Playing in an Event

Finding Your Opponent

For Magic: The Gathering main events, pairings are available on Melee.gg prior to the start of each round, as well as printed and displayed alphabetically by last name on pairings boards throughout the event hall.

For Magic: The Gathering side events, pairings can be found in your Companion app as well as printed and displayed alphabetically by last name on pairings boards throughout the event hall.

For Flesh and Blood events, pairings can be found by logging into your GEM account on fabtcg.com as well as printed and displayed alphabetically by last name on pairings boards throughout the event hall.

Your pairing will include your name, table number, and the name of your opponent. When you find your table, verify that you’re playing the correct opponent.

If you do not receive a pairing for a round, or if you cannot find your name on the pairings board, ask a tournament official for assistance.

Time Management

Each player is responsible for being seated at the correct table when the round begins. The time remaining in each round for main events will be displayed on a large television monitor. For side events, the end time for each round will be posted on the side events pairings board. You should always assume that the next round will start as soon as the previous round ends and plan accordingly.

If you cannot determine how much time is left in a round, ask a tournament official for assistance.

Playing a Match

Each player is responsible for tracking their life total, as well as additional resources, with pen and paper. We also recommend tracking your opponent’s life and resources. Should a discrepancy arise regarding any of these things, a detailed record is helpful in reconstructing what happened.

Tournament Rules and Policy Documents:
Magic Tournament Rules – Section 4.1
Flesh and Blood Tournament Rules and Policies – Section 3.10 & 3.11

Match Structure

In most Magic: The Gathering events, the first player to win two games out of three will win the match.

Magic: The Gathering Two-Headed Giant events and all Flesh and Blood tournaments use one-game matches.

Reporting Your Result

Magic: The Gathering Main Events

Players should report their result through the Player Controller on Melee.gg. To submit a result, select the winner of each game and click the “Submit result” button. You will then be prompted to confirm your result before it is officially submitted.

Current match points, as well as pairings, are available in the Melee.gg Player Controller. Players receive three (3) points for a win, one (1) point for a draw, and zero (0) points for a loss. If at any point in the event you believe your match points are incorrect, please notify a tournament official immediately.

Magic: The Gathering Side Events

At the beginning of each round, players will receive their pairing through the Magic Companion app. Your current record and previous results are available in the Companion app. If at any point in the event you believe your match points are incorrect, please notify a tournament official immediately.

Flesh and Blood Events

At the beginning of each round, players will receive their pairing through their GEM account on fabtcg.com. Your current record and previous results are available in your GEM account. If at any point in the event you believe your record is incorrect, please notify a tournament official immediately.

Concessions

In Magic: The Gathering events, players may concede at any time, as long as the concession is not in return for anything.

In Flesh and Blood events, a player may concede, for any reason, at any point before or during a match, but not after time is called in a round. A player may ask for a concession before presenting their deck. If a player asks for a concession (from their opponent) at any point in a match after both players have presented their decks for the first game, that player will receive a penalty, which may be upgraded or downgraded at the discretion of the Head Judge. Any kind of pressure or suggestion to concede, such as saying "Come on man, don't defend my attack here," is considered to be asking for a concession.

Offering your opponent anything in exchange for a concession is considered bribery and is against Wizards of the Coast's and Flesh and Blood’s tournament rules. Any player found to have offered or accepted a bribe will be issued a Match Loss in the tournament. Players who knowingly break this rule will be disqualified from the event without prize, and further disciplinary action may be taken by the parent company of the relevant game.

Tournament Rules and Policy Documents:
Magic Tournament Rules – Sections 5.2 & 5.3
Magic Infraction Procedure Guide – Section 4.4
Flesh and Blood Rules and Policies – Sections 3.4, 5.2, & 5.3
Flesh and Blood Penalty Guidelines – Sections 3.11, 3.12, & 3.13

Dropping From Events

To drop from a Magic: The Gathering main event, simply select “Drop” in the Melee.gg Player Controller. If you are having problems dropping through Melee.gg, you may drop by adding your name to the drop list at the scorekeeping station for your event.

To drop from a Magic: The Gathering side event, simply drop from the Companion app.

To drop from a Flesh and Blood event, simply drop from your GEM account on fabtcg.com.

If you have dropping through the software, please speak to a tournament official.

Tournament Styles

Tournament structure is listed in each tournament's details. If you have any questions, please reach out to Star City Games staff.

Swiss Pairings System

Most Star City Games® events are run using the Swiss pairings system, which allows each participant to play in every round of the tournament if they wish to do so. Each round, players are paired with another player with a similar record that they have not played before in the event.

The number of rounds in a Swiss tournament can be based on the total number of players participating in that event or fixed at a pre-determined number of rounds.

Larger events that determine a single winner will typically cut to the top X players, usually eight (8), at the end of Swiss rounds. Those players will then compete in a single-elimination playoff.

Most side events play a set number of rounds of Swiss pairing. Prizes are distributed each round to each table, with top finishing players collecting a portion of their prize from the stage based on the players’ final records.