Comments on: Gray Areas- Scouting

By: Ryan Overturf

Ryan Overturf — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 16:15:28 +0000

In reply to Paul_K. The conversation is focused entirely around the early rounds of the tournament. The question is also not whether it's currently allowed, but whether it has a place.

By: Paul_K

Paul_K — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 13:50:52 +0000

Scouting is sanctioned by tournament hosts. When players go into the top-8 or top-16 they have access to the decklist of one another. If the hosts allow for it then why can’t players do it themselves during other rounds.

By: phyrexiantrader

phyrexiantrader — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 13:41:01 +0000

I agree that this knowledge can be huge. If I play MTGO, I always google my opponent first. I always find a few decklists in a database because the guy finished 3-1 in a daily. And I guess 80-90% of the time, he is playing the same deck.
This really works!

The problem for paper magic scouting is only an issue on such big events. So personally, I don’t care. If someone wants to spend his time doing that, let him. You can’t scout every possible deck.

On the other hand, as a judge, I would love to get people watching games out of the way. They just don’t want to go out of the way, blocking every possible passage you need to answer a judge call. On day 2 on a GP, depending on the head judge, we remove spectators within the player area. Clearly not because of scouting, but other practical aspects. So it’s possible to make that a rule or something.

By: David Schumann

David Schumann — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 12:09:13 +0000

Though not scouting, while playing in a legacy tournament, I sat down across from a guy with a goblin deck box, and goblin sleeves (and I was playing Miracles) so I kept a hand of that was really good against Goblins (but terrible against something like storm or sneak and show) and was promptly rewarded when he played a turn 1 Goblin Lackey. I only bring it up, because similar to scouting knowing what your opponent is playing is a HUGE advantage in certain formats.