Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3 took place this weekend, and it sparked a lot of discussion. Bant Nadu’s complete dominance was very impressive, and may well signal the need for future bans. Meanwhile, the Player of the Year award went to Kai Budde Player of the Year AwardA tribute to one of the greatest players in MTG history.
But the incident that attracted the most attention over the weekend was Disqualification of professional athlete Bert Van EttenIn the featured match between Bart and Javier Dominguez, there was a huge mistake that went unnoticed in real time. I felt like I could easily make a mistake.Ultimately, following an investigation, Burt was disqualified.
In particular, Bart Past cheating scandalsSo having this happen on camera was not a good look for me. Let’s take a look back at how the investigation came about in the first place and how it ultimately led to the disqualification.
Goyf error occurs again
The incident that led to his disqualification happened in the third game of the 13th round. On the third turn, Javier Flaage, the fiery giant He plays it from his hand. When it enters the battlefield, he targets Bart’s Nethergoyf, deals 3 damage to it, and gains 3 life. At this point, Bart has two card types in his graveyard, so Nethergoyf is a 2/3.
With Flage’s triggered ability on the stack, Bart He wasn’t dead after all He then had Flage’s ability resolve, returning Nethergoyf to the battlefield tapped and placing an Evil Role token on Nethergoyf, obviously this was used to indicate that Nethergoyf had died and was being returned to the battlefield by Not Dead After All.
The problem here is that once Not Dead After All resolves and goes to Bart’s graveyard, Bart now has three different cards in his graveyard, so Nethergoyf is now a 3/4 and will naturally survive the Phlage trigger. This means that Nethergoyf should never have the Wicked Role token attached to it in the first place. This can be a big problem in games, especially considering that a lot of Javier’s removal is damage-based.
After all, it’s not at all uncommon for such an error to occur, and it’s not uncommon for one of the players to notice it during a match. Tarmogoyf Math has caused a lot of judge calls over the years, mostly when Tarmogoyf is targeted by a damage-dealing instant. Lightning BoltWith this in mind, it becomes clear why there were no disqualifications earlier on.
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Decision
![Flaage, the fiery giant](https://mtgrocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/phlage-1-1024x576.jpg)
![Flaage, the fiery giant](https://mtgrocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/phlage-1-1024x576.jpg)
![Flaage, the fiery giant](https://mtgrocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/phlage-1-1024x576.jpg)
![Flaage, the fiery giant](https://mtgrocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/phlage-1-1024x576.jpg)
Although the incident occurred in the 13th round, the actual disqualification call was not made until midway through the 14th round. The issue was not brought to the attention of the referee until the 14th round, well after the fight had ended, but it prompted an investigation by the referee.
Typically, investigations are used to determine a player’s intent. In reality, Game Rules Violations (GRV) occur frequently in major tournaments. Something as simple as accidentally drawing a second card on a turn because two cards are stuck together can result in a GRV. In most cases, a simple warning is issued. The judge then records the player’s GRV, since repeated violations can result in larger penalties. However, things get dangerous if the judge determines that a player intentionally committed a GRV to gain an advantage.
This is exactly what happened in Bart’s case. We obviously don’t know what happened during the behind-the-scenes investigation, but it’s likely the judges asked both Bart and Javier for their side of the story. This information, combined with footage of the fight itself, is often enough to come to a conclusion.
Some players are Bart’s On your next turn, attack with Nethergoyf for 4 instant damage. The turn influenced the final decision. The logic is that by declaring a four-point attack, Bart would have clearly recognized the three cards in his graveyard and the evil role token that should never have been attached in the first place. There is no doubt more to this story, but the specific details have not been released. What is known is that Bart was disqualified for having the intent to commit a GRV, and the results of the 13th round match were subsequently overturned.
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Player Reactions
![Bloodstained Swamp](https://mtgrocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Bloodstained-Mire-1024x576.jpg)
![Bloodstained Swamp](https://mtgrocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Bloodstained-Mire-1024x576.jpg)
![Bloodstained Swamp](https://mtgrocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Bloodstained-Mire-1024x576.jpg)
![Bloodstained Swamp](https://mtgrocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Bloodstained-Mire-1024x576.jpg)
When footage of the unique error was first releasedMany players were quick to react to what they saw. Looking at just the first clip, many players thought this was just Honest mistakeBut one of the reasons this video has become so popular on Twitter is because Burt has been embroiled in cheating issues on camera before.
A few years ago, Bart I got caught cheating on camera on TwitchAfter it breaks Mishra’s Gem Then, noticing that he had a mediocre card on top of his deck, he cracked a Bloodstained Swamp during his opponent’s upkeep in response to a Junk trigger. After that, he shuffled half his deck in a very unnatural way, seemingly jumbling up the order of the cards himself. After that, he didn’t give his opponent a chance to cut their deck, and end That helped him win the match.
This incident, along with others, led many players to become skeptical of Bart’s intentions. I believe that if there is any doubt about him, he should not be tolerated.It is highly likely that Burt’s past problems influenced the thorough investigation that was conducted and the report that was published. It hasn’t been held since Yuya Watanabe was disqualified a while ago..
Unfortunately cheating is something that players and judges need to constantly be on the lookout for, so it’s good to see a written report being published to let people know what’s going on. This disqualification shows that action can indeed be taken. Long after the problem first occurredPlayers are never sure if Bert really cheated, but whatever investigation was conducted ultimately led to Bert’s disqualification. Beware of your opponents’ bad intentions, and don’t hesitate to call in the judges if you have any suspicions.
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