Shuffling Dos & Don’ts Daily MTG Magic The Gathering

Shuffling Dos & Don’ts : Daily MTG : Magic: The Gathering
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=judge/article/20060707a[08/06/2013 8:17:15 PM]
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Shuffling Dos & Don’ts
Lee McLain, Level 3
July 7, 2006
Lee McLain, Level 3 Archive
Lee McLain, L3
One of the basic rules of Magic is that players are to start each game with a deck of cards in a
random order. It's stated in the Universal Tournament Rules (UTR 21) that players are to sufficiently
randomize their cards and while doing so, the card faces can’t be seen. Whether the deck is a 40
card limited deck, a 60 card Standard deck, or a 250 card Extended “Battle of Wits” deck, the
players shouldn’t have a clue as to how the deck is organized.
There are many different ways that players randomize their decks.
There is the riffle shuffle (also called a shotgun shuffle), there is the
pile shuffle where a player makes several face down piles of cards
on the table, rearranging the cards’ order, and there is the “mash”
shuffle where a player separates a deck in half and then pushes the
stacks back together. Some of these methods are known by
different names and there are other types of shuffles but, when
performed properly, they are all intended to do the same job;
randomize the deck.
Another shuffling method used (although it is not a shuffle at all) is
called a “weave” or “mana weave.” Commonly, players mana
weaving will separate their deck into two piles, one for spells and
one for land. At this point, they arrange the cards in a set pattern:
two spells, one land, two spells, one land, and so on. In a 60 card
deck with 20 land cards, this leaves the deck in a nice 2:1 ratio of
spells to land and assures that the player will draw plenty of land.
If left as is, the deck in the above example is obviously
not
randomized; in fact, the cards are in a known pattern. Although the
exact order of the cards is not known, there is a pattern of two spell cards and one land card
repeating throughout the deck. Left in this state, this is a stacked deck and qualifies as Cheating.
After going through all the work of mana weaving, the deck still needs to be randomized.
In order to sufficiently randomize a deck, a player must use a series of proper shuffles and cuts.
Some players like a variety of shuffling methods during the course of their matches, mixing pile
shuffles, riffle shuffles, and whatever else they are in the habit of doing. Even though they might be
mixing up their shuffling methods, one thing must remain constant; they must randomize the deck.
Mana weaving without further randomization is deck-stacking, pile shuffling alone is not adequate,
and one or two riffle or pile shuffles are also inadequate. Pile shuffling as the final shuffling method
is also not adequate.
When it comes time to shuffle, use different, alternating techniques, be careful not to damage or
drop cards while shuffling, and
be thorough. Remember that in between games you have three
minutes, don't stop shuffling after only 20 seconds!
You may ask, “Why not just ban X shuffle method?” Since many of the questionable methods can be
difficult to define precisely, it's better to define acceptable methods. If players use the above
guidelines for shuffling, there is no need to ban any method of shuffling.
Insufficiently randomizing a deck is something that sends up a warning flag to other players and
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Shuffling Dos & Don’ts : Daily MTG : Magic: The Gathering
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=judge/article/20060707a[08/06/2013 8:17:15 PM]
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judges alike. In the Penalty Guidelines the penalty for insufficient deck shuffling is a Warning. That is
the penalty for an unintentional infraction. If a judge determines that the infraction was intentional,
it will be upgraded to Cheating, which will result in disqualification and an investigation by the DCI.
Lee McLain, Ohio, L3
[email protected]
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