Deck check procedure
Random deck checks at high OPL, step by step. Written for rules effective 2026-10-16.
Plan
This is a high OPL event. Plan deck checks for the competition.
Plan
Pick decks at random. Over the competition, check at least 10% of all decks.
At the table
Do it at the start of a round, after the players randomized and presented their decks and before opening hands are drawn.
At the table
Verify every element of the registered deck, Champion Legend, battlefields, Main Deck with the Chosen Champion, Rune Deck, and sideboard if the format has one.
At the table
Compare against the registered decklist. It cannot be changed once it was delivered to an official.
At the table
A check may also be done after the mulligan procedure, if play has not begun and each player's hand is kept as it is.
At the table
If the check happens within a match, grant that match a time extension long enough to cover the logistics of the check.
If something is wrong
A registered decklist with illegal elements, or presented decks that do not match it, is a Decklist Error (Game Loss). Follow its remedies.
If something is wrong
A deck whose contents are illegal when presented or in play is a Deck Presentation Error (Warning), but only if it is caught before opening hands are drawn, or by the erroring player when the deck is easy to restore. Restore the deck and carry on.
TR 703.4 · TR 703.4.c.1 · TR 703.4.c.2
If something is wrong
Caught by anyone other than the erroring player after opening hands have been drawn, or the deck cannot be restored? It is a Game Loss.
If something is wrong
At Professional OPL, extra cards in the deck box that are not part of the registered decklist also make it a Game Loss.
If something is wrong
A Chosen Champion left out of its zone, found after the first player's turn begins: at Casual OPL the player searches for a legal one, at Competitive OPL a judge searches their Main Deck and hand for the registered one, at Professional OPL play proceeds with the zone empty. Leaving it empty on purpose is cheating.
TR 703.4.b · TR 703.4.b.1 · TR 703.4.b.2 · TR 703.4.b.2.a · TR 703.4.b.3
If something is wrong
If the cards needed to correct a deck cannot be had in time, the head judge can issue a proxy.
If something is wrong
Report a Game Loss to the head judge.