As of May 9, 1998, the following policy is in place for official Sanctioned and Qualifier Council tournaments. A Sanctioned Council tournament is an MECCG event that requires advance approval for sanction status and use of the Council package for running the event, awarding Council prizes, and reporting results to ICE to rank the players. Winners of Sanctioned Council Events may qualify to participate in that year's Council of Lorien Annual Championship event. A Qualifier Council tournament is a special type of Sanctioned Council tournament that ICE determines in advance to guarantee the winner(s) participation in that year's Council of Lorien Annual Championship event.
ICE reserves the right to award Sanctioned or Qualifier status to MECCG tournaments and will periodically review its award policy. Non-sanctioned MECCG events may receive promo material and prize support, other than that reserved for Council of Lorien Sanctioned and Qualifier tournaments, from ICE, but winner(s) will not be ranked, and are not qualified to participate in that years Council of Lorien Annual Championship event.
Each Sanctioned or Qualifier tournament has a tournament coordinator. This is the person in charge of running the tournament. In the text below "tournament coordinator" means the coordinator or any staff member assigned by the coordinator to assist him or her. Tournament coordinators are responsible for seeing that the council guidelines are kept, prizes are properly awarded, and that that the tournament is run in a fair and impartial manner. Tournament coordinators need to make sure that all results (including the individual score sheets of each player) are returned to the Council of Lorien by the deadlines on page two so that they can be properly recorded. Failure to report the results of a Sanctioned or Qualified event may mean that ICE will not Qualify future events run by said coordinator.
1) Participation- Anyone is welcome to participate in a Council of Lorien sanctioned tournament except:
a) ICE employees, their spouses, and their immediate family. Free-lance contractors and artists are eligible to compete.
b) Official representatives of Iron Crown Enterprises in an on-going agency status such as on-line representatives.
c) Show staff who are working in any capacity for ICE at the event where the tournament is run. This status includes people who wish to volunteer time running demos at an ICE booth, sanctioned demo, or sanctioned tournament area. This also includes any staff working a sales booth and anyone receiving a badge from ICE.
2) Two Player Games Only-All Council matches will be between two players unless pre-approval is obtained. Solitaire tournaments will not be official Council events. To obtain permission for a multi-player event, the tournament coordinator must submit a written proposal for the tournament structure he or she proposes to use. All such submissions become the property of Iron Crown Enterprises which may choose to publish them (with credit to the original designer).
3) Accommodations-Players must be provided with reasonably comfortable accommodations. The playing environment must be clean and reasonably free of elements that pose a threat to the physical integrity of each player's cards.
4) Using Maps-If standard rules are being used, an appropriate map of the regions of MECCG can be used to depict region movement (instead of using actual region cards). The text of region cards takes precedence over maps, however. Certain regions, which may appear to be adjacent on a map, in fact, are not listed as adjacent on the appropriate region cards (e.g., Rohan and Dagorlad, Cardolan and Lindon, Old Pukel Gap and Andrast). Such regions are not considered adjacent, even when a map is used for region movement. Maps from the Middle-earth CCG Maps(tm) were designed to minimize any discrepancies.
5) Character Draft-Starting characters will be determined by draft as per the guidelines printed on page 55 of the Middle-earth: The Wizards Companion(tm). and page 68 of the Middle-earth: The Lidless Eye Companion(tm).This method is called the Character Draft (and is detailed below).
Each Player selects up to 10 characters to put into his or her pool of potential starting characters. This happens before characters are selected for the play deck. Certain cards may be revealed as thought they were starting characters. These cards are included in the pool of starting characters, but do not count against the 10 character maximum. Each player reveals his or her first choice for a starting character simultaneously with opponent. If a unique character is duplicated by opponent's selection, both characters are set aside (this character may not appear in either player's starting company).
Each player then selects a second character to reveal (but not a unique character revealed earlier). Each unduplicated revealed character goes into its player's starting company. Each player continues this process until one of the following occurs: the player has 5 characters in his or her company (6 for a minion player), the total Mind of that player's starting characters is 20, the player has exhausted his or her pool of 10 potential starting characters, or the player decides to stop revealing characters (i.e., he or she is satisfied with the starting company). Note that when one player stops, the other player continues revealing characters until one of the four conditions is met. A player may not reveal a character that would bring the total Mind of all of his or her starting characters above 20.
