets,” this is bribery and subject to conduct action. The only exception to this is discussed in “Prize Splitting.” Prize Splitting In the final round of an event, two players matched against each other may negotiate their match result to split whatever prizes are at stake between them, including (but not limited to) Qualifier Points and invitations. If an event cuts to a Top 8 playoff, the final round is defined as the last round of that playoff. Offering prizes outside those Magic Online would award based on the outcome of that match to the participants is still considered bribery, as is offering a prize split prior to the final round of an event. All prize splits are done at the players' own risk, and Magic Online will not enforce any agreed-upon splits in any situation. Collusion A player or players working together to gain an unfair competitive advantage in an event. An example of collusion includes sharing knowledge of draft picks with other players of an event during the drafting portion of that event.

What does this mean for you, the player?

You may reach an agreement with your final round opponent on who wins the match and who should get what prizes from it. However, you may not “sweeten the deal” with additional packs, event tickets, or anything that isn’t part of that event’s prizes.

Any arrangements you make for trading prizes after the event are completely at your own risk, so be wary of any offers that seem too good to be true. (Scamming players by not honoring an agreed-upon split violates the Wizards Code of Conduct).

I think two players are colluding in an event but I’m not sure. What should I do?

Collusion can be extremely difficult to determine for sure as an observer. If you see something suspicious, please report the players involved and our conduct team will be happy to take a further look. While we can’t tell you what actions we take against specific players, we do review all conduct reports thoroughly.

What happens to players that the conduct teams determine to be engaging in bribery or collusion?

Violators will be subject to conduct action against their accounts. Minor infractions may receive a warning, while more severe or repeat violators will receive suspensions or even permanent terminations of their accounts. If you notice someone engaging in behavior that violates this or any of our other policies, please report them here.