Insufficient Shuffling

Penalty: Warning

Definitions and Philosophy: When a player does not produce a sufficiently randomized deck or sufficiently shuffle the random portion of a deck before presenting it to their opponent for a final cut/shuffle. This infraction is also committed if a player fails to present their deck to their opponent. A sufficiently shuffled deck or section of a deck means that any player could not know the position or positions of any card or set of cards in the deck. For Insufficient Shuffling, it is most often an unintentional mistake. If there is consideration of intentionally leaving a deck or portion of the deck insufficiently shuffled, a Cheating infraction should be considered.

All players are expected to know how to handle and shuffle their deck to randomize it. Players should abide by recommended shuffling guidelines in the Tournament Rules and Regulations document. If a card can be uniquely identified among cards in the deck, the deck is not shuffled or if a card within the random portion of a deck can be uniquely identified, that portion is not random. Any time a card is revealed, shuffling must be restarted and redone until a sufficiently randomized state is achieved. Players can manipulate their cards in any manner provided that it is followed by a thorough shuffling method.

Corrective Procedure: Judges may shuffle the deck or section of the deck until they are satisfied. Players can always request for a judge to watch the shuffling process to ensure it is complete.

Upgrading: If a player repeatedly fails to shuffle their deck sufficiently or shortcuts the presentation of their deck to the opponent, consider escalation to a Game Loss or investigate whether there are grounds for a Cheating infraction.

Examples:

• A player forgets to shuffle their deck when instructed to do so.

• A player only minimally riffles (i.e., any number of riffles less than recommended in Tournament Rules and Regulations) when shuffling.

VARIABLE ENFORCEMENT: At events of lower tier than Regionals and Store Championships, players may feel comfortable shortcutting the deck presentation, but it should still be offered. Gentle warnings should be given and players should be encouraged to communicate with one another regarding sufficienct shuffling. Especially in more casual environments, players may not know or have the dexterity to properly shuffle decks. In such cases, judges can intervene and assist or suggest to players to assist their opponent.