ALDERAC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP TOURNAMENT FLOOR RULES Effective February 23rd, 2012 Introduction

This document is to advise you of the tournament rules that are common to all of Alderac Entertainment Group's (AEG's) collectible card games. Each game has a selection of rules that are specific to it, and players should also have an understanding of the game-specific rules for the tournament in which they are participating. Penalties for violating the rules are also discussed within. All of the rules presented in this document are the default tournament rules for sanctioned tournaments of AEG games. Please see the Card Legality section for more. These rules will apply and are not subject to change by Tournament Organizers. AEG Officials may alter these rules if a specific situation necessitating a change arises. Personnel: The following roles should be filled in any sanctioned AEG tournament: Tournament Organizer (TO): This person holds responsibility for publicizing the tournament, acquiring a suitable venue, running the tournament, enforcing and interpreting these Floor Rules, organizing the recording and calculation of results, ensuring that other roles are adequately filled, and reporting any results that AEG needs to know about for purposes of competitive play tracking or storyline. The TO should have a copy of these Floor Rules available to consult. The TO should not play in the tournament if there are more than 12 players. Tournament Assistants: One or more tournament assistants are recommended for tournaments of 50+ people to help the TO record game results in a timely fashion, and to help in other tasks as needed. They may not play in the tournament, as their services will be needed throughout each round. Head Judge: This person is expected to have a competent knowledge of the rules of the game and holds final responsibility for answering questions about game rules. The TO should make sure that the Head Judge has access to an up-to-date copy of all relevant documents, including rulebook, rules updates, information about card legality, and any official supplementary or technical material. Assistant Judges: In larger events, these people are knowledgeable in the rules and do not play, but assist the Head Judge in answering rules questions. Including Head Judge, events should have at least one non-playing judge per 50 players. Player Judges: A TO may supplement the judging staff with additional competent player judges. These players are designated to help make judging calls, but only after their tournament games have completed.

Three-Judge System If certain conditions are met, it is possible to allow all of an event's judges to participate as players as well. The conditions are: There are at least three judges The total number of players, including playing judges, can be no more than twenty-four. The Three-Judge System may not be used at Storyline or other major events.

If these conditions are met, any and all judges may participate as players. The judges should be ranked in order of authority, and the highest-ranking unoccupied judge should handle all disputes and rulings. If all judges are occupied with games or other judge calls, the highest-ranking game-playing judge outside the disputed game shall make the call.

Points of Tournament Etiquette

Fun The primary goal of tournaments for all of AEG's games is having fun. All players and event staff should keep this in mind at all times. Try to have a good time while not infringing on other players' enjoyment. Appearance & Hygiene It is not possible to list what the appropriate dress is for every occasion. The important thing to keep in mind is the comfort of others. A socially acceptable level of personal hygiene is also expected. If a player's attire or scent creates an uncomfortable environment for their opponent, the offending player will be asked to correct the situation; failure to do so may result in disqualification. The Tournament Organizer or a Judge will have the final say in such matters. Sportsmanship: General Points Be patient with new players. Be sensitive to the feelings of other players by avoiding the use of derogatory language based on anyone's race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, or other similar category of social experience. This language is always considered "profanity," and it will also be regarded as "verbal hostility" or "abuse" if it is actively used to insult other players. Be sensitive to the use of profanity or discussing inappropriate topics in the presence of minors or others who might be offended. Refrain from hostilities, either verbal or physical, with another player, judge or self during a match. A game's storyline and flavor are not excuses for cheating, bribery, or unsportsmanlike behavior. Even while role-playing a devious faction or an uncouth character, a player must follow the letter and spirit of the Floor Rules.

