Wizards of the Coast
Trading card games like Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon Trading Card Game, and Yu-Gi-Oh! run crowded tournaments and while the games can be fun and exciting, it's not rare to meet players with hygiene problems that could ruin others' experiences. Now, a new rule has been added to the official Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament guidelines that warn players if they smell bad, and they can be penalized for it. The penalization wasn't specified but the tournament organizers will probably ask you to leave if you smell stinky.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament guidelines added a new subsection in the for hygiene and it's dedicated to reminding players that they must have good hygiene before going to the tournament.
"This is a new section, requiring all persons attending a tournament to be clean and wear clean clothing," the new rule states. "If you or your clothing is excessively dirty or bad-smelling, you can be penalized."
The new policy states that poor hygiene contributes to an "unpleasant atmosphere", and players who show up to the tournament not following the rules may be asked to fix the problem if they want to continue being part of the tournament, so that means they would need to take a quick bath.
Apparently, while people are not surprised about the new rule, many are apparently appalled that they had to make a rule for something that everyone should already know.
As a Magic: The Gathering player who used to grind Grand Prix events, I've met players who smelled bad so I get how bad hygiene can ruin a player's experience. Even The Professor of Tolarian Community College included it on his list of 7 Highly Annoying Habits of MTG players. I haven't been to a Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament before but it's probably as bad or worse compared to Magic events, so I wouldn't be surprised if they added a new official rule that penalizes bad hygiene for MTG as well. It's just right that they added that policy for Yu-Gi-Oh! If certain clubs and gyms have dress codes and rules that members should follow, why shouldn't they add a rule to help minimize conditions that could ruin anyone's competitive experience?
What do you think about the new rule for Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments? Do you think they should add that kind of rule for other trading card games like Magic or Pokemon? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Watch:MTG Pro Gerry Thompson's Mythic Invitational Loss Gets A Yu-Gi-Oh! Parody
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