Tournament Rules

We expect all attendees to behave properly at Azuki TCG events.

• Attendees should treat others and others’ property with respect.
• Attendees should wear appropriate attire, free of nudity or profanity.
• Attendees must maintain a socially acceptable level of personal hygiene.
• Players are expected to demonstrate good sportsmanship.

• A full decks consist of exactly 1 leader card, 1 gate card, and 50 main deck cards.
• Players are not allowed to switch decks during a single tournament.
• Players are not allowed to switch any cards within their deck during a single tournament.

• For in-person tournaments, players have 30 minutes to play Best of 1 matches, which are used in Swiss, with 5 minutes of overtime.
  • The timer starts when the judge announces the round has begun.
• For in-person tournaments, players have 70 minutes to play Best of 3 matches, which are only used in Top Cut, with 15 minutes of overtime.
• Players must play at a reasonable pace.
  • We understand some turns may take longer to think through, but in general, players are expected to take an action every 30 seconds. You may call a judge if you believe your opponent is intentionally slow-playing.
• Players who are 5 minutes late to their table automatically forfeit their match.

Players must continue playing at a reasonable pace. Warnings or disqualifications may be issued for intentional slow play.

Best of 1

• When time is called, players may each take up to two turns, including the turn in progress, or play for up to five additional minutes, whichever comes first.
• When overtime ends:
  1. The player with the higher Leader health wins.
  2. If health is equal, the player with more cards in their deck wins.
  3. If deck size is equal, the player with more entities in the Garden wins.
  4. If equal, the player with more entities in the Alley wins.
  5. If still equal, the player with more cards in hand wins.
  6. If all else is equal, the last player to take damage wins (e.g., if both Leaders are at 1 health, the player who reached 1 health second wins).

Best of 3

• When time is called:
  • If the score is 1:0, the player with 1 game win is considered the match winner.
  • If the score is 1:1, players have 15 minutes to play 5 turns.
    • If overtime ends, then the Best of 1 overtime rules apply to determine the game winner and thus the match winner.

• Only official Azuki cards may be used. Proxies, fakes, and custom cards are not allowed.
• All cards must be in opaque sleeves, meaning they cannot be seen through from the back.
  • Leader, Gate, and IKZ cards must be in different sleeves than the 50-card deck to clearly differentiate them from main deck cards.
• Sleeves with damage or markings that may make cards identifiable are not allowed.
• Sleeve fronts must be clear; card fronts cannot be obstructed.
• Players may use up to two sleeves per card, as long as the front remains unobstructed.
• Sleeves that contain nudity or profanity are not allowed.
• All cards in the main deck must be sleeved identically.
• Leader, Gate, and IKZ cards must be sleeved differently from the main deck, and all IKZ cards must be sleeved the same way.

Judges may ask players to re-sleeve cards if sleeves are deemed damaged.

Judges may disqualify players if they determine that cards or sleeves are marked and cheating is apparent.

• Players must place cards on the field in a way that clearly shows which area or pile they belong to.
• Players must clearly convey their actions and information.
• Players may ask opponents about public knowledge, such as cards in play, card abilities, or actions taken during the turn.
  • Cards in a player’s hand or deck are not considered public knowledge.
• Intentionally lying is not allowed. Judges may penalize players for doing so, such as lying about the number of cards in hand.
• If players are unsure about anything, such as how card abilities interact, they should call a judge.

• When playing a card, an action is complete when your hand leaves the card; at that point, you cannot take it back.
• When searching your deck, an action is complete when you place the remaining cards on the bottom of the deck. If you have not yet bottom-decked the other cards, you may still change which card you select.
• When using an ability, the action is complete once you have paid the cost and resolved the effect.

• Players must shuffle their decks before matches begin in a manner that randomizes their cards.
• Players may shuffle however they prefer, as long as their opponents can observe.
• Intentionally shuffling to “stack” the deck is not allowed.
• In official tournaments, after shuffling and before drawing, you must present your deck to your opponent. Your opponent may “cut” or reshuffle your deck, as long as the action is visible and does not stack the deck.
• Players must handle opponents’ cards carefully. Cutting or shuffling in a way that may damage cards is not allowed and may result in penalties.

Judges may disqualify or ban players if they determine that deck stacking or cheating has occurred.

• Players must agree on a fair method for determining who goes first.
• We recommend using a die roll (high roll, low roll, odds/evens, etc.), with the winner choosing who goes first or second.
• In a top-cut format (best-of-three), the higher-seeded player chooses who goes first in the first game. In subsequent games, the loser of the previous match chooses the turn order.

• Azuki TCG has no draws.
• When a player’s leader health reaches 0, that player loses the game.
• If a player is to draw but cannot, that player loses the game.
• If a player uses a card effect that simultaneously bring both players’ leader health to 0, the player activating the card effect loses the game.

• Players may concede at any time.
• Once you concede, you may not retract it or continue playing.

• Both players are responsible for reporting match results.
• If one player reports results incorrectly and the other player does not correct the error before the next match begins, the reported result will stand.
• If neither player reports results, a double loss will be recorded.

• Colluding in match results is strictly prohibited.
• Players found guilty of collusion will be disqualified and banned from Azuki TCG events.

• Players are encouraged to use playmats. Playmats containing nudity or profanity are not allowed.
• Players may use accessories such as counters or tokens to represent board state, but may not use any method to track historical information (e.g., the order of bottom-decked cards).
• Players may not use pen and paper to track information.
• Deck boxes are allowed on the table but may not contain additional cards or sleeves to prevent side decking or cheating.
• Players may use their phones to track health; otherwise, electronic devices are not allowed during matches.
• Food and drinks are not allowed on the table.

• Spectating is allowed, but spectators must remain courteous and avoid disturbing players.
• Spectators must not interact with competitors during matches.
• Spectators may alert judges to rule infractions or cheating but may not speak directly to competitors.

Tournament organizers and judges may ask spectators to move if needed to maintain a fair competitive environment.

• Tournament Organizers (TOs): Responsible for setting up and running the tournament.
• Judges:
  • Ensure rules are upheld and maintain game integrity.
  • May answer general questions but cannot give strategic advice or share non-public information.
  • Can answer specific interaction questions relevant to the current game state.
  • Should have comprehensive knowledge of rules and cards.
• Players
• Spectators
• Vendors

• Players are responsible for knowing which cards are legal and for using the latest versions.
  • Players may pause the game to look up card information or ask a judge for clarification.
• Banned cards are not permitted. Using a banned card results in an automatic game loss and disqualification.
• Pre-errata cards may be used, but their abilities will follow the latest (errata’d) version of the card.

Penalties may be given to players at the discretion of Azuki Labs Inc.

Depending on the severity of the situation, players may be given Warnings, Game Losses, Disqualification from Tournament, or Ban from Azuki TCG Organized Play.

Prizing may be voided at the discretion of Azuki Labs Inc.