How To Answer Your Own Question

[cdr]

Official Documents:

• The card: RTFC. See Gatherer.
• Set FAQs: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/rules/faqs
• The Rules: On non-Wizards sites, make sure to check that the version is current.
  
  Wizards.com (txt/doc/rtf/pdf): http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x.../tourneyplayer
  Magiccards.info (html): http://magiccards.info/comprehensive.html
  Yawgatog.com (html): http://www.yawgatog.com/resources/magicrules/

Official Sources:

• Gatherer is the source of all official card wordings. If you want to know the text of a card, use Gatherer. It also contains rulings for several cards.
  
  Gatherer: http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/index.aspx?
  
  
• NetReps are judges assigned to answer questions at various places online. They are official sources.

IRC:

• Several dozen judges hang out in #mtgrules and #mtgjudge on the EFnet IRC network, including many higher level judges. #mtgrules also has a NetRep, Lee Sharpe. An easy way to get a quick answer to a question.
  
  #mtgrules is for questions about game rules, while #mtgjudge is for questions about tournament rules, penalties, and other questions.
  
  #mtgrules: irc://irc.efnet.nl/#mtgrules
  #mtgjudge: irc://irc.efnet.nl/#mtgjudge

Mailing lists:

• Anyone can access mtg-l, the official Magic discussion list. mtg-l is mostly used for rules questions and has a NetRep, Jeff Jordan. A complete archive is available on the web.
  
  mtg-l: http://oracle.wizards.com/archives/mtg-l.html
  
  
• Rules Advisors and DCI judges have access to mtgrules-l, the Magic rules mailing list used by judges. mtgrules-l has a NetRep, Gavin Duggan. Questions and answers on mtgrules-l are generally more in-depth than ones on mtg-l. A complete archive is available on the web.
  Becoming a Rules Advisor is simple - just take a short online test at http://judge.wizards.com/.
  
  mtgrules-l: http://oracle.wizards.com/archives/mtgrules-l.html
  
  
• DCI judges have access to dcijudge-l, the official mailing list for judge-related discussion. The dcijudge-l NetRep is Scott Marshall. A complete archive is available on the web.
  
  dcijudge-l: http://oracle.wizards.com/archives/dcijudge-l.html

Question Sites:
These pages have an archive of questions people have sent in which were answered by a high-level judge.

• Tolarian Academy is a weekly column at ChannelFireball that answers reader-submitted rules questions.
  
  Tolarian Academy: http://strategy.channelfireball.com/...arian-academy/
  
  
• Cranial Insertion is a weekly column at MTG Salvation, usually devoted to reader-submitted rules questions.
  
  Cranial Insertion: http://mtgsalvation.com/articles/topic/cranial.html
  
  
• Saturday School was a weekly feature that ran on magicthegathering.com; Ask the Judge was a daily feature on Star City Games. Both have been discontinued, and should not be used since they are no longer updated and the information is not likely to be accurate.

Boards:
Rules forums are great places to get information on specific interactions, but keep in mind that information given by random people may not be correct. There is an "official" person in charge of answering questions on each board; these people can generally be trusted along with DCI L2+ judges that might post.

• Wizards: http://boards1.wizards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=154
• MTG Salvation: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/forumdisplay.php?f=28
• The Mana Drain: http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?board=8.0
• The Source: You are here.

Google:
You can often find relevant information just by googling the interaction you want to know about.