You are a judge in a sealed deck tournament. Two players come up to you and complain that the other is cheating. they say that the other player drew one extra card. They each say that their opponent took a mulligan. However, they both agree on their life-totals and everything else about the board state. Since graveyard order doesn’t matter, both players have rearranged their graveyards. How can you tell which one is the cheating scumbag?
Jake (Player 1): 20 life
Hand:
[card]Untamed Might[/card]
[card]Gruesome Encore[/card]
[card]Gruesome Encore[/card]
[card]Carnifex Demon[/card]
[card]Go for the Throat[/card]
[card]Contagion Clasp[/card]
[card]Scourge Servant[/card]
Library:
7 cards remaining
In play:
4 [card]Swamp[/card] (untapped)
5 [card]Forest[/card] (untapped)
[card]Alpha Tyrannax[/card] (untapped)
[card]Bladed Pinions[/card] (equipped to [card]Corpse Cur[/card], untapped)
[card]Corpse Cur[/card] (equipped with [card]Bladed Pinions[/card], tapped)
Graveyard:
[card]Swamp[/card]
[card]Necropede[/card]
[card]Horizon Spellbomb[/card]
[card]Slice in Twain[/card]
[card]Galvanic Blast[/card]
[card]Shatter[/card]
[card]Sphere of the Suns[/card]
[card]Forest[/card]
[card]Sylvok Lifestaff[/card]
[card]Forest[/card]
[card]Mountain[/card]
[card]Hand of the Praetors[/card]
[card]Moriok Replica[/card]
[card]Trigon of Corruption[/card]
Thomas(Player 2): 19 life, 3 poison counters
In Hand:
[card]Shatter[/card] (Foil)
[card]Perilous Myr[/card]
[card]Myr Battlesphere[/card]
[card]Myr Turbine[/card]
[card]Plains[/card]
Library:
16 cards remaining
In Play:
3 [card]Mountain[/card] (untapped)
3 [card]Mountain[/card]
3 [card]Plains[/card] (tapped)
[card]Sword of Body and Mind[/card] (equipped to [card]Rusted Relic[/card], untapped)
[card]Rusted Relic[/card] (equipped with [card]Sword of Body and Mind[/card], untapped, -1/-1 counter)
2/2 green Wolf Token (-1/-1 counter)
[card]Tumble Magnet[/card] (0 counters, tapped)
[card]Tumble Magnet[/card] (3 counters, untapped)
[card]Mox Opal[/card] (tapped)
[card]Kuldotha Phoenix[/card] (tapped)
[card]Sunblast Angel[/card] (untapped)
Graveyard:
[card]Arc Trail[/card]
[card]Arrest[/card]
[card]Precursor Golem[/card]
You quickly realize that it’s not possible to determine who drew an extra card from just that, so you ask a couple of players who were watching the match. One always lies, One always tells the truth, and the third one alternates between the truth and lies. You ask them all what 1 + 1 is , ban two people(Tina and Richard) for lying to a judge, and move on to your truthful man.
Honest Abe: I remember that Jake has never attacked Thomas, and neither player has ever discarded a card or shuffled their library. Oh, and one of the players mulliganned to 5 on the play, I just can’t remember who.
Now, everything becomes clear.
Who do you DQ ?
Alexander Hayne is the 2012 Pro Tour Barcelona champion. He also finished 2nd at GP Montreal in 2011.