 Official Tournament Policies |
| Last update: November 20, 2024 |
| The following tournament policies are in place for officially sanctioned Council of Elrond (CoE) tournaments. A sanctioned tournament is a Middle-earth Collectible Card Game (MeCCG) event that requires advance approval for sanctioned status and reporting of results to the CoE. The CoE reserves the right to award or withhold sanctioned status for tournaments. Unaffiliated organizers are encouraged to run tournaments for MeCCG regardless of sanctioned status, and are welcome to utilize the following policies for non-sanctioned tournaments. |
| A sanctioned tournament has a tournament coordinator who is in charge of running the tournament. In the following text, “tournament coordinator” means the coordinator or any staff member assigned to assist the coordinator. Tournament coordinators are responsible for seeing that the following policies are kept, prizes are properly awarded, and that the tournament is run in a fair and impartial manner. To ensure that all participants are fully aware of these policies, tournament coordinators should post a link to this webpage in the main description for virtual tournaments, or make an announcement prior to the first round of in-person tournaments highlighting the noteworthy bullet points for expectations of fair play (i.e. Policies 7-13, 15-16, and 19-21). When a tournament is completed, the tournament coordinator must report all results to the CoE so that they can be properly recorded. Failure to report the results of a sanctioned event may result in the CoE not sanctioning future events run by the same coordinator. |
| GENERAL |
1. Participation – Anyone is welcome to participate in a CoE sanctioned tournament except:
• Players who have been banned from CoE events
• Tournament coordinators of the same event, unless specific arrangements are made to obtain additional support for impartial ruling decisions. |
| 2. Two-Player Games Only – All matches will be between two players unless pre-approval is obtained. To obtain permission for a multi-player event, the tournament coordinator must submit a written proposal for the intended tournament structure. Solitaire tournaments will not be sanctioned. |
| 3. Accomodations – Players must be provided with reasonably comfortable accommodations. The playing environment must be clean and reasonably free of elements that pose a threat to the physical integrity of each player’s cards. |
| 4. Using Maps – An appropriate map of the regions of Middle-earth is normally used to depict region movement, but the text of region cards takes precedence over maps. Certain regions, which may appear to be adjacent on a map, are not listed as adjacent on the appropriate region cards (e.g. Dagorlad and Ûdun, Rohan and Dagorlad, Cardolan and Lindon, Old Pûkel Gap and Andrast). Such regions are not considered adjacent, even when a map is used for region movement. |
| 5. Deck Construction – Cards may be from any edition or expansion of MeCCG (including non-English translations and official promotional cards). The mechanics of any given card will be determined from the most recent Council of Elrond Official Card Database and any other official rulings. |
| 6. Proxies – Players are permitted to use proxy cards in their decks. Player proxies must be easily distinguishable as the card being proxied. |
| 7. Deck Integrity – Each player is required to use the same deck (i.e. the same location deck, play deck, sideboard, and pool) for the entire tournament. Players at in-person tournaments are expected to submit a written list of all cards in their deck(s) to the tournament coordinator, who may check integrity of decks during the tournament at their discretion. All players who reach playoff rounds must also submit their physical deck(s) to the tournament coordinator to ensure deck integrity based on the submitted written lists, and any player whose deck fails this integrity check will be disqualified from the event (to be replaced by the next highest ranked player, who will then have their physical deck(s) checked, etc.). Once the top four players with legally submitted decks are determined, physical decks will be returned to their owners immediately before playoff rounds commence. |
| 8. Marked Cards – A player may petition the tournament coordinator to disallow an opponent’s non-site card if it has a distinguishing mark, tear, or fold visible on its generic side. Disallowed cards may be replaced by proxies (in this case, typically another card with the proxied card name clearly written on it) provided by the tournament coordinator if deemed necessary. |
9. Protective Sleeves – A player may play with cards in protective sleeves. A player may petition the tournament coordinator to require that their opponent’s cards be removed from protective sleeves if the player reasonably believes that one of the following rules is being violated:
• Each of a player’s cards must be in the same make of protective sleeve.
• Each card must be oriented the same way with respect to the opening of the sleeve.
• No distinguishing marks or inconsistent degree of wear is allowed on individual sleeves.
