Am I allowed to use software during tournaments?

[autonom]

Am I allowed to use software during tournaments? Either during games, between games or between matches. I'm thinking about things like:
- Looking at popular deck lists
- Noting down cards I have seen in my opponents deck or hand
- Looking at side boarding guides
- Using a life counter
- Looking at rules

[Dice_Box]

Between matches yes, between games no.

For life totals or notes, paper is fine. Rules questions, put up your hand and call a judge.

Sideboard plans are ok.

2.11:

Between games, players may refer to a brief set of notes made before the match. They are not required to reveal these notes to their opponents. These notes must be removed from the play area before the beginning of the next game. Excessive quantities of notes (more than a sheet or two) are not allowed and may be penalized as slow play.

I need to pay more attention to release notes. I missed the 2.10/2.11 updates.

[Kathal]

Quick question, following the quoted rules part, I cannot make any notes in the game (like writing down stuff which I have seen in the opp hand, write some assumptions down (like 3-4 words of what I assume)) or am I wrong regarding this?

Greetings,
Kathal

[Dice_Box]

2.11 Taking Notes

Players are allowed to take written notes during a match and may refer to those notes while that match is in progress. At the beginning of a match, each player’s note sheet must be empty and must remain visible throughout the match. Players do not have to explain or reveal notes to other players. Judges may ask to see a player’s notes and/or request that the player explain his or her notes.

Players may not refer to other notes, including notes from previous matches, during games.

Between games, players may refer to a brief set of notes made before the match. They are not required to reveal these notes to their opponents. These notes must be removed from the play area before the beginning of the next game. Excessive quantities of notes (more than a sheet or two) are not allowed and may be penalized as slow play.

The use of electronic devices to take and refer to notes is permitted at Regular Rules Enforcement Level (see section 2.12 – Electronic Devices).

Players and spectators (exception: authorized press) may not make notes while drafting. Players may not reference any outside notes during drafting, card pool registration, or deckbuilding.

Players may refer to Oracle text at any time. They must do so publicly and in a format which contains no other strategic information. Consulting online sources, such as gatherer.wizards.com, is allowed at Regular Rules Enforcement Level even if they contain a small amount of strategic information. If a player wishes to view Oracle text in private, he or she must ask a judge.

Artistic modifications to cards that indirectly provide minor strategic information are acceptable. The Head Judge is the final arbiter on what cards and notes are acceptable for a tournament.

[Julian23]

At a PTQ in Munich, we once had both semifinalists disqualified because of that. After sitting down, one guy asked his friend what his opponent was playing, which lead to an investigation and eventually a match loss.

Now the other guy, while waiting, pulled out his own notes to check what his opponent was playing and was subsequently also disualified.


Only PTQ I've ever seen where the winner just had a *Bye* in the finals.

[Kathal]

Thanks @Dice_Box!

Another quick question regarding notes. I usually have a small notebook, where I write down the lifetotals and notes, just so that I can write better reports after the tournament. Can I use it or not? Problem is (at least as I understand it) that this notebook contains match infos from previous matches and thus would go against 2.11

Greetings,
Kathal

[Dice_Box]

If after the game ends you turn the page and start fresh, with nothing on your new page you will be ok. As long as you don't flick back though past notes.

[Kathal]

Ah, that works fine than ^^

Thanks for the help btw, after reading that rules text I kinda got confused and wanted to clarify it, before something happens because of this.

Greetings,
Kathal

[kombatkiwi]

Players are allowed to take written notes during a match and may refer to those notes while that match is in progress. At the beginning of a match, each player’s note sheet must be empty and must remain visible throughout the match. Players do not have to explain or reveal notes to other players. Judges may ask to see a player’s notes and/or request that the player explain his or her notes.

"Each player's note sheet must... remain visible throughout the match"
"Players do not have to explain or reveal notes to other players"

Can somebody please clarify this apparent contradiction? i.e. I have no opportunity for my notes to be 'revealed' to another player if the earlier statement requires my notes to be continuously revealed to everybody present, so I am confused as to what the intent is here, or how this rule should be applied.

The only way I can make sense of this is that the physical piece of paper with the notes on it must remain visible at all times (e.g. midway through the match I cannot drop it into my bag and pull it out again later), but while it is on the table I can orient, fold, or otherwise manipulate it in such a way that my opponent cannot read it. Is this the correct interpretation?

[Julian23]

The idea behind it is that you can't e.g. put the sheet with the notes you made during the game into your backpack and then pull out a previously created one and then claim that you made those notes during the game. It also prevents you from trying something fishy where you exchange your in-game notes for e.g. a different sheet of paper where a friend is providing you outside assistance on.

[Technics]

The idea behind it is that you can't e.g. put the sheet with the notes you made during the game into your backpack and then pull out a previously created one and then claim that you made those notes during the game. It also prevents you from trying something fishy where you exchange your in-game notes for e.g. a different sheet of paper where a friend is providing you outside assistance on.

Just to add a bit more. Julian explained why they must stay revealed. However I can write in a different language/short hand to make notes and I don't have to explain. Think of a player writing down their opening hand for a report but not wanting their opponent to know what it is.