Taking 60 minutes for one game is entirely justified in a complex matchup where you;

a) Know you have more time than usual available

and

b) Are playing, directly, for around $10,000 per match.

I would respectfully point out that most of the people insisting that everyone should be ready to play their matches within time has never had so much riding on a single game, or a single match. With that kind of pressure, some people will crack and start playing badly, some people will start taking way too long, others will get hyped on adrenaline and start playing too fast. I know that if I was playing a match of VS that could earn me more money than I make in a year, I would want to make damn sure I was doing everything I could right.

it is unfortunate that they implement time on vs, even at the highest level.

-that said, it is still something one must prepare for.

Isn't this going to work up to some kind of credit card tv ad?

Internet access.........$29.99......

Cards and Sleeves..........$120.00......

Entry into a 10k or PC.....$25.00.........

Buying a watch so you can learn from the mistakes that have cost you $27,200 in winnings.........Priceless.....


I guess MJ is the type of player that never loses a game, but seems to be behind when time runs out. Out of curiousity, I would be interested to hear how many games he won because of time outs (if any). I can't really sympathize with him though. Yes, there is a lot of money on the line. Yes he is playing the best player in the world (IMO) but you still know who much time you are given and the procedures that are in place if the games are finished. Blaming time outs or the fact that UDE doesn't say you NEED to have a back up timing device just sounds like a novice excuse.

but you did make a mistake, you played too slow. I'm not saying this to be a jerk, but you said you knew you were playing slow, you know the time constraints given, you had an idea of how much time left in the match but you played skow anyway and lost due to time out. Slow play is a play error just the same as playing the wrong card.

I know there must be a ton of pressure, and it sucks that you lost a game that you coulda won, but you cant blame UDE or the clock, you have to look at the mistake you made and try not to make it again.

What he went to round 6? He says he needed 2 minutes and he would have won. Looks like there was two choices. Either drop 20 seconds off of each turn. Or use the KO effect for the win a little sooner. Not knowing that you needed to play the cards just right so you would win or jump ahead so time would run out for the other guy so he loses, is no one's fault but the person who did not capitalize on it.

Pressure is part of the game at the highest levels, and how you deal with it is just as important as what cards you draw. It's not an excuse to say "I played slowly so I wouldn't F up", because the game requires you to make your decisions in a reasonable amount of time to be successful. As I said before, not being able to do that = not deserving of the top prize.

I still say that the amount of time left in a round should be visible to both players at all times.

Man, the stories that came out of this event.

We have three new contenders for best deck, a time limit controversy and a disqualification for one of the game's most controversial folks in Bulk Lao. This is better than Days of our Lives.

Believe me, it's a glorious day to be a journalist. My deadline is less than eight hours away and I have eight articles worth of material.

Good times.

I want to emphasize I did NOT play slowly. The judge required I shuffle and present after EVERY SINGLE SEARCH (even when I would have searched again in mere seconds). That ALONE was worth 5 minutes at least, causing me to lose on time.

It is going to be tricky. I will send you mine PM now, kay?

And who can we blame this on? (Cause someone has to take the blame)



Roy St. Clair.


Before the whole debacle involving him, the whole UDE policy on shuffling and presenting was a grey area, lost in the abyss of the FAQ. Now UDE has tightened up as a judge force in order to prevent further infractions.

In my opinion, and I've seen some of these guys play in the PC, most everyone on the pro level is honorable enough to conduct a match without malicious behavior. Sure, I know some order must be kept, however, with the introduction of more and more complex decks (X-Faces, New School, Killing Joke), certain changes in procedure need to be reviewed. Matches are taking longer, and tournaments are becoming longer. And as Draconis indirectly said, this IS the top 8 of a Pro Circuit. It kinda is a big deal.

Chew on that awhile, I'll be back after dinner to discuss further.

yea i agree with michael on one point

it is pointless to shuffle after a search if you are going to search right after!!!!
it's so pointless and it's stupid

Sounds like he just couldn't bully his opponents as much with the spotlight on him.

I played MJ in the PC and it was probably the single worst Vs. experience I've ever had. As soon as I sat down I said "Hi," just to be congenial, and he couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge me. After I shuffled my deck a couple of times he barked, "Come on, we gotta get this going." After seeing the Killing Joke deck in the first two rounds I understood that he wanted to make sure there was plenty of time in the round to get to the later turns, but he took his sweet ass time on every play of every turn, all the while rushing me during my turns.

The real kicker was that he took a play back on me. He "Straight to the Grave"-ed for a Deadshot, set it in his KO'd pile and removed his hand, then took it back and said, "No, wait," and started digging through his deck again.

I know I should have called a judge on him, but I was a little apprehensive (since it was my first PC) and that hesitation is entirely my fault.

Maybe I'm just really fortunate, but I've never had anyone act as much like a complete douchebag as he did during our match.

I figured, though, that I might as well point out what most of you already seem to be aware of - that it's not exactly the whole world against him and he's no innocent victim.