League Rules

Eligibility

You must be a person of a marginalized gender and 13 years or older to enter the VML.

If you are aged 13-17, you must have permission from your legal guardian to enter the VML. Please contact the VML Head Judge for a copy of this form. Please note that, due to Wizards of the Coast policy, 13-17 year olds are not eligible to win the Arena Qualifier Weekend Badge portion of the prizing.

VML eligibility is based on the sole discretion of the Tournament Organizer and may be revoked at any time.

Tournament Rules Enforcement

The VML is run with guidance from the Digital Magic Tournament Rules (DMTR) and the Digital Infraction Procedure Guide (DIPG); both available here. In the case of a conflict between these rules and those stated in the DMTR or the DIPG, these rules will take precedence.

The VML Head Judge for Season 13 is Elaine Cao. The best way to contact her is via Discord (Oritart) or in the #vml-questions channel of the VML Discord Server.

In all cases, the decision of the VML Head Judge is final in accordance with DMTR §1.7.

League Structure

The league consists of 8 person divisions, with 7 weeks of round robin play within each division, followed by 6 rounds of single elimination playoffs. After registration is complete and before play begins, the full list of divisions and schedule of matches will be published on the website.

For the purposes of the league, all times stated will be in US Pacific Time.

A “week” is considered to be from Tuesday to the following Monday. Each week, you will submit a decklist to play a different opponent within your division. Decklist submissions are due by 11:59 PM on the Monday before the week begins. Play for a week can commence once decklists are published on the website, which will happen by noon on Tuesday. Play for a week concludes at 6PM on Monday. Match results must be submitted by this time.

Playoffs

The Top 48 will be comprised of:

• The top finishers from each division (16). These finishers will be given a direct bye into the Top 32.
• The second-place finishers from each division (16).
• 16 “Wildcard” players representing the best records among those who did not place in the top 2 of their divisions. These will be seeded according to their records and tiebreakers.

Decklist Submission

Decklists must be submitted through the player portal by 11:59 PM the Monday before a week begins. Please accurately indicate the archetype of your deck during submission. 

If a decklist is not submitted by the deadline, you may submit a decklist to the VML Head Judge on Discord prior to decklists being published (at Noon Tuesday) with the penalty of a Game Loss. If you choose not to, your last submitted decklist will be used as long as it is legal in the current format. (If the previous decklist is no longer legal, you must take the penalty and submit a new, legal decklist.) Once per season, this penalty may be downgraded to a Warning at the discretion of the Head Judge. This is a modification to DIPG §2.4.

The VML is an open decklist event as defined in DMTR §2.7.

Format

The format for the VML will be Standard, best of three, with a 15-card sideboard as defined in DMTR §6.3. Both the “rope” and the 25-minute “chess clock” are in-play.

Judge staff will communicate any changes in the event of a Banned & Restricted announcement in accordance with DMTR §3.3.

Matches will be played using the ‘Direct Challenge – Constructed Tournament Mode’ option within the MTGA client unless otherwise directed.

Arranging a Match

Each week, please individually communicate with your opponent, via Discord or other agreed upon means, to establish a match time in the current week. In the spirit of community-building, players should make prompt and good faith efforts to arrange match times. Tournament staff will make best efforts to aid in establishing a match time but cannot force an opponent to agree to any particular time.

It is strongly encouraged that you schedule your match time on the website through your player profile page, to serve as evidence of an arranged match time. We also ask that you keep time zones in mind to avoid possible miscommunication in case that your opponent is in a different time zone from your own.

Agreements to play at a particular time are considered binding as long as they include an explicit agreement between both players and an agreement on a particular match time. Both players may agree on a different match time if complications arise, but please keep in mind that, in the case of a dispute, we must hold you to agreements even if circumstances change.

In the event that players cannot or do not reach an agreement, the default time at which players will play is 4PM Monday. Each week, play will conclude at 6PM on Monday. Match results must be submitted by this time.

A player who does not respond to requests to schedule a match for 72 hours is considered to have abandoned the league and will be dropped. If your opponent is not responsive, please contact the VML Head Judge as soon as possible.

