Although this has been the way of the world for bridge, it's not a perfect solution, even there. If you limit yourself to one "problem round" per session, it's not that hard to run one "late play" that happens after the match is over and be "a bit late" on several others. Furthermore, bridge can get away with this, as most of the events don't have Swiss pairings. Each team and each hand moves in a defined pattern, which you can continue into the next round while the slower players finish the previous one. The policy, in effect does not punish slow play so much as play around it.
So does this really convert to Magic? Some games of Magic are over in a single turn, while others take 100 or more. Some games are extremely balanced where neither player can advance because they have enough resources to counter each others' plans. These games will last until someone manages to draw the one card that can't be stopped, and if it's four cards from the bottom of the deck, whose fault is this that the game lasts 40 minutes? Should a person resign just to leave enough time for another game (or two)? What if one person attacks "meaninglessly" into a Platinum Angel? Should he be punished for taking an action whose only result seems to be to tap a creature and "burn" up to 30 seconds off the match time? Should the opponent be punished for building a deck that can't win in under 15 minutes? These are the questions that come up in tournament events now, and they can all be directly attributed to the fact that both players are drawing time from the same match clock.
It is true that we've been playing without clocks for several years now, and that there haven't been major meltdowns. But anyone who has a deck that plays quickly and is running up against time pressure because of the opponent knows the situation is problematic. So, while the current system hasn't blown up yet, it isn't so error-free as to preclude looking at alternatives.
Who is going to pay for all these clocks?If the organizers want to, they can provide clocks. I am not expecting that to happen, though, as this doesn't even happen at chess events. However, a valid chess clock (see below what I mean by that) can be had new for under $50, which you can't say for a box of any Standard-legal set. The cost for a player isn't that much more than what is already being paid.
Of course, all this assumes that the chess clocks were mandated. I don't have to assume that. I would allow anyone with a valid clock to request that all their matches use a clock, and run the normal method for the other matches. After seeing both methods in action, I am convinced that clocks would become more popular.
So how do you handle all those passes?This is the most common objection I receive against clock use. It usually is phrased something like, "Take a situation where a person is sitting on less than one minute on their side. What stops the opponent from moving through every single change of priority, forcing that person to waste time reacting to each one?" or "In MTG Online, you can get the person who uses Seeker of Skybreak to untap itself. Since you would have to respond to each activation (even if the board position appears unchanged), a person who falls behind on time can be drained to nothing and lose."
The answer lies in three related ideas. First, we already have procedures in place for dealing with people who deliberately waste time. Judges are already capable of handling the extreme cases by means of penalties for slow play, stalling, and trying to take advantage of a time limit. When a chess clock is involved, slow play and stalling only penalize the person being slow, and thus special rules for it don't need to be created. And as the only time limit you can control is your own, the only way you can take advantage of a time limit is to play faster, which is exactly what we want to encourage.
Second, the shortcuts we already use are adequate for keeping most games at a reasonable pace. Without them, even a normal match could not be completed in the time allotted. It is already common for a person to draw a card, possibly play a land and end the turn. We understand what this means, and if the opponent wants to do something during such a turn, we know how to make this happen. Furthermore, if an opponent insisted on declaring everything just to run out the clock, the judges are already poised to deal with it. If I saw someone repeatedly tap a Seeker of Skybreak to untap itself, I am quite willing and able to call a judge to deal with it. The presence of the clock doesn't change that option. If a person who has been doing the "draw, go" turns above now suddenly wants to declare every single stop just because I have less than one minute and he has five, that's worthy of a judge call as well. Again, the procedures already in place handle these.
