Wizards Releases Statement on Pro Tour Disqualification

This weekend was the Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3, and the event sparked a lot of discussion. Bant Nadu’s total domination is extremely memorable and could very well signal the need for a ban soon. Meanwhile, the Player of the Year award was renamed the Kai Budde Player of the Year trophy, in honor of one of the greatest MTG players of all time.

Perhaps the most talked about incident this weekend was the disqualification of professional player Bart Van Etten. A major mistake was made during a match between Bart and Javier Dominguez that went unnoticed in real time. While some argued that it seemed like an easy mistake to make, Bart was ultimately given a disqualification after an investigation.

Bart has been criticized for cheating scandals in the past, so this on-camera scenario was definitely not a good idea. Let’s review the events that led to an investigation in the first place and the eventual disqualification.

The Goyf error strikes again

The events that led to the disqualification occurred during the third part of the 13th round. On the third turn, Javier cast a copy of Phlage, Titan of Firefury from his hand. When she entered the battlefield, he targeted Bart’s Nethergoyf to deal three damage and gain three life. At this point, Nethergoyf was a 2/3 card, as two types of cards were in Bart’s graveyard.

With Phlage’s triggered ability on the stack, Bart cast Not Dead After All targeting Nethergoyf. He then let Phlage’s ability resolve, returned Nethergoyf to the battlefield tapped, and put an Evil Role token on the Nethergoyf. Obviously, this was used to indicate that the Nethergoyf had died and come back into play via Not Dead After All.

The problem here was that once Not Dead After All was resolved and went to Bart’s graveyard, Bart now had three types of cards in the graveyard. As such, Nethergoyf would be a 3/4 and would naturally live beyond Phlage’s trigger. This means that Nethergoyf should not have had a Wicked Role token attached in the first place. This can be a big problem in the game, especially considering that Javier’s removal is damage-based.

Ultimately, it’s not unusual for mistakes like this to happen, nor for them to be noticed mid-game by either player. Tarmogoyf’s math has led to many judges’ decisions over the years, usually when Tarmogoyf is targeted by a damaging Instant like Lightning Bolt. With that in mind, it makes sense that no disqualifications have occurred early on.

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decision

Although the incident occurred in the 13th round, the disqualification decision was not made until midway through the 14th round. The issue was not brought to the attention of the judges until the 14th round, well after the match had ended. However, this prompted an investigation by the judges.

Typically, investigations are used to determine a player’s intentions. The reality is that Rules of Play violations (GRVs) happen all the time at major tournaments. Something as simple as accidentally drawing a second card for the turn when two cards stuck together would constitute a GRV. Most of the time, simple warnings are issued. From there, judges track a player’s GRVs, as repeated infractions can result in a harsher penalty. However, where things get dicey is if the judges determine that you committed a GRV intentionally in an attempt to gain an advantage.

This is exactly what happened in Bart’s case. While we obviously don’t know what happened during the behind-the-scenes investigation, it’s highly likely that the judges asked Bart and Javier for their side of the story. By coupling this information with footage of the match itself, a conclusion can often be reached.

Some players speculate that Bart’s immediate willingness to attack for 4 damage with the Nethergoyf the next turn played a role in the final decision. The logic is that by announcing an attack for four, Bart would have clearly recognized the three types of cards in his graveyard alongside the Wicked Role token, which should not have been attached in the first place. There is certainly more to the story, but the specific details have not been made public. What we do know is that Bart was disqualified due to his intention to commit a GRV and the match result on day 13 was subsequently overturned.

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Player reaction

When footage of the inherent error first surfaced, many players were quick to react to what they saw. From the initial clip alone, it makes sense that many players believe this was nothing more than an honest mistake. Part of the reason this clip blew up on Twitter the way it did, however, was due to Bart’s previous run-ins with cheating issues on camera.

Years ago, Bart was apparently caught cheating on camera on Twitch. After cracking Mishra’s Ball and seeing that he had a mediocre card on top of his deck, he cracked his Bloodstained Mud on the opponent’s upkeep in response to the Ball’s trigger. He then half-shuffled his deck in a very awkward manner, seemingly playing with the card order himself. He then failed to give the opponent the option to cut his deck, and then drew a copy of Terminate which helped him win the game.

This event, along with others, has left many players skeptical of Bart’s intentions, feeling that he should not be given the benefit of the doubt. Bart’s past issues likely played a role in the extensive investigation that took place, as well as the article that was made public. A disqualification report like this has not been done since Yuuya Watanabe’s disqualification some time ago.

Cheating is unfortunately something that players and judges need to be constantly on the lookout for. It’s nice to see a written report being released to keep people informed of the current situation. This disqualification also shows that action can indeed be taken long after the issue originally occurred. Players don’t know if Bart actually cheated or not, but whatever investigation took place ultimately led to his disqualification. Make sure you’re aware of any ill intent on the part of your opponents, and don’t hesitate to involve the judges if anything seems suspicious.

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