What to do if your opponent does not show up for a match

• Message your opponent and try to get in contact with them.
• If your opponent does not show up or contact you within 15 minutes of the agreed match time (or default match time), you should direct message the VML Head Judge. Tell her that your opponent has not arrived and provide any evidence showing the agreed time between the players.
• If a player is not ready to play within 20 minutes of the agreed match time (or default match time), that player will be issued a Game Loss. This penalty upgrades to a Match Loss if the player is not ready to play within 30 minutes. This penalty applies regardless of whether a judge has responded or attempted to contact the player.
• To claim such a forfeit, please private message the VML Head Judge and she will be in contact with you to coordinate the match result submission.
• Please include screenshots that prove that you have attempted to contact your opponent, and, if the agreed match time is different from the default match time, evidence that the match time was agreed upon.

This is a modification to DIPG §2.1.

Kindly remember that the VML staff are human and cannot be awake 24 hours a day. They will try to help you contact the other player if possible, but they are not responsible for scheduling your match.

Match extensions may be granted by the VML Head Judge for extenuating circumstances on a case-by-case basis. If you believe this applies, please contact the VML Head Judge on Discord as soon as possible.

Technical or Other In-match Issues

In-match issues are resolved in accordance with DIPG §2 at the discretion of the VML Head Judge. If a technical issue arises during your match, please contact the VML Head Judge immediately. Examples of technical issues include unexpected Magic Arena downtime, game engine behavior believed to be inconsistent with the Comprehensive Rules, and improperly submitted decks.

Judge staff will most likely not rewind issues caused by in-match human error (misclicking the wrong land, mulliganing a good hand, etc). A player who disconnects will not receive any lost turns, parts of turns, time, or timeouts. However, disconnections are limited to the current game in progress, and the match may be completed later if necessary. (see DIPG §2.5)

Video evidence and screenshots may be used to assist in rectifying any problems, so we recommend recording your match if possible.

What to do if there is an in-game issue during your match and the VML Head Judge does not immediately respond:

• Finish the game in progress if able.
• Note both players’ time on the match clock. (Use screenshots if able.)
• Notify your opponent of the intention to wait for the judge, and concede the match on MTG Arena during sideboarding (or immediately afterwards, ideally before hands are drawn)
• Wait at least 15 minutes for a response.

Judge staff do not have the capability to fix issues by modifying game states, but do have the capability to fix issues by pausing a match in progress this way.

Remember that the VML staff are human and cannot always be available, but will attempt to be available for live issues. If judges are not able to fix issues at the moment, players should resume play if able after at least 15 minutes have passed. Depending on the severity of the issue, the match may be given an extension and replayed.

Resuming a match in progress (judge staff may give you these instructions, or you may do this yourself without the judge if judge staff does not respond):

• Both players should concede games until the proper game score is reached. This should result in the same player having the choice of play/draw as was the case in the original match. If no games have been played yet, the player with the choice of play/draw should select the option that results in the same play/draw result as the original match.
• Both players are considered to keep their clock from the original match. For example, if a player’s clock reads 18:00 before the pause in the match (7 minutes used), that player is considered to lose the match once their clock reads 7:00 (7 minutes remaining) after the match is resumed.
• If you would like to claim a match win in this way, please be sure you have video evidence in case of a dispute.
• If you are able to “fix” the problem without the aid of judge staff, please still let us know so we can make a record of any issues.

If a Magic Arena bug causes a game to be unable to progress, that game will be replayed, keeping the current match score intact. If a player is found to be abusing bugs, such as intentionally causing the game engine to crash in a losing board state, that player is considered to have committed Unsporting Conduct – Cheating and will be disqualified from the league with any prizes rescinded in accordance with DIPG §3.9.

Reporting Results

Once the match is complete, both players should report the match score using the “Submit Results” button on their player portal or confirm the match score already submitted. If the result of the match does not align with the options presented, please contact the VML Head Judge immediately. We recommend that you take a screenshot of your “Victory” or “Defeat” screen in case of a dispute. If there are any concerns, please contact the VML Head Judge as soon as possible.

Tiebreakers

Tiebreakers are used to determine playoff eligibility and seeding based on division play results. The tiebreakers will be used in the following order:

• Matches won
• Head-to-head result vs. other player(s) involved in the tie
• Game win percentage

In the case where tiebreakers are used to determine seeding during the playoffs, if players are still tied after all of the above, there will be a coin flip to determine higher standing.

In the case where tiebreakers are used to determine if players qualify for the playoffs, if players are still tied after all of the above, there will be a playoff match to determine higher standing.

In the case of a three (or more) way tie, head-to-head will only be applied if a player has won against all the other players within the tie. If needed, the head-to-head and game win percentage breakers may be applied iteratively to determine placement within a multi-way tie.