And third, we can take advantage of the newer chess clock technology. Many tournaments nowadays operate with "delay" clocks. These clocks, once the button is pressed to switch priority from one player to another, wait anywhere from 2-5 seconds (the exact time depends on the type of event - blitz games have a limit closer to 2 seconds, whereas games with very long time controls usually have a 5 second delay) before the time starts coming off the player's allotment. So if the response is made (and the clock is pressed) before the delay period expires, no time is lost. If a person wants to do the Seeker of Skybreak trick, he needs to announce the ability, including the fact that it's targeting itself, tap the creature to pay for the ability, and then hit the clock. All I have to do is hit the clock to send it back. Then, he has to untap the creature and repeat the process. Again, all I have to do is hit the clock. I know I can pass within two seconds, so a delay timer of at least that size means that I won't lose any time. I can't guarantee that the opponent won't lose time, and even if he doesn't, we're still going nowhere. Furthermore, I can adopt the Magic Online approach, where an option exists to never respond to that ability. As I said above, this is already covered under current procedures, but even so, the delay timer means that I don't have to worry about it.
In fact, if I am in a game with a delay clock and I get into a time crunch, it's probably to my advantage to find as many stops as I can and use them. Each one gives me a few more seconds of time that is not coming off my clock, so I may, by doing the thing that supposedly harms me, find the time to think of something I wouldn't have otherwise. This to me is the ultimate proof of the emptiness of the original argument.
Other derived benefits of using clocksIf clocks are used, we no longer have to worry about how much time we give for delays in handling deck checks and judge calls, as we can simply pause the clock and resume when the situation is resolved. Also, there would be a simple procedure for determining the penalty for not arriving to a match on time. The person who is there simply starts the game clock for each game. If the opponent arrives during that time, that game continues with that much time lost for the person who arrived late. If a game clock expires, that is a game loss for the person who has not yet arrived. Enough game losses will translate into a match loss. If neither opponent is there, the judge can note the time and deduct it from each person until one shows up, and assign double game losses or match losses as necessary. The five-turn rule would become meaningless and vanish.
Rules for Using Clocks (version 2.0)
In the time since the last iteration, I have made a few changes to the rules I would suggest for using a clock. Here is my latest attempt:
Use of Chess Clocks at Magic
events
1. Section 1: Definitions
a.
A chess
clock is defined as a device that keeps a timer for two players, such that
no more than one player’s timer is working at any given time.
b.
A simple delay
function is a feature of a chess clock that, after a player has passed the
clock, delays deducting time from the opponent’s clock for a predetermined
period of time. If the person whose time would now run manages to complete his
or her action before the full time of the delay passes, no time is removed from
his or her clock.
c.
A Bronstein
delay function is a feature of a chess clock that, after a player has
passed the clock but before the opponent’s time begins, adds time onto the
active player’s clock equal to the lesser of:
i.
The amount of time since the clock was passed to
the player, or
ii.
The delay time defined before the game starts.
d.
Passing
the clock is defined as invoking the mechanism that causes the timer
controlling the current active player’s turn to stop, and engaging the simple
or Bronstein delay function.
e.
Stopping
the clock is defined as invoking the mechanism that causes both timers to
stop (along with any timer associated with a delay function) , usually as
either a prelude to calling for a judge or to signify a game is complete.
f.
Flag fall
occurs when one or both players exceed their allotted time for game completion.
2. Section 2: Conditions of Use
a.
A player who wants to use a chess clock for all
his or her matches must bring one with either a simple delay function or
Bronstein delay function.
b.
When registering for the event, the player must
inform the head judge about the clock and his or her desire to use it for the
event.
c.
The head judge may inspect any chess clock prior
to its use in the event. Improper or defective clocks may be removed from the
event at the head judge’s discretion. In addition, the head judge may remove
the clock if, in his or her determination, the player who brought it does not
have sufficient understanding of how to use it.
3. Section 3: Setting up for the match
a.
If neither player in a match has a clock, the
match proceeds normally. If at least one player has a clock, the following
procedures are used instead of the normal rules for timing Magic events.
b.
When only one player has a clock, that clock is
used. If two players with proper clocks play each other, determine who plays
first. The player who does not make the choice about who plays first instead
chooses which player’s clock will be used and where it will be placed in the
play area. The clock must be set in a place where both players have access to
it.
c.
Once this is done, the pre-game procedures below
are followed to start the first game.
4. Section 4: Pre-game procedures
a.
If the clock in question has both a simple delay
function and a Bronstein delay function, the simple delay function is used.
Otherwise, use whichever of the two functions the clock has.
b.
