Card Condition Question

[Mr. Froggy]

Is there a ruling that explicitly says how beat up or not cards are allowed to be?

[Koby]

Is there a ruling that explicitly says how beat up or not cards are allowed to be?

As long as it's not apparent when concealed in a sleeve, it should be fine. Check with the HJ at the event if you're unsure.

HP usually isn't a concern unless the card has been taped back up (can form uneven wear on sleeves), has a very bad fold/crease (same), or the material is so worn as to be thin/flimsy.

[KobeBryan]

As long as it's not apparent when concealed in a sleeve, it should be fine. Check with the HJ at the event if you're unsure.

HP usually isn't a concern unless the card has been taped back up (can form uneven wear on sleeves), has a very bad fold/crease (same), or the material is so worn as to be thin/flimsy.

speaking on noticeable condition on sleeves.

my sideboard sleeves are usually cleaner and in better condition than the sleeves for my mainboard.

is that usually an issue?

[Koby]

speaking on noticeable condition on sleeves.

my sideboard sleeves are usually cleaner and in better condition than the sleeves for my mainboard.

is that usually an issue?

Yes. Swap the cards from your sb and md to get all 75 sleeves worn evenly.

[cdr]

Potentially yes, differently worn sideboard sleeves can be an issue. Anything that causes cards to be marked (distinguishable from other cards) is problematic. Some people do not sleeve their sideboards for this reason, switching sleeves with maindeck cards.

Here's the Tournament Rules:
3.11 Marked Cards

Players are responsible for ensuring that their cards and/or card sleeves are not marked during the course of the tournament. A card or sleeve is considered marked if it bears something that makes it possible to identify the card without seeing its face, including scratches, discoloration, and bends.

If a player’s cards are sleeved, the cards must be examined while in the sleeves to determine if they are marked. Players should use care when sleeving their decks and should randomize their decks prior to sleeving them to reduce the possibility of cards becoming marked with a pattern. Players should also keep in mind that cards or sleeves may become worn and potentially marked through play during the course of a tournament.

The Head Judge has the authority to determine if a card in a player’s deck is marked. Judges may request that a player remove his or her current sleeves or replace any of the deck’s current sleeves immediately, or before the next round.

If a player is required to replace a card in his or her deck and is unable to find a replacement, the player may replace the card with a basic land card of his or her choice. Once the player does this, he or she may not revert back to the original configuration, even if the player finds an acceptable replacement. This also applies to cards that are lost.

And IPG:
3.8. Tournament Error — Marked Cards
Definition
A player’s cards are marked or oriented in a way that could potentially give an advantage to that player.

Penalty
Warning

Examples
A. A player has small marks on a few of his sleeves. The markings are on a Mountain, a Loxodon Hierarch, and a Lightning Helix.
B. A player without sleeves has several foil cards that stand out significantly from the rest of her deck.

Philosophy
Sleeves and cards often become worn over the course of a tournament, and, as long as the player is not attempting to take advantage of this (which would be Cheating — Manipulation of Game Materials), addressing the situation is sufficient in most cases. Note that almost all sleeves can be considered marked in some way; judges should keep this in mind when determining penalties. In cases of marked cards, educating players to shuffle their cards and sleeves before sleeving the cards is very important.

Additional Remedy
The player needs to replace the card(s) or sleeve(s) with an unmarked version or, if no sleeves are being used, use sleeves that conceal the markings. If the cards themselves have become marked through play in the tournament, the Head Judge may decide to issue a proxy. If the player is unable to find replacement cards, he or she may replace those cards with basic lands for the remainder of the tournament. If he or she chooses to do so, the decklist should be changed and cannot be reverted, even if replacements are found.

The Head Judge has the option to upgrade this penalty to a Game Loss if he or she believes that a player noticing the pattern of markings would clearly compromise the integrity of the game.

[sdematt]

I think the best way to solve this is when going into a big tournament, change your sleeves.

-Matt

[cdr]

I think the best way to solve this is when going into a big tournament, change your sleeves.

-Matt

Yes, I would recommend starting with fresh sleeves if at all possible for a competitive event (PTQ, SCG, GP, etc).

However, the difference in amount of play in maindeck vs sideboard could still be a problem over a long event - hence not sleeving your sideboard, or switching sleeves occasionally, or whatever.

[Chmur]

However, the difference in amount of play in maindeck vs sideboard could still be a problem over a long event - hence not sleeving your sideboard, or switching sleeves occasionally, or whatever.

What works for me is picking sleeves that are resilient to wear over single tournament (KMC Matte can survive 8-12 rounds without significant scratches and wear) and as for sideboard, I tend to shuffle my SB between rounds to simulate same wear as maindeck sleeves. However still, when sideboarding I see significant difference between sleeve I am pulling out and in I will just change the sleeves. Talking competetive and above here, for FNM I tend to change sleeves less.

[r3dd09]

Problem with the kmc matte sleeves is they pick up finger print marks more than other sleeves. Especially if you have greasy fingers.

I had an opponent in Denver want to call a judge for a marked sleeve with a greasy finger print. before the judge got over to our table * this was after he shuffled my deck* I found out the finger print was from him... He quickly told the judge everything was okay.

I kept a close eye on this guy for the rest of the game.