Land cards - Do editions count?
Asked by Zgarbas 14 years ago
I got a few Swamps that are from Alara. Can i still use them in Standard?
Really? So Doom Blade M10 is still ok? (got a few old cards from someone who stopped playing)
December 2, 2010 6:06 p.m.
brianguymtg says... #3
The only edition that you cannot use is the cards from Alpha, as the rounding on the corners is different.
December 2, 2010 6:08 p.m.
xeratheenigma says... #4
as long as the cards are sleeved it shouldn't matter if they are from alpha or not (excluding clear sleeves). but i may be wrong on this.
December 2, 2010 6:56 p.m.
MagnorCriol says... #5
There's nit-picky physical details (like the rounding on the corners of Alpha cards) that can nix some cards - card quality is another detail, if they're too torn up they can't be used - but in general sleeves cover a multitude of sins.
The nit-picks are there because if a card's too physically different, it can be told from other cards - sometimes even if it's in a sleeve - and that opens the door for cheating.
Most people wouldn't stoop to this, and most events aren't worth the effort of trying, and most events don't put out the effort of caring about anything except super-blatant quality problems - but the higher-end tournaments, with a lot of money on the line, end up having VERY strict rules enforcement. People have been disqualified before for accidentally having a slightly different sleeve on a card.
ALWAYS double-check with the event's judge if you have any doubt about the card's legality first, just to be safe, but in general it's not a big deal.
December 2, 2010 7:18 p.m.
Zgarbas says...
6:06 p.m. on December 2, 2010 2 | Really? So Doom Blade M10 is still ok? (got a few old cards from someone who stopped playing)
You called M10 old? lol
December 2, 2010 7:23 p.m.
xeratheenigma says... #7
i was just saying that sleeving your cards would help prevent people from accusing you of cheating because the cards will be more uniform, but sleeves are not a catch-all for card abnormalities/deformities i.e. warped cards due to being foil.
another thing to be careful of is that the backing of some older cards is darker than newer cards
December 2, 2010 7:39 p.m.
It's been a while since I've judged, but I can tell you that in lower REL events the issue with marked cards due to wear and tear is pretty relaxed provided you're using sleaves and have clearly made a good-faith effort to prevent an issue from occurring. If you haven't done that then you're at the mercy of the judge you're dealing with. A lot of times the difference between it being ruled "Tournament Errors - Marked Cards" and "Cheating - Manipulation of Game Materials" is going to come down to the judge determining if it looks intentional (actually that is the entire defined difference).
The highest level I judged at was Nationals in 2000 and 2002 and that was a whole different ball game to even GPs I judged where it was pretty strict. In general if you are involved in a tournament at REL competitive (or REL 3-5 as it was called in my day) you need to make sure you not only have sleeves but that they are all cut to the same lengths, have no discolorations, etc.. And as a poster above said if you're not sure check with a judge (not necessarily the head judge though, those guys have way too much to do to help every player with their sleeves - but don't be afraid to escalate the issue if you actually have a worthwhile issue, at competitive events there are plenty of L2s and a handful of L3's typically and if an L3 can't help you with your sleeves issue then you may not be able to be helped =P ).
December 2, 2010 11:09 p.m.
OK I suppose your country and region might differ on how many L3's are at a given event, but even so the bottom line is even L2's are more than overqualified to help with that.
December 2, 2010 11:11 p.m.
its sometimes ridiculous but understandable how the BIG events go crazy over certain things.
i know a guy who went to like a state tournament and witnessed a guy get disqualified for shuffling his opponent's deck wrong.
December 3, 2010 2:44 a.m.
Well the rules procedures do call for a DQ if someone is caught peaking at their opponents cards whilst shuffling their deck (still has to be ruled by the judge to have been intentional).
The thing is that any time you're dealing with a room full of highly competitive people you can't have any gray area in what is and is not acceptable. So they draw a very stark line and are fast and firm about enforcing it.
December 3, 2010 2:58 a.m.
i think i'd be annoying to the judges, simply because i'd ask them over and over and over again if the procedures i am doing are legal and what not
because i'm the type of guy who needs clarification like 15 times before he moves forward
December 3, 2010 3:12 a.m.
thaimaishuu says... #13
How did this turn into a whole debate about sleeves, lol. Although I have to add. If you plan to play foiled cards at the PTQ or something like that, make sure 1/3 of your deck is foiled or the judge might ask you to replace them. My friend asked a judge why that was necessary and the judge took his deck shuffled it and showed how foiled cards bend in a way that makes pulling them more easy. The judge was able to pull the one foiled card out of the deck every time after shuffling it. Luckily the foiled card was easily replaced. :]
December 3, 2010 4:01 a.m.
heh...i have never taken lands printed after Time Spiral block to FNM. My MBC actually has all lands printed pre - Mirrodin frame change, and my UG Heavy Arbalest /Soliton (yes, i took it to FNM. no, i didn't do well) actually had all Mirrodin lands - all of the islands were the same art, and all of the forests were the same art. :P
December 3, 2010 9:33 a.m.
in every deck i make, all the land's art has to be different and the Zendikar/Unhinged/Unglued lands take priority into the deck over all.
KrazyCaley says... Accepted answer #1
Yep, you can use basic lands of any sort.
In general, if a card is legal in standard (or whatever format), you can use any version of it, even very old ones.
December 2, 2010 6 p.m.