Example scenario

Players A, B, and C all have the same record, and head-to-head records are: A beats B, B beats C, C beats A. Head-to-head is discounted at first, and game win percentage is applied. If A has a higher game win percentage than the other two players but B and C, A will be first in the standings. Head-to-head will then apply to the tie between B and C since A is taken out of the three-way, and B will be placed second followed by C.

Playoffs

At the end of the regular season, the top 2 players from each division, in addition to the top 16 players representing the best results not otherwise advancing, will advance to the single elimination playoffs. The top player in each division will receive a Bye for the first week of playoffs. In the Top 48 round, wildcards will be seeded against a second place division finisher.

In the event that fewer than 16 divisions of players compete in Season 13, some additional wildcards may be awarded to players to ensure there are 48 players in the playoffs.

The playoffs bracket will be published following the final week of round-robin play. Please note that the deadlines for match play may be different during the playoff weeks. These deadlines will be communicated prior to the start of the playoff rounds.

The Top 4 players will play their matches live on the VML Twitch stream on Sunday, November 24^th starting at 6PM. Players who make the Top 4 must be available to play during this time.

Prizes

Place	Cash Prize	Additional Prize
1st	$1,400	Invite to a Regional Championship and an invite to the VML Championships.
2nd	$980	Invite to a Regional Championship and an invite to the VML Championships.
3rd & 4th	$630	Invite to a Regional Championship and an invite to the VML Championships.
5th – 8th	$280	Invite to a Regional Championship and an invite to the VML Championships.
9th – 16th	$140	Invite to a MTG Arena Qualifier Weekend
17th – 32th	$70

In the event that a Top 8 competitor is already qualified for the VML Championships from a previous season, their invite will pass down to the Top 16, ranked in order of standings from the round-robin season of play. 

There is no pass down for Regional Championships or Arena Qualifier Weekend invites.

Deck Trackers and Streaming

MTG Arena deck trackers are allowed during league play.

Streaming is encouraged! You can also check out our official broadcast each Monday at 6:00 PM on Twitch.

We recommend that you stream your match with a suitable delay. Any player found to be “stream sniping” will be disqualified and removed from the league in accordance with DIPG §2.2

Feature Matches

Please note that feature matches are handled by the production team, not the VML Head Judge. For all questions regarding features, contact Head of Production Misha (@mishamigo on Discord) or, for technical questions, VML Producer Phoebe (@pzeitler on Discord).

Each week, members of the production team will choose a number of matches to be recorded and shown on the Monday broadcast. If your match is chosen, you will be contacted via Discord (or other means if not available) and asked to record your match and answer a number of written questions.

If you are chosen for a feature match, please record your match and submit it according to the instructions pinned in the #match-recordings Discord channel. These recordings will be used during the Friday broadcast. Please also respond to the production crew’s questions in a timely manner as they use the information to make assets for the stream.

You may also be asked to play your match live on stream. We will only do so if you have indicated that you are able to on your player survey. This will be 100% optional, but we ask that players who are selected respond to inquiries promptly so that another feature may be found if needed.

You may also be asked to do a recorded or live video interview with a member of the production team. These are 100% optional and we will help you with preparation if necessary.

Drop-outs

It’s incredibly important to the integrity of the league that players finish all weeks of division play. Please keep in mind your fellow competitors and display good sportsmanship by completing your match each week. However, if you are incapable of completing matches, we ask that you inform us of your intention to drop.

If you cannot continue with the league, we ask you to finish any matches they can as soon as possible. If a match cannot be completed, future opponents will receive match wins. The VML Head Judge reserves the discretion to deal with these situations on a case-by-case basis.

To preserve the tournament experience for all players, if you are unresponsive for 72 hours or more without good reason, you will be dropped from the season following the current week as if you had been assigned Unsporting Conduct – Late Arrival To Match with Upgrade, as per DMTR §2.1. If this applies to your opponent, please contact tournament staff.

Players dropped in this way will also be prevented from registering for the season immediately following unless the player messages tournament staff; players who drop by informing tournament staff are not subject to this restriction. This restriction may be waived if the lack of response is due to extraordinary circumstances (medical, family emergency, etc).

Changes to These Rules

The rules set out above are based on 128 players entering Season 13 of the VML. If the size of the league is not 128 these rules may be adjusted accordingly.

Any changes to these rules will be announced via Discord and email.

Enforcement of these rules is subject to the full discretion of the Tournament Organizer and VML Head Judge and may be changed at any time.