Entry Players should try to arrive for their event at least 30 minutes prior to its start time in order to facilitate registration. Late arrivals are the most common cause for delayed starts in tournaments. Upon registering for an event, a player is expected to present the correct entry fee, Faction or other deck information that may be required. If the event is held within a larger event, players must abide by all rules and registration procedures of that event as well -- for example, at a convention, players must have a convention badge before registering. Deck Protection All of the following rules have the sole objective of having players using a deck with completely uniform backs without marking of any kind. If you are required to resleeve your deck and this process takes you more than five minutes, this falls under the time category of the rules, and if your game goes to time, you are given the loss. For constructed tournaments, you are required to use opaque sleeves, so it is not possible to discern one card back from another. For sealed or draft tournaments, sleeves are not typically necessary, as determined by the tournament organizer. Sleeves showing noticeable wear or scratches are not allowed. If the number of such sleeves is small, only the offending sleeves need be replaced. Sleeve fronts must be clear and free of distortion. Sleeve fronts that infringe on an opponent's ability to readily view a card in play or being played, such as those with holographic patterns, heavy tinting or scratching are not permitted. Sleeve backs must not be reflective, holographic or distracting to other player If a judge asks you to re-sleeve your deck because of any of the above, you are required to do so. Players may call a judge to inspect a deck that shows signs of any of the above problems.

Deck Backing "Deck Backing" refers to using clear sleeves and obscuring the card backs with a second card uniformly throughout the deck. It is a fun and community-building exercise that some players enjoy. Deck backing is an acceptable substitute for opaque sleeves as long as it meets all of the requirements of opaque sleeves. For the fairness of all involved, some additional requirements are necessary: Decks may not be backed with cards that are legal in the current tournament. Custom card-backing schemes that may create confusion are not allowed. A few examples of this would be: decks in multi-deck games with similar backings to each other; cards that are not technically legal but have similar art to a legal card. Only actual game cards from the game being played may be used, not printouts or photocopies of cards, cards from other games, or other

materials. The only exception to this: players may use the professionally made card backers produced by AEG-approved artists. All cards used as deck-backers for a given deck must be identical in card number, rarity, title, set, and all other visible details. An opponent may request that you re-sleeve a card-backed deck. You may appeal this request to the head judge whose decision on the matter will be final. It is recommended that you have another set of sleeves available to you throughout the tournament for this purpose.

Playmats Playmats are useable at your opponents' and the Tournament Organizer's discretion. If your opponent or the Tournament Organizer requests that you do not use your playmat you must comply. Playmats must not have art that mimics a card back or front. Playmats must not be reflective, confusing or distracting. Playmats must not have any pockets or compartments. At no time during the match may any of your cards, tokens, or other game materials be placed under the playmat. Proxy Cards There are a variety of cards that create various types of created cards. These are defined as cards that are created and placed into play by another card (such as Kyuden Hida Experienced). If a player requires 3 or more separate, distinct created cards (such as a follower, and two different types of created personalities, such as the one created from the cards Recruitment Officer and Kitsune Denhei) then they are required to use Proxies representing these created cards and they must be explicit in their stats, text, and any other relevant information that is required of a non-created card in the state of the game. While fans may create their own set of Proxy cards to be used as part of a theme deck or storyline, when possible, AEG urges players to use the Proxy cards that are provided throughout the Emperor Edition booster packs, as they are precise copies of the created cards from the Emperor Edition arc. Using printed copies of these Proxies is perfectly acceptable; however they need to be legible. Cell Phones and Electronics Players carrying personal communication devices such as cell phones, pagers or PDAs must silence them or set them on vibrate during games. Should a player need to answer a call, they should remove themselves from the table. Phone conversations are strongly discouraged except in true emergency situations, and may constitute stalling. Tournament Organizers may require at the beginning of the tournament that cell phones and other electronics (music players, PDAs, et cetera) be turned off for the tournament. In the event that this is not announced by the TO, but your opponent feels that your cell phone or other electronic device is distracting, he may request you turn it off, and you must oblige.

