IMPORTANT LINKS:
If you would like to see the exact changes to any version of the rulebook, please check the GitBook commit history .
October 16th, 2026
DTR Alter Release
Added to product legality
Added note about extra turns in Overtime
September 23rd, 2026
Properly updated Pantheon/Team Standard legality list for PRD Season
Updated commentary on stream judging guidelines and recommendations
Expanded upon specific advisements and recommendations for procedures to carry out video reviews, when necessary, for stream judging.
Updated commentary on Judge Calls and the Appeal process.
August 21st, 2026
Updated TRG to support .asphodel/paradise
Ban list updated
August 13th, 2026
Updated Limited Format rules to support 4-pack drafts.
Updated rules to accommodate procedural time extensions (deck checks).
May 12, 2026
"New" changelog date formatting to be consistent with rulebook changelog
Fixed missing product entries for format legality
Addendum for team events where the higher seed team "drafts" the player turn order.
Small note to affirm the first turn player selection in the cases when a game loss was issued before the match began.
3/31/26
Added policy guidelines on standards for attendees of Grand Archive events. These guidelines apply to staff, players, and other attendees equally. Please review and ensure that you are complying with these guidelines before arriving at an event.
3/28/26
Updated product legality and added Pantheon-specific banlist section in anticipation of Radiant Origins release. Reminder that Radiant Origins will be officially legal only on launch. Any cards obtained prior to launch may not be used in tournaments before the launch date.
Expanded for Pantheon-specific rules. Correctly modified Start of Game Procedures to reflect entry of Lv 0 Champions.
Added placeholder section for Pantheon ban list (there are no cards there right now). But please check your format-specific ban list before entering the fray!
3/18/26
Added policy guidelines regarding use of personal audio equipment (such as earbuds and headphones) in the scope of Outside Assistance under
Expanded rules for allowed (IDs) for stuck/stalemate/looping/locked games. This policy sits in line with our philosophy on allowable IDs and to not allow draws to be abused to circumvent fair play.
1/22/26
Addendum to Sleeves and Plastic Protectors section for the context of events of higher tiers than Store Championships. Players will be required to use sleeves for their decks in these tournaments. Simultaneously, we are disallowing clear/transparent sleeves for these tournaments. This will be effective for enforcement on 1/26/26. Rationale for further context below:
Unsleeved cards are too easily marked/damaged/frayed from regular and extensive play during a tournament, thereby making them marked and prone to frequent inspection/replacement. Clear sleeves double the efforts for deck checks since it adds the step of inspecting card backs for markings. For the sake of tournament promptness and fairness, we are making the above requirements for premier play. Store Championships and Local events are not bound to this requirement to maintain the barrier of entry for new players and community participation.
12/4/25
Updated legal products list, changed naming conventions of product on the list to shorten (does not change product legality; all legality rules are available on the Index, link at the top).
Phantom Monarchs and related products will become legal on December 5th (tomorrow) for tournament play for the official release.
Additional commentary for
Addendum 12/5/25 - Added brief section on
9/26/25
Correctly updated ban list to include Rile the Abyss, as discussed in prior B&R article.
9/11/25
Expanded upon Player Communication chapter, adding in section and , as well as Media Coverage with .
Prize Split discussions are now explicitly not to be public. This is mostly to avoid situations where players may inadvertently use language that may suggest bribery or collusion without the intent of doing so (where it otherwise would be permissible). Matches are always expected to result only from victory, concession (achieved in-game), or an intentional draw. The result can't be decided any other way.
Judge Calls has been expanded to give a more detailed view of how players are expected to handle judge calls and pitfalls to avoid during judge calls. It is our hope that these guidelines can curb either unwarranted or unintentional misuse of the judging system.
8/18/25
Reorganized and expanded section on Additional support and guidance has been explored in the context of revealed information.
7/17/25
Added a section regarding
6/17/25
Added special case clarification for ID rules.
Various fixes
5/30/25
Added Mercurial Heart Alter Edition to tournament format legal product lists
Added clarity for resolution of attack cards and the intended result for overtime
Minor consistency fixes
5/22/25
Added a small section regarding practices for ending matches during overtime if players are still performing player actions.
3/14/25
Further revision to regarding first vs second declarations after sideboarding for clarity
3/7/2025
Abyssal Heaven Release Update!
has a section regarding tournament guidelines
Legal product lists have been updated
Added section detailing philosophy and (IDs)
1/23/2025
Minor revisions to draft format regarding deck constraints. Construction rules follow standard deck construction rules regarding allowable numbers of copies of a card in addition to requiring only up to a single copy of a card in the material deck. The original rules were put in place early during DOA as a draft format with variations on the rules taking place for subsequent drafts. The intention is to standardize all base draft rules to the now-changed version and allow for any format-specific rules to be enumerated within the format.
Updated section on drafting procedure for limited tournaments, detailing inclusion of sealed draft packs. Also modified language regarding suggested time constraints.
Updated card legality section.
12/4/2024
Slight fixes
10/9/2024
Updated format legality to include Mortal Ambition products
Added section for additional guidance on Deck Checks
9/23/2024
Added section for current ban list(s)
Various typo and redundancy fixes
8/22/2024
Various fixes and clarifications, mainly typos.
7/22/2024
Added rulings on handling face-down cards in .
4/28/2024
Tournament Rules & Guidelines Document has been migrated to GitBook
Rules enforcement tiers have been temporarily removed.
End of Match Procedures were slightly reworded to better mesh with sideboarding rules.
Added 3v3 format to rulebook
5/17/2024 (MRC Launch)
Updated format product legalities
Updated .
IMPORTANT: Head Judge rulings will no longer be able to be appealed to a congress with this update. As the judge program is growing and seasoned judges are populating the GA scenes, we believe it is time to establish and reinforce a stronger hierarchy for arbitration at evens. Typically, an appeal of a ruling resulted in the Head Judge discussing a call with the attending judges anyway where a further request for congress would not change the result. Additionally, Head Judges should both be confident and take responsibility for their say in the position. Functionally, a Head Judge that attends a ruling and is the de facto attending judge can deliver a final ruling which would not be appeal-able. This change is to cement further accountability among our more senior judges and those that step up to the plate to Head Judge events.
Updated guidelines for top cut round formatting
Updated general formatting of sanctioned events section.
Various fixes for organization and readability
Slightly more depth given to expectations regarding Stream Judging. For judge-specific information, more detail is always available in the official .
Slight addition to deck check guidelines as a suggested action.
Other minor, indescript fixes
Correctly updated policy on Proxia's Vault (no time limitation clause for proxy eligibility duration)
Added slight wording for Start of Game procedures to account for "False starts" when players begin before a round timer has begun.
Added brief section covering Media regulations. This covers basic rules for media coverage at higher-tier competitive events (e.g. Ascent, National). Each event will detail media policies in greater detail and, as such, this section will not be exhaustive in content and policy guidelines.