4 Tournament Materials

4.1 Player Materials

Players are responsible for bringing all necessary materials required to participate in the tournament, including:

• Physical, visible, and reliable items to record and track game information (e.g., pen and paper, tokens, counters, markers, etc.).
• Materials specific to the tournament’s format and REL (e.g., assembled decks, decklists, sleeves, etc.).

For formats where players are provided cards to play with, players are expected to take care of these materials once they are in possession. Players are also responsible for safeguarding their belongings at all times during the tournament.

During matches at competitive and professional REL, players must keep their registered cards clearly distinguishable from other card-like objects within their card pool. If there are cards stored near the registered card pool that could potentially be confused with the registered cards, those cards will be considered part of the card pool unless they meet one of the following exceptions:

• Promotional cards given out at the event that are not part of the decklist.
• Cards on the decklist that are proxied for the duration of the tournament.

These cards must not be sleeved in such a way that they can be confused with the actual cards in the registered card pool.

4.2 Cards

A card is a physical object that represents itself in the game of Wonders of The First. Players may use any official card in a tournament. A card is considered an official Wonders of The First card if it is genuine, published by Wonders of The First, and meets one of the following criteria:

• A single-faced card with the official Wonders of The First back-face.
• A double-sided token-rarity card (DST).

Official cards are game pieces distributed through retail products and promotional programs. Artist proofs, informational inserts, and oversized cards are not considered official cards. The properties of a card are defined by the latest printing of the card, subject to any errata published by Wonders of The First.

Tokens

A token is a card with the token type.

Double-Sided Token-Rarity Cards

A double-sided token-rarity card (DST) is a card where both sides represent the faces of two unrelated token-rarity cards. A Player may use only a single side of a DST to represent one card in the game at a time.

Non-English Cards

A non-English card is a card printed with text translated into a language other than English. A Player may use an otherwise-legal non-English card provided it is clear what card it represents and the Player is not using it to create an advantage, such as by having misleading text or pictures.

Misprinted Cards

A misprinted card is a card that, due to a design or printing error, does not accurately represent its intended form. A Player may use a misprinted card if it is clear what card it represents. However, a Player may not use a misprinted card if it depicts the properties of another card that it does not represent or if it gives a strategic advantage, such as through misleading text or images.

If the printed information on a misprinted card is missing or objectively incorrect (e.g., orbital, power, cost, etc.), the Player must inform their opponent when the misprinted card becomes visible and provide the correct printed information for their opponent to reference.

Damaged Cards

A damaged card is a card that has undergone physical treatment that ruins its aesthetic quality and/or functionality as a game piece. A Player may use a damaged card as long as the damage was due to wear and tear or was accidental, and does not make the card unrecognizable or provide a strategic advantage.

Intentionally damaged cards, such as those that have been cut, ripped, shredded, or reconstructed, are not allowed. However, this rule does not apply to cards intentionally altered for artistic purposes.

If a Player opens a damaged card from a limited product or a card is damaged by an opponent or tournament official, the Player may be issued a proxy for that card.

Altered Cards

An altered card is one that has been intentionally physically modified, often for artistic purposes. Alterations may include painting, signing, foiling, collages, printed inner-sleeves, or any other modification to the card’s visuals.

A Player may use an altered card as long as the modifications do not make the card unrecognizable, contain offensive material, or provide a strategic advantage. The altered card must be originally an official Wonders of the First card and should allow tournament officials to authenticate the original card.

Modifications must not obscure the name, orbital, or numeric properties (such as cost or power) of the card. The Head Judge will determine what alterations are acceptable for the tournament.

At competitive and professional REL, a Player must receive prior approval from the Head Judge before using an altered card in the tournament. Alterations must not drastically change the appearance of the primary subject(s) in the artwork, including modifications to the silhouette, color scheme, or focus.

4.3 Proxy Cards

A proxy card (or “proxy”) is a card used to represent an official Wonders of The First card in a game. Proxies are not allowed unless they are officially issued by the Head Judge of the tournament. The Head Judge may issue or approve a proxy at their discretion in the following situations:

• A foil card where the foiling causes the card to be marked in the deck, and no non-foil version of the card is available, or it would be unreasonable to expect the Player to find a substitute.
• A damaged card where the damage marks the card in the deck, and the damage was caused by either opening limited product or by the Player’s opponent or a tournament official.
• A token-rarity card at a limited event where there are insufficient official cards available.

The proxy is used to represent an official Wonders of The First card, and the Player must have the original card or the relevant information about the original card for their opponent to reference during the game involving the proxy.

Proxies are only valid for the duration of the tournament in which they were issued. Proxies issued from previous tournaments or self-made proxies are not permitted.

4.4 Tokens

A token should only be present in the play area if it represents a token that exists in the game.

4.5 Counters

A counter is an item used to represent a specific type of counter on an object in the game. Players may use any item to represent a counter, as long as it clearly indicates the type of counter it represents, does not provide strategic assistance, is not too small or difficult to see, and is not excessively large or obstructive in the play area.