Recording Information The only acceptable information that players may record by any means (written, electronic, or otherwise) is information that needs to be recorded in the ongoing context of the game. For example, in Legend of the Five Rings, honor or battle Force totals may be recorded, but information about the composition of an opponent's deck may not. Your opponent may request to see this information at any point during the match. Spectators Players currently active in the tournament are not normally allowed to watch ongoing games. At the TO's discretion (particularly in smaller tournaments or venues) he or she may allow active players to spectate, subject to the rules of behavior in this section. Any player may request that spectators be removed from that game's vicinity, and the TO should enforce their wishes. Spectators of any game may not comment on play in a manner audible to the players, not even to correct illegal plays. They must not interfere with or distract players in an ongoing game. While photography or video of events is generally encouraged, doing so in a way that records the identities of specific cards in a player's hand is not allowed, unless the player gives express consent. Card Legality Players are responsible for being familiar with the current card rulings and tournament rules for the represented tournament environment. Card legality is based on the standard policy: New sets are legal 30 days from their date of release. Promos will generally state on the card when it is legal. If that is not stated, then you can find their legality date in the Oracle of the Void (www.OracleOfTheVoid.com). MRP's take effect immediately upon official release; all Errata and Bannings are effective 30 days after they are announced unless specified. Rules Changes Rules changes introduced in a new base set come into effect at the same time as the cards in that base set become legal, 30 days after release, and are also in effect for any pre-release games played with those cards before the legality date. Rules changes introduced in an expansion rulesheet come into effect on the release date of the expansion, and are also in effect for any pre-release games played with that expansion's cards before the release date. Mistakes in Play Players are under no obligation to allow an opponent to undo or reverse any legal play or decision once it has been made. In the event that an illegal play is discovered after it has been made, it should be corrected to the greatest extent possible, so long as no subsequent plays are impacted and less than one full turn has elapsed. If one or more turns have passed, or too many other plays were made that were contingent upon the mistake, the play may not be taken back to any degree. A Judge or Tournament Organizer will make the final arbitration in these cases. Players may

be warned for making illegal plays, other action may be taken for multiple mistakes or serious offenses. Game Delay Due to Player If a player feels that an opponent is stalling, the player may request that a Judge watch their game to ensure prompt play. Stalling is defined as intentionally taking more time than normally required to make decisions or carry out game mechanics. Judging stalling requires knowledge of the usual play of the game and some idea of the experience level of the player. In particular, truly inexperienced players should be held to lower standards for speed of play than experienced ones. If a judge decides that stalling is taking place, he or she may require the stalling player to play faster, and may award the game to the stalling player's opponent. (As a general rule, players should be moving the game state forward every 20-30 seconds; routine decisions and operations should take a much shorter time, some major decisions may take longer, and the judge will be the final arbiter in these situations.) If a game reaches time and a player has been away from the table for any amount of time that was scheduled for the match, for whatever reason, their opponent will be awarded the game. See also Tardiness. Conceding or Withdrawing A player is allowed to withdraw from a tournament at any time. Players are also allowed to concede a game or match to their opponent at any time. See Match Agreement for more information. In either case, players must report the fact to their Tournament Organizer. Reporting Results It is the responsibility of the match winner to report the result of the match to the Tournament Organizer in a timely manner. In the case of a double loss the responsibility of reporting results falls equally on both players. If the match result is not reported within 5 minutes of the end of the round, the match is considered a double loss. Food and Beverages To protect the cards from damage, a player may request that all food and open beverages be removed from the play space around him or her. This includes players in other matches that are near the player. This request must be honored and the items in question must be removed from the playing area or sealed.

Tournament Play
In preparation for a tournament, players should be knowledgeable of the latest rules and rulings for the game and be prepared to follow the judgments and interpretations of the Head judge, who has the absolute last call.

