Rules

日本語訳

These rules have been in force since October 2020, and are used for all our games* including casual events, weekly tournaments, and major competitive events such as the Tokyo Open Grand Brawl series.

In the event of any dispute, this page will be our formal reference.

Other groups are encouraged to use these rules as a basis for their own, eg. changing points allocation, standard match size, or time limits, etc.

Watchwolf Tournament Rules

  1. Pairing: Swiss (non elimination) 
  2. Rounds: 4
  3. Match Timing
    1. 60 minutes plus 1 extra turn for each player remaining
    2. The number of extra turns is fixed when the match ends and, irrespective of subsequent eliminations, remains unchanged
  4. Match Size: is preferred in the following order
    1. 4 player
    2. 3 player
    3. 2 player (played as Best of Three)
  5. Match Pairing: 
    1. Round 1: random
    2. Round 2: random
    3. Round 3: best versus best
    4. Round 4: best versus best
  6. Scoring
    1. Points are scored for each match, and aggregated for the event
  7. Points: Win: 3 points; Lose: 0 points; Tie: 1 point each
    1. ‘Win’ means to have defeated all opponents
    2. ‘Lose’ means to be eliminated before the match end
    3. ‘Tie’ means to be still alive when the match ends
  8. Ties
    1. Players may offer a tie at any time
    2. When time limits are reached, all remaining players must either 
      1. offer a tie, or 
      2. decline to offer
    3. When a tie is offered, remaining players proceed in rotation to either accept or decline
    4. If any remaining player declines, then the match continues
  9. Late Arrivals/Drops
    1. Players may join the tournament after it’s begun, and/or drop before it’s ended
    2. Conceding a match or dropping after it began is scored as a match loss 
  10. Prize Giving: prizes are awarded immediately after the tournament’s conclusion
  11. Decks
    1. Only one deck with the same Commander for every match in the event
    2. No sideboard
    3. Only 1 ‘Outside the Game’ (OTG) card is allowed (see note)
    4. Companions are legal
      1. You must comply with the Companion’s restrictions as usual
    5. Companion and OTG cards must be declared before every match

Watchwolf Club Rules

  1. Weekday Games
  2. At 22:45 exactly, any match still in progress will be stopped and scored
  3. Players may use the Gis and London mulligans in combination by prior agreement
  4. Players may proxy cards they will be able to add to their deck before the end of the event
    1. Such cards must be announced and revealed before each match
    2. Penalty: player’s event points are lost; opponents’  scores remain
  1. Tokens
    1. Players should provide appropriate tokens for any their deck uses
    2. These may be may the official tokens, but as long as they’re regular card-sized, may use any reasonably representative artwork
    3. Players are encouraged to draw their own 🙂 [link]
    4. Dice are commonly used to indicate very high numbers of tokens, but should not be placed straight on to the battlefield in lieu of tokens

Note: Outside the Game Cards

There were previously just a few such cards legal in the Brawl format, but currently (Jan 2021) there is only Fae of Wishes, from Throne of Eldraine.

The sets of scoring possibilities are these:

For 4 player: (3,0,0,0) (1,1,1,1) (1,1,1,0) (1,1,0,0)
For 3 players: (3,0,0) (1,1,1) (1,1,0)
For 2 players: (3,0) (1,1)

* Example of match pairing: for a field of 21 players (pretty much the most inconvenient size) we will create matches for 3 x 4-player games, and 3 x 3-player games.

* Rules Enforcement Level.

The above rules are the basis for all our games, and this page is their reference in the event of any disputes.

In non-tournament matches and by prior agreement from other players, any and all rules may be adapted or waived.

For example: Commander or deck changes between matches; proxied cards, etc.

About the Scoring System

These rules were devised in partnership with Events Team Judges at the Hareruya MTG Tournament Centre in Tokyo.

We drew on Watchwolf’s experience running a competitive multi-Brawl monthly league, and the Team’s vast experience managing single and multi-players tournaments, and were adapted to provide meaningful results in standalone events.

The primary goal was to discourage individual attacks and give the greatest reward only the most ambitious victory in which all other players are defeated. A full article about our design process and testing is forthcoming.

Etiquette

The object of etiquette is to provide an efficient and well-mannered game experience for all players. It is by definition distinct from the rules, and should not be enforced. Rather, groups should define and publish their own etiquette, and encourage one another to play that way to mutually assure their best interests.

A defined and published set club rules and etiquette is absolutely normal in members’ clubs for sports and more established games.

  1. Tokens
    1. Players should provide appropriate tokens for any their deck uses
    2. These may be may the official tokens, but as long as they’re regular card-sized, may use any reasonably representative artwork
    3. Players are encouraged to draw their own 🙂 [link]
    4. Dice are commonly used to indicate very high numbers of tokens, but should not be placed straight on to the battlefield in lieu of tokens
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