IPG 3.2 Tournament Error — Outside Assistance


A player, spectator, or other tournament participant does any of the following:

    • Seeks play advice or private information about their match from others once they have sat for their match.
    • Gives play advice or reveals private information to players who have sat for their match.


  • During a game, refers to notes (other than Oracle™ pages) made before the official beginning of the current match.


These criteria also apply to any deck construction and draft portions of a limited tournament. Additionally, no notes of any kind may be made during a draft. Some team formats have additional communication rules that may modify the definition of this infraction.

Notes made outside the current match may only be referenced between games, and must have been in the player’s possession since the beginning of the match.


  • A. During a game, a player references play notes that were created before the tournament.
  • B. A spectator points out the correct play to a player who had not solicited the information.


Tournaments test the skill of a player, not their ability to follow external advice or directions. Any strategy advice, play advice, or construction advice from an external source is considered outside assistance.

Visual modifications to cards, including brief text, that provide minor strategic information or hints are acceptable and not considered notes. Detailed instructions or complex strategic advice may not be written on cards. The Head Judge is the final arbiter on what cards and notes are acceptable for a tournament.

Spectators who commit this infraction may be asked to leave the venue if they are not enrolled in the tournament.


If the information acquired is information that the player would have access to between games, the penalty is a Game Loss.