Scott Larabee started at Wizards of the Coast in 1998, having organized premier Magic tournaments since 1996. He is currently the E-Sports and Premier Play Programs Design Manager. He enjoys Commander and board games.

Magic: The Gathering Tournament Rules Updates

Here are the Magic: The Gathering Tournament Rules update notes for the latest release (which can be found here), listed by the section number of the rules. To have more context, you should refer to the actual wording in the document itself.

Very few changes this time around, and all are "housekeeping" changes. The rules have been updated with Theros Beyond Death in various sections. We have also updated Premier Event program names throughout. Plus, the bans for Modern and Pioneer that happened in December and January have been added.

In addition to these updates to the Magic Tournament Rules, a few updates have been to the Infraction Procedure Guide. Toby Elliott has a full write-up on these changes here.

That's all for this update! If you have questions about Magic Tournament Rules, I recommend the following resources:

Magic: The Gathering Tournament Rules (viewable here)

This is the main rules document that governs competitive tournament play. It defines:

The fundamental parts of a tournament;

The various roles and responsibilities of participants;

The mechanics of a tournament;

The violations that come with tournament play;

The various formats for tournament play; and

Sanctioning rules.

Infraction Procedure Guide (viewable here)

This document provides the recommended penalties and procedures to handle rules violations.

I encourage anyone who is interested in tournament-level Magic to read these documents. They are the rules under which a tournament is run, so being familiar with these documents can help you to become a better player. In some cases, the Magic Tournament Rules supersede the Magic Game Rules, so knowing these rules can keep you from entering some awkward situations. You can also contact Wizards of the Coast Game Support. Information about how to do that can be found here.

—Scott Larabee

@ScottLarabee