This happened to someone at a tournament today, and I wasn't completely sure the end result was correct.

A table was deck checked, player A got a game loss for a deck reg error, player B checked out fine. Player A won the game and when Player B went to sideboard he noticed two cards were missing. He calls a judge and explains what has happened, and the judges search for, find, and return the cards. No further action was taken and game 3 was played.

Is this the proper way to handle the situation?

EDIT: For some reason, I cannot reply to this topic. The missing cards were mainboard cards. Player B was playing Aluren and two Imperial Recruiters were missing (a crucial part of the deck, though I don't think that should influence the resolution). This was not discovered until he began sideboarding for game 3, at which point a judge was called. The deck check took place in the food court just outside the store, and the cards had supposedly fallen under the table. I just seems like a bad situation overall, I was just hoping there may be a better resolution to this situation, other than do nothing.

Also note that I was a player in the event, and the details of this situation come from what I overheard as it was happening and from a conversation with Player B.

Edited Zachary Eagle (March 24, 2013 01:27:07 AM)

If there's a chance - and it sounds like there was a VERY good chance - that the judges misplaced the two s/b cards? I certainly would not assess a penalty!

Not only is it our fault, but the player called for a judge as soon as he discovered the problem. I hope the judges also apologized!

Zachery, the reason you couldn't reply is that Scott closed the topic, given your edit though I'm going to reopen for your follow up for further discussion on how to handle judge mistakes.

Simple and short answer is that judges can make mistakes, we're only human. Players often hold judges to a higher standard which is fine, to a point. We do need to try harder than players to not make mistakes but no-one is ever perfect. In this situation, an apology would definitely be needed and a reassurance that they would be more careful. While it would be good if the player had checked their deck prior to presenting it's not something I'd reasonably expect a player to have to do as they should be trusting that the judge would return the deck intact.