Tournament Play A . Deck Registration . Tier 1 events do not require a Deck List to be submitted . Tournament Organizers may require Deck Lists to be submitted for Tier 1 events , but only if it is announced before the start of the event . Tier 2 events require Deck Lists . Deck Lists must be legibly written or printed from a computer . When writing the cards on the Deck List , shorthand is acceptable , but only if all cards are abbreviated in the same method . Abbreviations that could be interpreted as more than one card cannot be used , and will result in the player receiving penalties such as a Game Loss . It is ultimately the responsibility of the Duelist to accurately and completely communicate the contents of their Deck . Once a Deck List has been submitted , it may not be altered or changed . B . Determining Who Goes First . At the beginning of the Match , Duelists should use a random method to decide who chooses to go first . Duelists may roll a die , play Rock - Paper - Scissors , etc . However , the method must be agreed upon and clearly understood by all Duelists beforehand . When a deciding Duelist has been selected , they will choose who goes first in Duel 1 of the match . This decision must be made before Duel play has begun , and before either Duelist has drawn any cards . If the deciding Duelist draws cards before stating who will go first , they must automatically go first . Drawing cards before deciding who will go first may result in a Warning penalty . During the second or third Duel in a Match , the losing Duelist will determine who may go first . In the case a Duel ending in a Draw , another random method should be employed to choose the deciding Duelist . If the outcome of a Duel was determined by a Game Loss penalty , the Duelist assigned the penalty ( the losing Duelist ) may still determine who will go first for the next Duel . C . Note Taking . Note taking is not allowed in Sanctioned Yu - Gi - Oh ! TCG tournaments , with the following exceptions : These notes should be taken quickly , so as not to disrupt the flow of the Duel . Notes are considered to be public knowledge and must be provided to opponent or tournament official upon request . Duelists may not use outside notes during a Match , which includes in between Games of a Match . Duelists may consult a copy of their Deck List between Matches ( not in between Games of a Match ) , to ensure they have restored their Main Deck , Side Deck , and Extra Deck to the proper condition . D . Public Knowledge . The following items are considered to be public knowledge , unless a card effect says otherwise . Duelists must answer questions involving the following topics truthfully . Failure to do so may result in a Disqualification penalty . E . Card / Hand Verification . While resolving an effect that asks for a card in the hand to be verified - if all legal copies of that specific card can be accounted for in all Public Knowledge areas , the hand does not need to be revealed ; unless an effect specifically allows the Duelist to do so . In the case where an effect requires the hand to be revealed , the opponent may read every card in the hand . This verification must be done in a timely manner so as to not hold up the current Duel . Cards that are searched for via an effect that requires specific verification , such as card type or statistic , must be shown to the opponent in their entirety . The opponent may read the retrieved card . This verification must be done in a timely manner as to not hold up the current Duel . F . Appeals . If a Duelist disagrees with a judge ’ s ruling , whether it is a Rulings or Policy issue , they have the right to appeal that ruling to the Head Judge of the tournament . The Head Judge ’ s ruling is final and cannot be appealed . A Duelist may not appeal a floor judge ’ s ruling until the floor judge has completed issuing the ruling . Failure to do so may result in Unsporting Conduct penalties . G . End of Match Procedures – Swiss Rounds – Tier 2 Events . Sometimes a Match will not be finished when the time ends for a round . If this happens , the Duelist should note whose turn it is when time is called , and raise their hands for a judge . The judge should be notified that the Match is ongoing and whose turn it is . The judge may or may not stay to supervise the End of Match procedure , but should ensure that both Duelists understand the following procedure . Please follow these instructions when proceeding to End of Match procedures during the Swiss portion of the tournament : Match Draws may only occur during the Swiss portion of a tournament and only during End of Match procedures . Duelists may not intentionally end a Match in a Draw . Intentionally ending a Match in a Draw , or stalling to have a Match end in a Draw , is against tournament policy and could result in a Disqualification . H . End of Match Procedure – Swiss Rounds – Tier 1 Events and Single - Elimination . During Single - Elimination rounds , if Duelists have not completed their matches during their allotted time limit , proceed to End of Match procedures . Please follow these instructions when proceeding to End of Match procedures during the Single - Elimination portion of the tournament : Draws cannot occur during Single - Elimination . There must always be a winner . " Click here to return to Yu - Gi - Oh ! TRADING CARD GAME Tournament Policy . "