In his or her play deck, each player may now assign up to 10 characters, and this may include any unrevealed or duplicated (set aside) characters from his or her pool of starting characters. Note that the Character Draft differs from the rulesbook in that a duplicated starting character does not automatically go into the play deck, and that its inclusion in the play deck does count against the deck's 10 character maximum.
Allowing players to introduce characters in this fashion minimizes matches where each player starts with very few characters because of multiple duplications.
6) End-of-Game Ties-The End-of-Game is a general term that encompasses a game's final "process:" Free Council, Audience with Sauron, Day of Reckoning, etc. The Weakest Link Method, as printed on page 57 of the Middle-earth: The Wizards Companion (and detailed below), is used to break ties at the End-of- Game.
If both players have an equal number of marshalling points when the End-of-Game resolves (i.e., there is a tie), add one corruption point to each non-Wizard, non-Ringwraith character in play. Each character (including any Wizard) must make another corruption check. Marshalling points are recounted and victory is awarded to the player with the most marshalling points. If there is still a tie, add one more corruption point to each non-Wizard, non-Ringwraith character and each makes another corruption check. Again, assess marshalling points to see if a winner emerges. If not, continue adding one corruption point, making corruption checks, and reassessing marshalling points until a winner emerges.
If, in the unlikely event, all non-Wizard/Ringwraith characters in play are corrupted away by this method, and there is still a tie, each player receives 3 tournament points (see description of the Swiss System tournament format below).
Note that the Weakest Link Method simulates who will most likely fail in the final struggle against the enemy. The characters are not actually being corrupted during the End-of-Game. Instead, the End-of-Game Council is "peering into the heart and soul" of each character and assessing him or her.
7) End-of-Game Order-To determine which player's characters make their corruption checks first when going into the End-of-Game (and possibly carried into The Weakest Link Method), each player makes a dice roll. Rerolling ties, the player who rolls highest chooses which player's characters go first. This rule only has a significant application in limited cases, such as when a Traitor card is in play.
8) Creature Minimum-A 12 creature minimum is required in each play deck's hazard mix. Creatures that are also events count as only half a creature towards this limit (rounding down). Such creatures include the Nazgul, Mouth of Sauron, and Shelob. Dragon Ahunt and At Home manifestations count as half a creature for these purposes. Agents (introduced in Middle-earth: Dark Minions(tm)) also count as half a creature for these purposes, when constructing a hero or Balrog deck. Agents count as characters in minion and Fallen-wizard decks for these purposes. Sideboards have no such creature restrictions.
9) Card Minimums-The minimum number of hazards and resources in a play deck is increased from 25 and 25 to 30 and 30.
10) Wizard/Ringwraith Allowance-Up to 3 of the same Wizard/Ringwraith or up to 2 of the same Wizard/Ringwraith and 1 of a different Wizard/Ringwraith may be included in a play deck. Up to 3 of the same Wizard/Ringwraith, and one of each of the other Wizards/Ringwraiths, may be included in a play deck and sideboard combined. Wizards/Ringwraiths are an exception as such to the rule of unique cards.
11) Dual-Purpose Cards-A card that can be played as either a resource or as a hazard can be counted in either the resource mix or hazard mix of a deck for the purposes of including an equal number of resources and hazards.
12) End-of-Game MP Modifications-Players and the coordinator should make certain that, for standard rules games, all of the marshalling point modifications printed on page 39 of the Middle-earth: The Lidless Eye Companion are properly accounted for. The MELE Companion contains the most current version of the End-of-Game rules for all players. Interpret Audience with Sauron as End-of-Game for the general case. These modifications are to be interpreted in the order they are printed. Subtractions for eliminated characters are applied before these modifications, although subtractions for eliminated Wizards or Ringwraiths are applied after these modifications.
13) Deck Construction-The cards used in deck building may be from any edition or expansion of MECCG (including non-English translations and official promotional cards). Cards existing only in non-English versions may not be used. The mechanics of any given card will be determined from the most recent English printing (as well as from official errata and the official rulings). No proxy cards will be allowed, except for those provided by the tournament director (see 16 below). Cards from any particular expansion may only be used in Council events after a minimum time of 30 days following their official retail release.