A clock with a simple delay function is set to
provide 8 minutes for each player and a 3 second delay between each player’s
actions.
c.
A clock with a Bronstein delay function but no
simple delay is set to 8 minutes and 3 seconds for each player, with a “refund
value” of 3 seconds after each move.
d.
Players shuffle their libraries, draw opening
hands, and resolve mulligans.
e.
Once the game is ready to begin, the non-active
player starts the opponent’s time.
f.
If a player believes his or her opponent is
taking too long to perform pre-game procedures, or if a person is tardy, he or
she may ask a judge for permission to start the opponent’s time early.
5. Section 5: Passing the clock
a.
The clock is passed when any of the following
occurs:
i.
The active player ends his or her turn.
ii.
The active player passes priority.
iii.
A spell or ability being resolved only has
actions controlled by the other player left to perform. (Example: A player casts Day of Judgment. When it resolves, the player who cast it has
already moved all his or her creature cards into the graveyard, but the
opponent has not. He or she passes the clock to allow the opponent to finish
the action of Day of Judgment.)
iv.
The non-active player whose time is running
passes priority
v.
The explanation of a proposed shortcut is
complete
vi.
The opponent of a player who has proposed a
shortcut either accepts it or announces when he or she will interrupt it and
what action will be taken at that point
vii.
The non-active player whose time is running finishes
resolving actions under his or her control.
viii.
The player whose time was started early by
permission of a judge arrives after being tardy and/or completes the actions
that prompted the judge to grant permission for the early start.
b.
The clock is not passed in the following
situations:
i.
The active player plays a land card.
ii.
The active player takes an action that doesn’t
go on the stack, such as turning a card with morph face up, or drawing his or
her card at the beginning of the draw step.
iii.
The player still has actions to perform as part
of resolving a spell or ability he or she controls, even if the opponent also
has actions to perform.
c.
If a situation that doesn’t appear in either of
these lists occurs, the head judge can be called to rule on whether the clock
should be passed.
d.
Etiquette for clock passing
i.
Players must pass the clock with the same hand
that they used to perform the action. If both hands are involved in the action,
either hand may be used.
ii.
Players may not have a hand hovering in order to
save time passing the clock.
iii.
Players may not use excessive force to pass the
clock.
6. Section 6: Stopping the clock
a.
The clock is stopped in the following
circumstances:
i.
A player has called for a judge.
ii.
The game is over.
b.
If a player intentionally stops the clock, but
does not call for a judge, this is interpreted as the equivalent of a
concession. The player should communicate the concession to his or her
opponents.
c.
If the game is over, but not the match, reset
the clocks and perform the pre-game procedures for the next game.
7. Section 7: Flag fall
a.
Even though a flag has fallen, the game proceeds
normally until flag fall has been announced by one of the players, or a judge
watching the game.
b.
Once flag fall has been noticed, no further
turns can take place. If flag fall is announced during combat, the combat
continues but the player whose flag has fallen can’t cast spells or activate
abilities.
c.
If the game has not already reached a conclusion
by that time, the player whose flag has fallen loses the game.
8. Section 8: IPG considerations
a.
When clocks are use, there is no advantage to
playing slowly, and thus the rules for Slow Play are not applicable.
b.
For purposes of Player Communication Violations,
information provided by the chess clock, such as how much time is remaining for
each player and whether or not a flag has fallen, are all considered derived
information.
c.
Only the players in the game and judges watching
the game may speak about what is on the clock. Comments about a fallen flag or
the time on the clock made where the players can hear can be considered Outside
Assistance.
d.
Judges may investigate the use of excessive
force to pass the clock under the guidelines of Unsporting Conduct.
SummaryI don't see any reason why chess clocks can't be used in Magic. However, there are many issues that are easily solved by them. Every time I sit across from someone with a deck who is spending a minute or more deciding whether to Mana Leak my White Knight, I wish I had a chess clock there. Every time I call a judge over during a time crunch I wish I could stop the clock and resume it instead of trying to negotiate how much extra time gets added to the match. It's an idea whose time has finally come.
