During my last PPTQ I had to issue a Match Loss for Outside Assistance to a spectator. Then, I did what we're supposed to do in cases like this - I added the player to the tournament, issued him the penalty, and then removed him from the tournament.

In the next day, that person gloated on social media that he was able to get a number of Planeswalker Points from a tournament he didn't even play, which got him closer to the threshold needed to qualify for the WMCQ, and (ironically, I think) “thanking” the players from that specific match, the judge, and the TO for that. The player is free to say whatever he wants in public, but that made me realize that it's unfortunate that a player is able to benefit from their infractions in cases like this. Is the player actually supposed to get his Planeswalker Points in cases like this? And what can be done to tell the player community that it's absolutely not OK to go to tournaments as spectators and start committing infractions if they find themselves short on Planeswalker Points?

Just out of curiosity, did you immediately drop him from the tournament after issuing the penalty?

Originally posted by Jarrett Boutilier:

Just out of curiosity, did you immediately drop him from the tournament after issuing the penalty?

Yes indeed.

Originally posted by Pedro Gonçalves:

Jarrett Boutilier
Just out of curiosity, did you immediately drop him from the tournament after issuing the penalty?

Yes indeed.

Hmm, have you confirmed they did indeed receive PW points for attending the event?

He was added to the tournament, so he would've received participation points no matter what

Well, if a player is deliberately committing infractions in a tournament for an advantage, which sure is what this sounds like, then we're into DQ territory and a resulting investigation, which might leave the player awkwardly ineligible for sanctioned tournaments during the WMCQ in question. So, pointing that out might work to snuff out such behavior.

Even without a DQ, a single player receiving multiple OA in a short period is liable to draw some unwanted attention, and a suspension is possible without a DQ. It's worth having a talk with the player and pointing out the potential pitfalls they could run into in their proposed scheme.

Sent from my iPad

And as far as this player getting PWPs goes, the stores local TO rep is the best person to talk to. At the very least, it's something they can possibly adjust in the future. And perhaps they'll be able to annul the player's participation in the event to remove the points (while leaving the infraction in place).