Before the Match Preparedness Players should come prepared with the appropriate paraphernalia to participate in the tournament. This includes a means to track honor or other game state changes. More details on required equipment can be found in the game-specific tournament rules. Deck Legality A player is required to attend the event with a legal deck for the tournament format in question. If the deck is found to contain illegal cards after the start of the tournament, illegal cards will be removed from the deck until it is legal. (If the discovery is made during a game, the player will also receive a loss for that game.) If at that time the player's deck is still above the minimum number of cards for the format, he or she will be permitted to continue. If, however, the removal of illegal cards would cause the deck to be below the stated deck minimum for the event, or if the deck did not conform to format rules in other ways, the player may be disqualified. (See TO's Option below). With the Emperor Edition arc, there are a number of alternate card choices players can have for their decks that are outside the standard method for building a deck. This includes the existence of two versions of Border Keep and Bamboo Harvesters (non-experienced and Experienced versions) as well as the Lion stronghold Eternal Victory Dojo, which allows a player to play with 4 copies of 2 non-unique Battle Strategy cards that are Emperor Edition legal. Because of this, TOs are required to either of the following: Provide paperwork for players to determine which versions of Border Keep and Bamboo Harvesters they are using, and if they are using Eternal Victory Dojo, what two cards, if any, they have 4 copies of in their deck. Ask players for deck lists prior to the event.

For ease of use for Tournament TOs, here is a link to a standard deck list sheet that you can print and have players fill out at your tournament, or one you can request players fill out prior to their arrival to the tournament venue: http://www.l5r.com/images/L5RTournamentDeckList.pdf Tournament Organizer Option: The Tournament Organizer may allow the player to replace illegal or missing cards in his deck with functionally similar cards legal to the environment in question, so as to continue in the tournament. If this option is offered to one player, it must be offered to all players with an equal or lower number of illegal or missing cards in deck.

Tardiness Players should be in their assigned seats at the start of each round. If a player is not in his seat when the round begins, and that game subsequently goes to time, their opponent will be given the win. If a player has not shown up within 10 minutes of the round start time, that player is given an automatic loss. Shuffling After any time a player's deck is shuffled (either before or during a game), the opponent may shuffle it further before play resumes. This further shuffle may be used to rearrange the cards in any order provided it is done without seeing the card faces. If the player desires, he or she can request that a judge or tournament official perform the shuffle instead of the opponent. The player may not rearrange the deck in any way between this further shuffle and resuming the game. During the Match Following the Rules Players must abide by the rulebook (and the Comprehensive Rules) during game play. While many customs and "house rules" have developed in card gaming during its history, please realize that what is considered fair in your play group may not be so in another, and the rulebook and this document are the final guides judges have to resolve such disputes. For example, the following are customarily allowed by most players, but not actually legal plays: Implied passing, where one player will take multiple actions assuming that the opponent will pass on opportunities to take actions, or the active player will jump ahead one or more phases. Moving through the sequential parts of an action without giving the opponent an opportunity to react to each step.

Resolving Conflicts When two players in a game cannot agree on a card's function or other game rule, either player may call upon a judge to make a decision. By entering a sanctioned tournament, all players agree to abide by any and all rulings and decisions made by tournament officials. If a floor judge makes a ruling a player believes to be in error, the player may appeal to the head judge without penalty. The head judge's rulings and decisions are final. Infinite Loops It is up to the players in a tournament to resolve a situation where an infinite repetitive loop of actions or effects develops. Failure to do so effectively will result in the game going to time. The following guidelines should be helpful in resolving these situations:

If the loop has no meaningful effect on the game state, prolonging it constitutes stalling. If the loop in itself has no effect on the game state, but there is an effect of leaving the loop (for example, there is a disadvantage to the next player who passes), the burden of ending the loop falls on the player who took the first action in the loop.

Example: Killing Grounds is in play, which forces the next player who passes to destroy one of his Personalities. Two players each have a copy of Isawa Kaname in play facing each other. It becomes clear that the players have no Battle actions left and are reduced to shooting each other with their Kanames' infinite Ranged 1 attacks ineffectively so that neither has to pass. In this case, the player who used his Kaname first, after the last non-repetitive Battle action had been played, carries the burden of ending the loop. If the loop has a direct effect on the game state, each player with a looping sequence of actions should agree on a suitably large number of times the loop repeats, and consider the action(s) taken that number of times as a shortcut, then pass or take a different action. Playing through the loop literally and refusing to take this shortcut constitutes stalling.