• Only one card is allowed in each sleeve. |
| 10. Shuffling – All deck shuffling must be made above the edge of the table in clear view of opponent. After a player shuffles a deck at least three times, that player’s opponent will be allowed to shuffle the cards and/or cut the deck up to three times. An opponent must shuffle a player’s cards in a manner that will not damage the cards’ physical integrity. It is highly recommended that an opponent shuffles a player’s cards by dealing them out in some number of face-down stacks, or with a very gentle riffle-shuffle. |
| 11. Rolling Dice – All dice rolls must be made with balanced dice and within clear view of opponent. If a die falls off the playing surface when rolled, both dice must be re-rolled. A player may make rolls with their opponent’s dice if they prefer, or may petition the tournament coordinator to require that their opponent use a neutral party’s dice if the player reasonably believes that their opponent is not using balanced dice. |
| 12. Stalling – If a player is believed to be stalling for purposeful gain or due to a lack of respect for or sensitivity to the time limit, their opponent may petition the tournament coordinator to observe the game. If the coordinator observes that the player is stalling more than what is reasonable and necessary, the coordinator may call the game in favor of the non-stalling player. |
| 13. Dropping Out – A player is expected to drop out of the tournament between rounds if that player will be unable to complete the following round’s game. Players should be discouraged from dropping out in the middle of a game, but certain emergencies cannot be avoided. If a player drops out in the middle of a game, that player is considered to have conceded and their opponent receives the win and maximum tournament points for their deck’s capabilities; in addition, a player who drops out of a game also drops out of the tournament, cannot reenter the tournament in a later round, and receives no consideration for prizes or ranking. |
| 14. No-Shows for Virtual Rounds – A player is expected to notify their opponent at least 3 hours in advance if they are unable to arrive at the agreed upon time to start an online round. If a player fails to show up at the agreed upon time without giving advance notice, that player is considered to have conceded and their opponent receives the win and maximum tournament points for their deck’s capabilities. If the same player fails to show up for a second round in the same tournament, that player is considered to have dropped out of the tournament. |
| 15. Rules Violations During Play – Rules violations might occur in tournaments, but it is suggested that these violations not be policed by the tournament coordinator unless flagged by a player within the game. The tournament coordinator may choose to immediately correct any flagged violations, or may choose to have the correct rule adopted but not retroactively corrected if the game has proceeded to a point where retroactive correction would be problematic. The Council of Elrond Official Game Rules and Council of Elrond Official Card Database must be used to resolve all ruling disputes, with the Collected Rules File and ICE/CoE Rules Digest archives providing secondary sources if no answer can otherwise be found. If two players still cannot agree on a ruling, the tournament coordinator should provide a final impartial decision based on the aforementioned literature and their ultimate discretion; if the tournament coordinator isn’t available (such as during a virtual tournament), the two players should roll dice to settle unresolvable ruling disputes, with the higher roll determining the rule for that game. |
| 16. Cheating – Any player who cheats is immediately ejected from the event, and their opponent receives the win and maximum tournament points for their deck’s capabilities. Any incidents of cheating must be reported to the CoE so that further action can be taken if necessary. |
| 17. Revealing Manipulated Cards – Certain cards, effects, and/or rules allow a player to search for cards and move those cards between zones outside of the normal sequence of play. A player may or may not be required to reveal some or all of the identity of such manipulated cards. If the card manipulated must be a specific type of hazard or resource, then it must be revealed to the opponent. If the card must be either a hazard, resource, or character, then enough of the manipulated card’s face must be revealed to show opponent that it is the correct type. If there are no restrictions on which cards may be manipulated, the manipulated card does not have to be revealed. |
| 18. Limiting Infinite Loops – Although infinite loops are uncommon, they are not impossible to achieve. Players are limited to enacting the same loop 9 times in a single turn (e.g. repeating movement/hazard phases for the same company), and are limited to playing the same unique card 9 times in a single turn. In both cases, it is the responsibility of the player enacting the loop or playing the unique card to track the number of repetitions. |
| 19. Player Etiquette – Players are expected to conduct themselves with common decency and sportsmanship. Any player who uses derogatory, hateful, or discriminatory language must be reported to the CoE so that further action can be taken if necessary. |
| 20. Observation Etiquette – Although spectating games is allowed (and often unavoidable), the two players who are facing each other in a round are expected to do so without outside interference. Spectators are prohibited from making comments, coaching, or flagging rules violations in the presence of players who are in the middle of a game. |