If two or more counters of the same type are placed on an object, they must be uniform and arranged in a way that clearly shows their quantity and type. Dice or similar counting items may also be used to represent multiple counters of the same type, instead of using a separate item for each individual counter.

4.6 Markers

A marker is a small item used to optionally represent part of the state of the game. Markers should not be confused with counters, which represent a specific in-game element. Players may use any non-card-like item as a marker, provided it clearly represents the intended information, does not offer strategic assistance, is visible and easy to see, and is not so large as to obstruct the play-space.

Markers may be used to represent visible or public information in the game, but not to track information about cards in a player’s deck, or any private, historical, or assisted information. To prevent abuse, markers may not be used to track cards within a deck. A marker should only be used temporarily to represent information; once that information is no longer relevant, the player must either update or remove the marker.

If two or more markers are used for the same piece of visible or public information, they must be uniform and arranged clearly to make the information they represent easily identifiable. Dice or similar counting items may be used as markers to represent numerical information.

4.7 Dice

When an action requires the use of dice, any method can be employed to simulate the dice roll, as long as the method can produce a range of results that is correct and ensures all outcomes have an equal chance of occurring. At professional REL, electronic devices are not allowed to simulate dice rolls.

Physical dice must have clearly readable values, be properly weighted so each side has an equal chance of landing, and be of a size that is not disruptive when rolled. High-value dice with values grouped together, such as spindown dice, are not allowed for use.

When physical dice are rolled, they must be rolled from a discernible height and with enough spin to produce sufficiently random results. Dice that leave the playing surface, become mixed with other dice in an unclear way, or fail to come to rest in a stable position on a flat surface are considered void and must be re-rolled.

If the result of a dice roll would have no impact on the game, the Player may choose to skip rolling them. If a Player rolls too many dice at once, those dice are ignored, and the correct number of dice must be re-rolled.

4.8 Sleeves

A sleeve is a thin, flexible, card-shaped pocket designed to protect a card during play.

If a Player chooses to use card sleeves, all cards in their deck must be sleeved in the same manner. At Professional REL, the Head Judge may require all players to use sleeves for their deck cards.

Double-faced cards in a Player’s deck must be sleeved in completely opaque sleeves to ensure the faces are not visible.

At Competitive and Professional REL, sleeves with highly reflective or holographic patterns are not permitted. The Head Judge has the final authority on whether any type of sleeve may be used in the tournament.

Players are responsible for ensuring that their sleeves do not cause their cards to be marked during the tournament. A Judge may disallow particular card sleeves if they believe the sleeves are in poor condition or have a design that interferes with shuffling or gameplay. The Judge may choose to delay requiring a sleeve change until the end of a match.

4.9 Electronic Devices

An electronic device is any personal machine capable of recording or presenting strategic notes, communicating with others, or accessing the internet (or similar networks).

In general, Players may use electronic devices during a match as long as the content presented is visible to all Players and is not used to gain strategic advice. If a Player wishes to use a device privately, they must request permission from a Judge. Electronic devices may be used during the start-of-game procedure for taking strategic notes, but they may not be used for communication.

Physical records should be preferred over electronic records when resolving discrepancies in a game.

At Competitive and Professional REL, electronic devices may not be used at all during a draft.

Additional restrictions or exceptions to the use of electronic devices are enforced at the discretion of the Head Judge.

4.10 Infringing and Offensive Material

Individuals are prohibited from possessing material that infringes on the intellectual property rights of Wonders of The First, as well as non-Wonders of The First materials that are offensive, disruptive, or negatively impact the enjoyment of others. If an individual is found in possession of such materials, the Tournament Organizer may request that the material be removed, or the individual may be disqualified (or, for non-Players, asked to leave the venue).

The Tournament Organizer has the authority to determine what non-Wonders of The First material is acceptable for use throughout the tournament.

4.11 Sealed Deck and Booster Draft Product

For sealed deck or booster draft formats, product must be supplied directly by tournament officials and cannot be reused for another sealed deck or booster draft event. If the Tournament Organizer permits players to provide their own product, it must be pooled with the rest of the product and then distributed randomly by tournament officials.

Booster packs given to players in a pod for a booster draft should, if possible, come from the same box.

Product must remain sealed until distribution. At Wonders of The First’s discretion, packs may be opened in advance for stamping purposes. When preparing stamped product for a draft, double-faced tokens should be replaced with appropriate proxy cards that indicate the card they are replacing. After the draft, but before the start of the first round, players who drafted proxy cards will be provided with the actual double-faced token cards.

If the product does not contain enough token-rarity cards for the limited format, the Tournament Organizer is responsible for supplying the necessary additional cards or appropriate substitutes. The Tournament Organizer may require that any supplied token-rarity cards be returned at the conclusion of the format. Players may substitute their own cards for token-rarity cards as long as they are the same unique card.