Example: A player has given the Ninja keyword to Isawa Kaname, who has an Apprentice Shinobi follower that gains +1F after each Ninja action resolves. Kaname shoots a 3F Personality repeatedly in order to give "infinite" Force bonuses to the Shinobi. The player should specify a large number (say, 10,000) and consider the action repeated for that amount of times, giving the Shinobi 10,001F. He then should pass or take another action. Complex loops where more than one player has an infinite action should be resolved by discussion, referring where necessary to the principles of Georg Cantor's infinite set theory. For example, if two such Kaname+Shinobi units face each other and perform their infinite actions, their final Force, no matter how high, should be equal and effectively cancel each other out. If one of those Kanames has two Apprentice Shinobis, then two potential infinities face one, and the side with two Apprentice Shinobis will win the battle by an arbitrarily large amount of Force. It should be stressed that, apart from the stalling considerations, these guidelines are not binding on the players, who may choose to resolve the stalemate in a different way or indeed not to resolve it at all. However, in tournament finals with no time limit, judges should apply these principles to force the game to continue.

Concluding the Match Match Agreement Players may arbitrarily agree upon the outcome of a match at any time prior to reporting results, including conceding or agreeing to draw. This must still follow the rules on Bribery and Prize Splitting. Time Limit and Match Length When time is called on a round game play must stop. At this point either player may honorably concede to his opponent. Players may also determine a winner by another method (such as a dice roll or coin flip). If the results are not reported within 5 minutes of time being called on the round or if both players don't agree on an outcome the match is considered a double-loss. Splitting Prizes Splitting non-physical prizes in any form is not allowed. A winner must be declared, all non-physical prizes such as storyline prizes, seeds, titles, and special contest points are awarded to the winner. This is true for any contest these prizes are awarded for, not just the tournament winner but also Sportsmanship, farthest traveled or other such contest if they award any of the above non-physical prizes. Offering prizes to better your final placement in the tournament at any stage of the tournament before you have acquired them is strictly forbidden and is considered bribery. This includes monetary bounties and any other physical prizes.

Infractions, Cheating and Penalties

Infractions are to be defined as inadvertent breaking of the rules laid forth in the game's rulebook or the game's tournament rules. Cheating is defined as deliberate breaking of said rules. As the competitiveness and seriousness of the game environment increases, tournament organizers should feel free to increase the level of punishments for infractions. It is assumed that players in major events are familiar with the rules and responsible for their actions. At smaller local tournaments, lesser punishments should be the norm. However, deliberate cheating should be punished to the full extent of the rules, no matter what the size or seriousness of the tournament. Verbal Warnings The lowest level of penalty for an infraction is a verbal warning. This is simply a judge cautioning the player of his infraction and if necessary allowing him to solve it. For instance, a player arriving at a tournament with illegal sleeves would receive a verbal warning and be allowed to re-sleeve his deck.

Written Warnings The next level is a written warning. Written warnings are issued for slightly more serious infractions, for repetition of infractions for which a verbal warning has been issued, for verbal- level infractions at major tournaments, or for not correcting a verbal warning. For example, a player showing up at a tournament with illegal sleeves for the second tournament in a row, a player with an illegally sleeved deck at major tournament, or a player who is unable de-sleeve a backed deck would receive a written warning. All infractions from written warnings up should be included with the Tournament Organizer's report to AEG. Game Loss The next level of penalty is a game loss. This results in the offending player losing this round of play. In a best of three matches, it finishes as normal, with the offending player only suffering a loss in the current game. Game losses are awarded for serious repeat infractions, showing up more than ten minutes late for a game, stalling (following warnings), unsportsmanlike conduct, or accidentally affecting the game state in such a way that it is difficult for a judge to effectively correct the situation. Disqualification The final penalty level is disqualification. This should be used for any bribery, or deliberate mechanical cheating, for physical or verbal abuse of judges or players, or for repeated serious infractions following a warning. Any player who is disqualified from an event may be prohibited from playing in sanctioned tournaments for up to a year. Repeat offenders may be banned for life. Please keep in mind that a tournament is not an isolated incident. If a player has a history of making a specific violation and does the same thing in your event, you may apply stricter-than-normal penalties to that player. Banning Serious infractions or repeated minor infractions will result in players being banned from tournament play. AEG will maintain a list of players banned from tournament play. Local TO's may ban a player from playing in their events if the player has repeatedly violated the rules in local events or the player is disruptive. Players banned locally may appeal to AEG Bribery Bribery in any form is strictly prohibited. Bribery is defined as offering compensation or accepting a concession (of a match or of a Storyline prize) at any point in the tournament with promises of a reward to a specific player. Bounties A bounty is a pre-tournament announcement of rewards for any person winning the event with a specific Clan, winning the event with a specific type of deck, or making a specific prize choice after winning said prize. These MUST be announced prior to

