At Pro Tour Shadows over Innistrad, after evaluating concerns regarding fairness and integrity during Professional REL Booster Drafts using double-faced cards (DFCs), Wizards of the Coast determined it best for equal fairness at the event that all cards used for the Booster Draft portion of the tournament be sleeved.
After careful consideration, we have determined that this procedure is the best option going forward for all Professional REL events (Grand Prix main events, Pro Tours, and the World Championship) that will use Booster Drafts of sets with double-faced cards.
Going forward, for all Professional REL Booster Drafts:
All stamped cards used during Booster Drafts will be sleeved by Wizards of the Coast. Players are not permitted to remove a card from a sleeve prior to or during a draft. Other than this, the draft is to proceed as a draft that does not have double-faced cards.
Which events does this change currently affect?
The new procedure for Professional REL Booster Drafts using double-faced cards will affect the following events:
- Grand Prix Sao Paulo
- Grand Prix Sydney
- Grand Prix Stockholm
- Grand Prix Montreal
- Pro Tour Eldritch Moon
- 2016 World Championship
- Grand Prix Kyoto
- Grand Prix Louisville
As a reminder: Only Day Two of a Grand Prix main event is Professional REL, where this procedure will be in place. Procedure for handling double-faced cards in side events will remain unchanged.
What about Non-Professional REL events?
All Non-Professional REL events—such as Friday Night Magic events, Preliminary Pro Tour Qualifiers, Grand Prix Trials, and Regional Pro Tour Qualifiers—will continue to use current procedure of double-faced cards.
For more information on how to handle double-faced cards for all non-Professional REL events, please refer to this FAQ.