Magic Tournament Rules: REL, Judges, and Clean Play

Welcome to Level 4. You can play well, build a sideboard, and read the stack. The step from a Friday night to a competitive event is mostly procedure. The game does not change. The expectations around it do.

This lesson walks through the Magic Tournament Rules, effective February 27, 2026. Read the full document before a big event. It is long, but the parts players need most are short.

Rules enforcement levels

Every sanctioned event runs at a rules enforcement level, or REL, that tells players how strictly rules and procedures are enforced.

• Regular is for fun and social events. Friday Night Magic and prereleases run here. The focus is on teaching and sportsmanship, and mistakes are usually fixed with a quick explanation.
• Competitive is for events with significant prizes or invitations. Regional Championship Qualifiers and Regional Championships run here. Players are expected to know the rules and procedures, but honest mistakes are not punished severely.
• Professional is for the Pro Tour, the World Championship, and similar top events.

Store Championships are listed at Regular REL, with Competitive recommended, so ask your store which it uses.

Calling a judge

Raise your hand and say “judge” whenever something goes wrong or you are unsure of a rule. That is normal, polite, and expected. A judge’s job is to fix the game fairly, not to punish you.

If you disagree with a floor judge’s ruling, you may appeal to the head judge, whose ruling is final. When a mistake happens at a competitive event, call a judge rather than agreeing on a fix between yourselves. The right fix depends on rules most players never read, and a judge applies them the same way for everyone.

Players must answer a judge’s questions completely and truthfully. You can ask to answer away from the table.

How a match runs

• Best of three. A match is usually won by the first player to win two games.
• Play or draw. In Swiss rounds, a random method decides who chooses for game one. After each game, the loser chooses for the next.
• Shuffle and present. Shuffle your deck, then present it to your opponent, who may shuffle or cut it. Present your sideboard face down at the same time.
• The clock. The recommended round time is 50 minutes. When time is called, the player whose turn it is finishes it, then five more turns are played in total. If no one has won the game by then, that game is a draw.

Communication

The rules sort game information into a few kinds. The two you need most:

• Status information must be announced and tracked by the player it belongs to: your life total, poison counters, and similar. At Competitive REL, use a method that cannot be bumped, like pen and paper, not dice.
• Free information must be given truthfully and completely when asked: what a card on the table is called, whether it is tapped, what phase it is.

You are never required to help your opponent play. You may never lie about free or status information. At Regular REL, more of the game counts as free information, which keeps casual events friendly.

Shortcuts

Players skip formal priority passes with shortcuts everyone understands. The ones that come up every match:

• “Go” or “your turn” means your opponent is acting in your end step.
• Passing priority in your first main phase with nothing on the stack moves to the beginning of combat. Your opponent acts there if they want to stop an attack.
• Casting a spell means you pass priority unless you say you are keeping it.

If you want to do something unusual, like act in your own upkeep, say so clearly. Shortcuts protect both players only when they are clear.

Triggers

You must remember your own triggered abilities. You do not have to point out your opponent’s, though you may. Intentionally ignoring your own trigger is cheating. Forgetting one is a mistake, and how it is handled depends on the REL.

Notes, decklists, and devices

• Notes: you may take notes during a match on a sheet that starts empty and stays visible. Between games you may glance at a sheet or two of notes made before the match. No notes while drafting, and no outside notes while you draft or build.
• Decklists: required at Competitive and Professional REL. Once accepted, a list cannot be changed. Register carefully, and check the count twice.
• Deck checks: judges may check your deck against your list. They are routine and nothing to worry about if your list is correct.

Sportsmanship

The rules ask players to treat opponents politely and with respect. Shake hands, say “good game,” and report the result together. You may concede at any time, but you may never agree to a result in exchange for a prize or anything else. That is bribery, and it carries serious penalties.

Practice these habits at home and they become invisible at the event. The calm player who announces clearly and calls a judge early has an edge that never shows up in a decklist.