the tournaments start, and may not be used to influence the outcome of a specific match. Offering a player a bounty, in order to concede or give up a Storyline prize, is still considered a bribe, and will be enforced under the full power of the Floor Rules. Mechanical Cheating Refers to illegal actions and tricks as opposed to illegal card plays. It includes, but is not necessarily limited to: Drawing extra cards. Drawing cards from illegitimate locations. Arranging the cards in one's deck, such as by deliberate stacking or incomplete shuffling. Changing a marker that is tracking a game state (family honor, negative chi token, etc.) when not called for by the game. Illegally looking at the faces of any cards that have not yet been revealed. Playing with cards that are discernable from the reverse side, for example, due to distinct patterns of wear, unique card sleeve variances, or a deliberate orientation of the cards back. Placing one's card hand below the level of the table. Adding cards to or changing cards in your deck. Acquiring illegal information about cards in an opponent's hand or deck.

Tournament Organizers and Judges

Tournament Requirements The following items are required of a Tournament Organizer: A clean, safe tournament venue. A person knowledgeable in the rules and rulings of the game to serve as the head judge. Timely return of completely filled out and easy to read tournament reports to AEG.

Pre-Tournament Announcements The following pieces of information should be verbally announced at the beginning of the event and/or visibly posted in a prominent location. Tournament types (Swiss, single-elimination, etc.) and format (Emperor, Open, Draft, etc.). Number of rounds, both preliminary and final. Time limits (we recommend 40-50 minutes) and games per match, both preliminary and final. Meal breaks. Judges for the event

Any optional rules.

Player Judges At large events, the Tournament Organizer may ask a few players to assist with the judging. These judges should not answer judge calls until they finish their games, and not watch games they were not called to. Active Judging This style of judging calls for a tournament judge to call any and all infractions they see during a tournament game. This includes mechanical infractions, such as a player drawing too many cards, and errors of omission, such as bringing out a Personality without the appropriate amount of Honor. Only judges may point out mistakes during play (not spectators). All fulltime judges are always considered active. Passive Judging In this style of judging the judge only makes a call when asked. All player judges are passive until they are eliminated from the tournament.

Competitive Formats
The most common competition format for AEG sanctioned tournaments is a series of "Swiss Format" preliminary rounds followed by a series of single elimination finals matches. This section will only describe that format, although other formats are also allowed, including double elimination, pure single elimination, and pure Swiss Format. The required number of Swiss rounds and the number of players that make the cut into the final depends on how many participants you have. Emperor Format The default format for Legend of the Five Rings is the Arc Legal format. The current Arc is Emperor. Cards that are from sets in the Emperor arc are legal in the Emperor Arc format. These cards are easily identifiable by the Emperor Kanji on the bottom of the card. Older versions of cards reprinted in Emperor Edition are also legal. The Full Bleed Emperor Edition Clan Champions, along with the Full Bleed Emperor Edition Strongholds, contain no text relating to the mechanical effects of the card. The same is true for the Full Bleed Elemental Rings, and the Kanji Elemental Rings. These cards are all legal for tournament play in the Emperor Edition arc; players MUST have a copy of the cards they are using with full text that their opponents can ask to see if needed. Swiss Rounds The principle of a Swiss Format tournament is that each player will be pitted against another player who has the same tournament record.