14) Deck Integrity-Each player is required to use the same play deck, sideboard, pool of starting characters, and starting minor items for the entire tournament. The elements are collectively called the player's deck. No card substitutions are allowed between games. A player must start each game with the same cards in his or her play deck, sideboard, and pool of starting characters as he or she started the tournament. The tournament coordinator may choose to require each player to submit a written copy of all cards of all elements of his or her deck (spot checks may be used to ensure decks are legal).
15) Marked Cards-A player may petition the tournament coordinator to disallow a non-location card from an opponent's cards if the offending card has a distinguishing mark, tear, or fold visible on its generic side. Disallowed cards may be replaced by proxies provided by the tournament coordinator, if deemed necessary.
16) Protective Sleeves-A player may play with his or her cards in protective sleeves unless the tournament coordinator requires the cards to be taken out of the sleeves. An opponent may petition the tournament coordinator to require that a player remove his or her cards from their protective sleeves, if the opponent reasonably believes that one of the following rules is being
violated.
* Each of a player's cards must be in the same make of protective sleeve.
* Each card must be oriented the same way with respect to the opening of the sleeve.
* No distinguishing marks or inconsistent degree of wear is allowed on individual sleeves.
* Only one card is allowed in each sleeve.
17) Shuffling-All deck shuffling must be made above the edge of the table (in clear view of your opponent). After you shuffle your cards at least three times, your opponent will be allowed to shuffle your cards and/or cut your deck up to three times. An opponent must shuffle a player's cards in a manner that will not damage the cards' physical integrity. It is highly recommended that an opponent shuffle a player's cards by dealing them out in some number of face-down stacks, or with a gentle riffle-shuffle.
18) Conventions of Play-Each player and opponent should make sure that any conventions used for card play (including denoting play decks and discard piles) are obvious and agreed upon by both players.
19) Players that Stall-If an opponent is believed to be stalling for purposeful gain, or if an opponent is believed to be stalling through a lack of respect for or sensitivity to the time limit, the player can petition the tournament coordinator to observe the game. If the coordinator observes that the opponent is stalling more than what is reasonable and necessary, the coordinator can call the game in favor of the non-stalling player.
In a Swiss System format (see below), the player receives the maximum tournament points for the capability of his or her deck. The tournament coordinator would have to make a judgment as to what the deck's capability is. There are exactly two choices: the deck is either capable of winning with The One Ring ; or the deck is only capable of the maximum marshalling points win. For a deck to win with The One Ring, the tournament coordinator must determine that the deck contains the cards necessary to make winning with The One Ring the deck's primary goal.
20) Players Dropping Out-A player should be discouraged from dropping out of a game before the game has reached its natural conclusion. A player is expected to drop out of the tournament between rounds if he or she believes he or she will be unable to complete the following round's game. Certain emergencies cannot be avoided though, and a player may be forced to drop out of a game.
If a player drops out of a game, he or she drops out of the tournament, cannot reenter the tournament in a later round, and receives no consideration for prizes or tournament ranking. If a player drops out of the game, the player concedes the game and the opponent receives the win. In a Swiss System format (see below), the opponent receives the maximum tournament points for the capability of his or her deck (as outlined in 19 above).
21) Rules Violations during Play-Rules violations will probably occur in tournaments. It is suggested that these violations not be policed or worried about until a player involved notes it. At that point in the game, the correct rule is adopted. A previous violation is not affected or retroactively corrected after both players implicitly agree to the violation. For example, if a player chooses Sting (a unique minor item) for his starting company, and his opponent notices after the first turn of the game that unique minor items may not be chosen for starting companies, do not replace Sting at this point. If the opponent noticed the violation before either player had taken a first turn, the offending player must replace Sting with a non-unique minor item. The tournament coordinator may choose to immediately correct any rules violations brought to his or her attention.
22) Cheating-If a player cheats, he or she is immediately ejected from the event. This should be reported to the Council of Lorien, so that further action can be taken if necessary. In a Swiss System format (see below), an opponent receives the maximum tournament points for the capability of his or her deck (as outline in 19 above).
23) Legal Play of Cards-A player may not play a card just to discard it (i.e., just get it out of his or her hand). Specifically, a card may only be declared if it meets at least one of the following criteria.
1) The card must have an immediate effect on the game.
2) The card is a long-event. Long-events can always be played, even if ultimately they will not affect play.
