Hello!

Yesterday a former fellow judge was sharing some information regarding an RCQ, and it made me take a deep look into MTR 2.13 Video Coverage, specifically the 3rd paragraph which i'm copying here:

The Head Judge of a World Championship or Pro Tour tournament may, in their sole discretion, use video replay to assist in making rulings during a match. Video replays may not be used to assist in making rulings in tournaments other than a World Championship or Pro Tour tournament. Players may not request that a judge consult a video replay. Video replays may also be used for investigative purposes at a later time.

 

So, looking at this, my interpretation is that in an RCQ:

• the Head Judge CANNOT look at video footage to assist in making rulings during a match.
• the Head Judge CANNOT look at video replays for investigation purposes at a later time.

And in contrast, in the World Championship / Pro Tour:

• the Head Judge CAN look at video footage to assist in making rulings during a match.
• the Head Judge CAN look at video replays for investigation purposes at a later time.

Is my interpretation correct? Or should it instead be:

• In World Championship / Pro Tour the Head Judge CAN look at video footage to assist in making rulings during a match AND they CAN look at video replays for investigation purposes at a later time.
• In an RCQ the Head Judge CANNOT look at video footage to assist in making rulings during a match BUT they CAN look at video replays for investigation purposes at a later time.

My reasoning is that an investigation results in a ruling, thus making the last sentence dependent on the context restriction defined in the first and second sentences.

Thanks in advance!

Edited Fábio Batista (May 12, 2025 09:54:05 AM)

Magic Judges Forum / Competitive REL / Usage of Video Coverage Material in investigations says that in an RCQ, the footage can be used for investigations at a later time. 

I guess that mostly answers my question!

The key distinction here between what's in the MTR and what Uncle Scott posted is that while investigative bodies can review video footage after the event to determine if action should be taken (say, suspending a player), RCQ judges should generally not be using video to make rulings. 

 

There are a number of philosophical reasons around that (and some exceptions exist, but if you have to ask, you probably don't have an exception), but at the in-store level, forbidding the use of video to make decisions protects judges from being told "Go back and watch the tape!" when trying to determine if a player already played a land or if a player exceeded the window on reversing decisions. That's especially the case when some video setups might make this process extremely time-consuming and difficult, so just disallowing it means that judges will have to use the same investigative skills on camera at RCQs that they use off-camera.