| 21. Reporting Results of a Round – Players must ensure that they have accurately tallied their marshalling points at the end of the game before submitting the final result to the tournament coordinator. Once the result of a round has been reported, it cannot be modified later. |
| FORMATS |
| The following formats are allowed for sanctioned tournament play. Other formats require a written proposal. |
| Challenge Deck – Each player brings a Challenge Deck to the tournament, or purchases one at the tournament. No cards may be added to or removed from the deck, and all cards in the deck must contain the proper icon for that deck. |
| General Opponent – In the General Opponent format, Wizard players are classified as Hero alignment, Ringwraith and Balrog players are classified as Minion alignment, and Fallen-wizard players are classified as Fallen-wizard alignment. A player may bring two decks of the same alignment to the tournament (either Hero, Minion, or Fallen-wizard). Individual cards may be used in both decks, but each deck must contain the same cards for each game it is used in. One deck must be dedicated for play against Hero opponents, and the other against Minion opponents. Either deck may be used against a Fallen-wizard opponent, and that choice may change between rounds. Players declare which alignment they are playing before the round (either Hero, Minion, or Fallen-wizard), and then players who declare that they are playing as a Fallen-wizard must declare which Fallen-wizard specifically; if both players declare that they are playing as a Fallen-wizard, they must roll dice to determine who declares their Fallen-wizard first. Finally, Balrog players must declare that they are playing as a Balrog player and not a Ringwraith player. |
| Sealed – Sealed tournaments only require a 25/25 card minimum deck size. Each player receives a randomized set of cards (e.g. a starter deck and three booster packs) and may only build and play with those cards. Between rounds, players may exchange cards between their deck and the set of cards that they received but did not use. Such exchanges must be completed in the time allotted between rounds and may not interfere with the running of the tournament. Sealed tournaments typically restrict players to the sites obtained in their randomized set of cards, in addition to one proxy site of the player’s choice which remains fixed for the duration of the tournament; alternatively the tournament coordinator may allow players to use any site in the game (in which case, players should bring a location deck with them to the tournament). |
| Single Alignment – Single Alignment tournaments require all players to bring one deck of the same alignment. In a Fallen-wizard-only tournament, each player should declare which Fallen-wizard they are playing to the tournament coordinator. The tournament coordinator is allowed to, and should, break normal pairing rules to not pair two players with the same Fallen-wizard in a round. |
| THE SWISS SYSTEM |
| The Swiss System is used for all CoE sanctioned tournaments because it allows the success of each player to be determined by a total of tournament points awarded from the play of several games, thereby decreasing the role of luck in each game. Keep in mind that this system measures a player’s performance versus the field of players, not necessarily against specific players. |
| Number of rounds – Paired players play one game per round. The number of rounds in the tournament is dictated by the number of participants in the tournament: |
| Players |
Rounds |
Sanctioned |
| 2 |
1 |
No |
| 3-4 |
2 |
No |
| 5 |
3 |
No |
| 6-8 |
3 |
Yes |
| 9-16 |
4 |
Yes |
| 17-32 |
5 |
Yes |
| 33-64 |
6 |
Yes |
| 64+ |
7 |
Yes |
|
| Awarding Byes – For each round, it must be determined if an even or odd number of players are participating. If an odd number are participating, one player is given a “bye” and does not play a game that round. If a bye needs to be given for the first round, the tournament coordinator randomly chooses a player from all players. If a bye needs to be given for any later rounds, the tournament coordinator randomly chooses one player from the players who have the lowest tournament point totals. No player should receive two byes in one tournament. It is encouraged that the tournament coordinator take steps to avoid giving a bye for the first round by having someone available to play or not play and thus ensure an even number of players. A player given a bye receives tournament points depending on the round of the tournament: |
| Round |
Points for Bye |
| 1 |
6 |
| 2 |
5 |
| 3 |
4 |
| 4 |
3 |
| 5 |
2 |
| 6+ |
1 |
|
| Pairing Players – For the first round only, players are paired off randomly (i.e. each player has zero tournament points, although the tournament coordinator may also want to take time zones into consideration). For each round after the first round, each player is paired off with another player with the exact same total of tournament points. The tournament coordinator begins pairing each round with the group of players who have the highest total tournament points. For each pairing, the tournament coordinator chooses a player at random from the pool of available players with the same total of tournament points, and then chooses a player from that same group with whom to pair. If more than one eligible player exists with whom a player may be paired, the second player is determined randomly from all eligible players. If no eligible players exist with whom a player may be paired, the player is paired with a player with the next lowest total tournament points (chosen randomly if more than one player exists with the next lowest total).Tournament coordinators must try to avoid having the same players play each other more than once. If a player’s tournament points would normally requiring facing an opponent who has already been faced, the tournament coordinator should attempt to rearrange the pairings with other players of the same tournament points, so that all players are facing a new opponent. If this is not possible, the tournament coordinator should randomly choose a player with the next lowest number of tournament points as that player’s initially chosen opponent. |
