Ok I got a text from my friend saying in the finals of FNM one of the players saw the other playing putting cards in his deck that he just pulled from a pack not knowing that was illegal. The first player tattled on him and he apparently got a complete match loss for it. I'm no judge but if I'm not mistaken that should only get a game loss for illegal side boarding not a total match loss considering it was at a regular REL event not a professional one. Can someone clarify please
This one is really up to how hard the judge wants to be in the player, but certainly can result in disqualification. Here's the relevant Official DCI Penalty Guidelines:
Double Warning: Judge suspects a player is cheating, a player repeats a previous offense, or the rules violation resulted in a player gaining a serious advantage in a duel or match.
Triple Warning: Judge has a strong belief that a player is cheating, or a tournament participant is engaging in severe, unsporting conduct. Issuance of this type of warning will result in an investigation of the recipient by the DCI. The findings of this investigation may lead to further penalties.
All official warnings must be confirmed with the head judge before being issued. Only the head judge may issue double and triple warnings.
All notices must be reported to the head judge as soon as possible. The head judge may upgrade a notice to any of the official warning classifications listed above, upon review of a player's warning history.
3. Match loss--Only for double warnings.
Match losses should always be applied immediately to the current match. However, if the violation is discovered between rounds, the match loss should be applied to the upcoming match. If possible, the rules violation should be corrected between matches.
4. Ejection--Only for double warnings and triple warnings.
Ejections should always be applied immediately. If a player is ejected from an event, his or her tournament record stands as it exists, but the player may not continue to play. After the tournament is over, ejected players are eligible for any prizes their tournament standings yield.
5. Disqualification--Only for triple warnings.
Disqualifications should always be applied immediately, and they should be issued only if the head judge strongly believes the player has cheated. A disqualified player forfeits all prizes and standings he or she might have earned over the course of the tournament.
For the record, a duel loss is only a single warning level penalty, which is for rules infractions, not cheating.
RESOLVED