For the first round of Swiss, pairings should be random. Do not pair participants alphabetically or by time of arrival. For all subsequent rounds of Swiss, pairings should be made between players with equal ranking, if possible. If there are an odd number of players with a certain ranking, one will be matched against a player from the group with the next lowest ranking. Pairings within a group should always be random within that group. Any time there are an odd number of total players entering a round, an unmatched player chosen at random will receive a bye (an automatic win against an imaginary opponent who has zero match points). No player should receive more than one bye, total, throughout the Swiss rounds. Additionally, no player should face the same opponent more than once throughout the Swiss rounds, unless this is necessary to avoid giving a player a second bye. The table below gives the breakdown for Swiss Rounds. 2-7 players: Round robin 8-32 players: 6 rounds 33+ players: 7 rounds Elimination Rounds Standard System After the final Swiss round, order the players by descending ranking, and then by descending strength of schedule within each ranking until you have enough to fill your finals matches. The first round of finals pairings should be made by matching the player at the top of this list with the one at the bottom, the second one with the next-to-last one, and so on. Matches in the elimination rounds should ideally be decided by best-of-three, with no time limits. However, it is often best to run some or all of the elimination rounds with a time limit and/or as single-game matches to prevent an overly long tournament. The Tournament Organizer shall announce this format before the beginning of the tournament if any or all of the elimination rounds shall be of a different time limit or match size than the Swiss rounds. The table below gives the breakdown for Elimination Rounds, 1-20 players: Top 2 21-40 players: Top 4 41-80 players: Top 8 81-160 players: Top 16 161+ players: Top 32 Alternate System: The X-2 Method There is an alternate method allowed to Tournament Organizers who are running Storyline events in the Emperor Edition arc. This is known as the X-2 method. It follows the same structure as the Swiss Rounds indicated above, but instead of the

Elimination Rounds being determined by the number of players and then cutting to a certain % of those players, it instead takes everyone with an X-2 record or better, and then determines a special Play-In round by which those with stronger rankings are given power protected byes into the Elimination Rounds. The way you determine this is as follows: At the end of Swiss, you look at the number of all individuals who are X-2 or better (includes X-1, X-0). Then you take that number of players, and round up the next largest bracket required to place them all. Example: At the end of the Swiss rounds, you have 24 X-2 or better players. That means you cannot use the Top 16 Bracket, and instead will have to go with the Top 32 bracket. Starting with 1st and working your way to the last X-2, you put these people into the bracket at their appropriate place following the Swiss tournament (1st place will go in 1st, 13th place goes in 13th, etc.) Once you have all the players in the bracket, you will have some open spots left. Fill in all remaining slots with byes. This will determine which players will have to play, and which are seeded high enough that they will have a bye for the play-in round. Example: If you have 24 players, and you fill out the Top 32 bracket, there will be 8 players (who finished 1st-8th in the Swiss) that will have a bye for the play-in round. The rest of the players play the opponents they are matched up against for the play-in round, and following that, you will have a Top 16 bracket, which includes those players who had a bye for the play-in round. The table below gives the breakdown for the X-2 method of elimination rounds 4-8 players: 3 rounds (No cut) 9-16 players: 4 rounds (3-1+) 17-32 players: 5 rounds (4-1+) 33- 45 players: 6 rounds (4-2+) 46+ players: 7 rounds (5-2+)

Closing/Credits
Remember, above all else collectible card games are games of strategy and fun; please respect your opponents, Tournament Organizers, and judges. Have Fun! If you have any questions, comments or complaints, please contact: events@alderac.com With special thanks to: Mark Armitage, Nicolas Bongiu, Mike Colson, Eric Devlin, Mason Dexter, Brian Fox, Roger Giner-Sorolla, Josh Kolb, Kristy Mack, Tom Mulheims, Jon Palmer, Bryan Reese and Chris Stevenson.