Today we are going to revive an old article series. Moving to Competitive REL (Rules Enforcement Level), the focus of the series is going to be the rules differences between Regular REL which you will be used to from FNM, Pre Releases and typical Grand Prix Trials, and events run at Competitive REL so PPTQs, big GPTs or Grand Prixs themselves. Today we’re going to focus on the general preparation you can do before any event which isn’t being played somewhere you regularly play.

Know Your DCI number

Your DCI number is your key to being able to play events and earn Planeswalker points while doing so. When you register either by going to https://accounts.wizards.com/ or when you fill in a registration card at the first event you attend, the number you receive is then tied to you. When you attend events at your local store where your friendly tournament organiser knows you, it’s unlikely they will ever ask you for your DCI number as they will have it stored within their version of the tournament software. But when you go to another store they won’t have this information and might not even know who you are, but when you give them your DCI number the software is able check the database of all registered players and find you. If you don’t know you’re DCI number, due to losing your card or not needing to know because you’ve only ever played in one store, but you are now looking to spread your wings and explore the wider community around you, simply ask the person who runs the events you normally attend if they can give it to you. Once you have it find a sticker, put your name and your DCI number on it and stick it to your deck box. This will help you remember your DCI number but also mean your deck box helps identify who owns the box should you ever misplace it.

Pre Register

This is the single biggest piece of pre-event preparation you should be doing. If you can pre-register for the event, do so. There a couple of reason for doing this, firstly it guarantees you a position in the tournament, you don’t want to make plans, pay for transport only to turn up and the event be full and you not be able to play. Many stores these days will offer some sort of pre-registration either online, through phoning the store or going and seeing them in person. Most online pre registration systems will require you to send your DCI number, luckily you know this, to secure the spot.

The other reason pre-registering is good, is that it will allow the tournament organiser to know how many players to expect at their event. You might be wondering why this is a good thing and how it might affect you at the event. If it’s known that more than expected people are going to turn up the organiser can figure out the best way to sort the venue out to fit everyone in, if they don’t have enough chairs or tables they can locate them before the day. This will save any delays to the start of the event and it might mean that tables are more spread out rather than being cramped as the event space is organized to make do rather than be optimal. A better sorted space will be more comfortable for you to play in.

Next week we will go over Constructed Decklists and some tips on how to do them.

If you have any rules questions or interesting situations post them in the comments below or send them to:

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