| Time Limits – Each round has a time limit based on the type of game being played. A tournament coordinator should also plan for a few additional minutes between rounds for administrative tasks, water breaks, etc., as well as some amount of start up time at the beginning of the tournament. Additional time is typically required for online tournaments. |
| Game Length |
In-Person Time Limit |
Online Time Limit |
| Starter (1-deck game) |
1 hr. |
1 hr. 30 mins. |
| Standard (2-deck game) |
1 hr. 30 mins. |
2 hrs. |
| Long (3-deck game) |
2 hrs. |
3 hrs. |
| Campaign (4-deck game) |
3 hrs. |
4 hrs. |
|
| When the time limit is reached, play of each game continues until the game is called normally according to the rules, OR the player who went second in the game finishes a turn, at which point the game is called automatically. For in-person tournaments, the tournament coordinator should have an official time-keeping device, and should announce the time remaining approximately 10 minutes before final time will be called. For online tournaments, players may agree to a longer time limit before their game begins but must be aware of their own start time and agreed time limit, as a tournament coordinator is typically not present for enforcement. |
Tournament Points – Each player is awarded a certain number of tournament points (TPs) based upon the result of each game played:
a) Winning with The One Ring (i.e. successfully executing Cracks of Doom, A New Ringlord, etc.) = 10 TPs (in sealed deck game), 8 TPs (in a single-deck game), 7 TPs (in a two-deck), 6 TPs (in a three-deck or four-deck game)
b) Defeating opponent with a Marshalling Points Ratio of 2 or greater = 6 TPs
c) Defeating opponent with a Marshalling Points Ratio less than 2 but greater than or equal to 1.5 = 5 TPs
d) Defeating opponent with a Marshalling Points Ratio less than 1.5 but greater than one = 4 TPs
f) Tie game = 3 TPs
h) Losing to an opponent who wins by result (d) above = 2 TPs
i) Losing to an opponent who wins by result (c) above = 1 TPs
j) Losing the game otherwise = 0 TPs
A player with 0 or less MPs at the end of the game is treated as having 0 MPs, with their opponent automatically being awarded 6 TPs (unless the game was won with The One Ring). If a player’s opponent is unable to finish the game, the player receives the maximum tournament points based on the capabilities of their own deck. The tournament coordinator may have to make a judgment call as to whether the deck is capable of winning with The One Ring, or if the deck is only capable of the maximum marshalling points win. For a deck to win with The One Ring, the tournament coordinator must determine that the deck contains the cards necessary to make winning with The One Ring the deck’s primary goal. |
| Playoff Rounds – For tournaments with 17 or more players, playoff rounds are held between the top 4 players after the normally allocated rounds are completed. All player’s TPs are reset to 0 at the start of the playoffs, and then each player in the playoffs plays a single game against each of the other 3 players in the playoffs (e.g. Player A plays against Player B while Player C plays against Player D, then Player A plays against Player C while Player B plays against Player D, then Player A plays against Player D while Player B plays against Player C). TPs are tracked for the playoffs like normal, with the winner of the tournament crowned based on which player accumulates the most TPs in the playoff rounds instead of the entire tournament. |
Crowning A Winner – The winner of the tournament is the player with the most tournament points when all rounds of the tournament are completed. Runners-up can also be determined at that time by comparing tournament point totals. If more than one player is tied for the most tournament points, the following menu of tie-breaking criteria is followed, with each tied participant being in contention until a criterion is resolved that takes that player out of contention. Those leading participants removed from contention are relegated to the tier of runners-up (at which point, if any runners-up are tied, the tie-breaking criteria may be reapplied to determine a full order of standings). The coordinator resolves the list of criteria in the order given, establishing each player removed from contention until one player is left in contention, or until the entire list of criteria is resolved:
I. Head-to-Head - Tally the number of losses of each tied player from all games played with any other tied players. The player(s) with the fewest total head-to-head losses stay in contention; all other players are out of contention.
II. Number of Wins - Tally the number of games each tied player received more than 3 tournament points, with each counting as a win. The player(s) with the most wins stay in contention; all other players are out of contention.
III. Sum of Opponent’s Scores - For each tied player, add up all of their opponent’s tournament point totals. The player with the highest sum wins the tie-breaker.
If more than one player is still in contention after criterion III is resolved, playoff rounds are held if they have not been held already. If playoff rounds have already been held, the same criterion are resolved based on TPs accumulted prior to the playoffs. Alternatively, if both players and the tournament coordinator agree, each tied participant with the most tournament points is recognized as co-winner, and any pre-determined prizes for the number of top finishers equal to the number of co-winners should be divided and awarded evenly amongst the co-winners. |