3) The card has a potential effect on play that could be triggered later (e.g., the second use of Dragon's Desolation). Most permanent-events fall into this category. Only those that are playable on or with a certain entity are restrictive. For example, you cannot play a corruption card if no character exists that would be affected by it. In all cases, if a card "cannot be duplicated," a second copy of that card cannot be declared-unless the first copy of the card is targeted for removal earlier in the same chain of effects when the second copy is played. This is a
clarification of Annotation 11 given on page 50 of the Middle-earth: The Wizards Companion.
24) When Cards Are Played-A player may not declare any resources during the opponent's turn. Additionally, a player may not actively engage any resource or character effect during the opponent's turn (e.g., a player may not tap a Palantír during the opponent's turn). A player may not declare any hazards and may not actively engage any hazard permanent-events, etc. outside of the opponent's movement/hazard phase.
25) Illegal Targets-A player may not target an opponent's characters, companies, items, followers, etc. with his or her own resources. Of course, resource long-events and other cards which do not target and have global effects will affect opponent's cards.
26) Card Text vs. Rules-A card's text takes precedence if it contradicts a rule of the game (or these rules).
27) Revealing Manipulated Cards-Certain cards, effects, and/or rules allow a player to search for cards and add them to his or her hand, play deck, or discard pile outside of the normal sequence of play (i.e., in addition to filling out the hand and drawing cards when a company moves). A player may or may not be required to reveal some or all of the identity of such manipulated cards. If the card manipulated must be a specific type of hazard or resource, then it must be revealed to the opponent. If the card must be either a hazard, resource, or character, then enough of the manipulated card's face must be revealed to show opponent that it is the correct type. If there are no restrictions on which cards may be manipulated, the manipulated card does not have to be revealed.
28) Official Rulings Source-All rulings from the Collected Rulings File (compiled by Craig "Ichabod" O'Brien) given on ICE's WEB page at "http://www.ironcrown.com" are official rulings for use with Council events.
In addition to these guidelines, a few rules which do not appear in older versions of the rulesbook take effect for tournament play.
29) Removing Corruption Cards-A character may choose to ignore the restriction that he or she tap to remove a corruption card (as printed on a corruption card), and suffer a -3 penalty to the dice roll to remove it. This means a character can remain untapped to remove a corruption card and modify his roll by -3. The character can remove a corruption card when already tapped (or wounded) and modify his roll by -3. A character may only attempt to remove each corruption card once per organization phase if he or she ignores the tapping restriction to do so.
30) Larger Sideboard-The sideboard (which is not used with starter rules) has been increased according to the Middle-earth: The White Hand(tm) rules insert. The maximum number of cards a deck may have in its sideboard in a 1-deck or 2-deck game is 30, 3-deck game is 35, and 4-deck game is 40.
31) Accessing Hazards in Sideboard-A player can access hazard cards in his or her sideboard when the opponent's Wizard or Ringwraith is in play-or if the opponent is Sauron. A player must do this at the end of the opponent's untap phase. Specifically, the player may either bring up to 5 hazard cards from the sideboard into the discard pile, or 1 hazard card from the sideboard into the play deck and shuffle (if at least 5 cards are in the play deck). In either case, the hazard limit against all of the opponent's companies this turn is halved, rounded up.
32) Movement to Gorgoroth-Wizard players may only move to or from sites in Gorgoroth by using specific region movement from a site Imlad Morgul, specific region movement that passes through Nurn or Udun, Under-deeps movement or using special movement resources like Gwahir or Mountains of Shadow.
33) Victory Conditions-The elimination of a player's Wizard or Ringwraith no longer ends the game. The eliminated Wizard/Ringwraith should be placed in the player's out-of-play pile. It provides -5 marshalling points, subtracted off the player's final marshalling point total at the End-of-Game. The -5 also comes off the player's "raw" total for the purposes of calling the End-of-Game. A player whose Wizard or Ringwraith has been eliminated may not reveal another Wizard or Ringwraith. This includes all Wizards who fail corruption checks.
34) General Influence Bonus-Ringwraith/Sauron players have +5 unused general influence at all times. This bonus general influence can never be used to control characters.
36) Starting Companies-Ringwraith/Sauron players may have starting companies at Dol Guldur and/or Minas Morgul. A ringwraith may also be brought into play at Dol Guldur, Minas Morgul, or his home site.
