Tournament Info
Where and how do I sign up?
You can find our upcoming (and past) events on our Events page along with signup links!
When is the deadline to sign up?
10AM EST before the start of the player meeting.
Bear in mind the event will almost certainly fill by the night before, so you should sign up well ahead of time.
Once the event fills, spots can still open up when players need to drop. Keep an eye on the signup page to see if a spot opens up! We do not actively manage a waitlist.
The deadline for playspace and alter approval submissions is midnight EST the night before! If you think you will try to snag a spot last second, you will need to have your playspace and alters pre-submitted before that deadline!
What is the upcoming tournament schedule
The tournament schedule is listed on our Events page.
What is the prize support?
- 1st: $500
- 2nd-4th: $200
- 5th-16th: $60
You will also earn Mox Masters Invitational points, scaling with standing, which will be tracked on a leaderboard throughout the year and allow you to qualify for an end of year online invitational season finale:
- 1st: 40 points
- 2nd-4th: 30 points
- 5th-16th: 20 points
- 17th-32nd: 10 points
- 33rd-64th: 5 points
How much is the entry fee?
$35
What is the tournament structure?
- Five 80 minute swiss rounds
- Cut to top 16 single elimination
- 5 points for a win
- 1 point for a draw
- Byes happen in case of an uneven number of players in a round
Tournament Preparation
How do I get my playspace approved?
Take a screenshot of your playspace as it appears over Spelltable, with zones laid out and cards in play, and submit it in a ticket on our Discord in the #ticket-system channel. A TO will let you know when it is approved or offer you feedback.
If you have been approved in the past, you do not have to resubmit. If we change the playspace requirements, all playspaces will need to be resubmitted but this will be clearly announced.
Last reset: January 2024. If you have not been approved since the start of 2024, you need to submit for approval!
The deadline for submitting playspaces is midnight EST the night before the event you want to play in!
What are the playspace expectations?
- Your webcam and lighting should be of sufficient quality to ensure your cards are recognizable and Spelltable generally picks up your cards when clicked on.
- Your webcam should be positioned far enough above your playspace that you have room for all zones and cards to be in view at all times without any cards or zones touching the edge of view. To give yourself room for error, we recommend aiming to keep your cards 2 inches from the edge of view.
At least a little of your lap must be visible on camera. You can accomplish this by placing your playmat at the edge of your desk and tilting your camera gently to show some of your lap.
ALTERNATIVELY you will need a second webcam (using OBS or similar software to combine two cameras) pointed at your hands and lap. A front-facing laptop cam can be good for this. This helps prevent players from cheating cards into the game from their laps and also makes it easier for you to keep your hand cards in view when holding them.
Cards not relevant to the game should be out of view to avoid confusion. Drug paraphernalia, unambiguous alcoholic drinks, and nudity should be out of view as well.
- You should have common tokens and/or pen and paper and/or Infinitokens™ accessible to hand to represent clones, tokens and borrowed cards.
How do I get my alters approved?
Join our Discord and request alter approvals in the #alter-approval channel well ahead of time. If you need to swap out cards during the tournament, you will be subject to any relevant penalties for being late or delaying your pod, and if unapproved alters are spotted in a game you may be subject to penalties from our judges.
Altered borders, art extensions and little flourishes are usually fine but must be approved. As a rule of thumb if you cannot find your card’s art as-is on scryfall.com, it needs to be approved.
Proxies that use official art do not need to be approved.
How do I submit my decklist?
The deadline to submit your decklist is the start of the tournament player meeting (10AM EST on tournament day unless otherwise mentioned).
After you’ve signed up, sign into https://eminence.events/, hover on your name in the upper right corner, click My Events, click on our upcoming tournament, and you will see a field where you can put in your Moxfield link. You must use Moxfield.
If you are making updates to the same decklist and not creating a new one, you don’t need to do anything further! Just be aware decklists will be copied and locked in during the morning player meeting on the day of the tournament, so your last chance to make edits will be the start of the player meeting.
Your decklist must match what you are playing throughout the tournament. Failure to do so will result in severe penalties from our judges.
How do I test my tech pre-tournament?
By tech we mean internet stability, microphone clarity and loudness, Spelltable functionality, discord functionality, and camera/lighting quality.
You should test your webcam and internet stability prior to tournament start by going to https://spelltable.wizards.com/ and creating a test game with cards laid out in your playspace to test lighting and legibility. Test your microphone with a friend or by recording yourself.
Resolving tech issues in-game will require judge support to protect the integrity of the match, and may necessarily subject you to penalties based on the length of the delay caused.
Are newly released/spoiled cards allowed?
Only cards legal in Commander are allowed in the tournament. Cards are legal in Commander as of pre-release weekend of a newly spoiled set.
Are proxies allowed?
YES! Not only are proxies allowed, they are absolutely encouraged! We celebrate use of proxies as foundational to our community.
Your cards should not be marked. Your sleeved cards should not vary discernably in thickness, e.g from putting proxies on thick pieces of paper in front of a magic card. If there is discernable variation, use thinner paper or add pieces of paper behind all the normal cards to achieve uniformity.
All proxies must be in color and use recognizable art. Proxies featuring official art do not require approval.
Tournament Day
When must I arrive and how do I check in?
Plan to arrive at 10 AM EST in the Discord unless otherwise mentioned for the check in and players meeting.
At 10AM EST sharp we will open check in on the tournaments brackets page, which we will link during the tournament.
Check in is open for 20 minutes. At the ten minute mark, there will be a reminder, and at the twenty minute mark you will be dropped from Round 1. If you are struggling to check in, let the TO know and they will manually check you in.
You will need to be logged in to the Command Tower account you used to buy your ticket. Simply click the link we provide during check-in and click “Check-In” on the page.
If you are dropped from Round 1 due to missing the check in deadline (10:20 EST), reach out to the TO to be added back in for Round 2.
What is the tournament day schedule?
- Check In and Player Meeting: 10:00AM in the Player Meeting voice channel. While you check in on the brackets page linked in the #pings channel, the TO and head judge will summarize everything you need to know for a smooth day of fun and then take questions for a few minutes.
- Close of Check In: 10:20AM EST. At this point if you haven’t checked in or let the TO know you need help, you will be dropped from Round 1.
- Round 1: 10:30AM EST
- Round 2: Roughly 12:10 AM EST. This is an estimate, due to time extensions and final turns after the time is up. Watch the Discord #pings channel!
- Round 3: Roughly 1:50 PM EST. Watch the Discord #pings channel!
- Round 4: Roughly 3:30 PM EST. Watch the Discord #pings channel!
- Round 5: Roughly 5:10 PM EST. Watch the Discord #pings channel!
- Semi-Finals: Roughly 6:50 PM EST. Watch the Discord #pings channel!
- Finals: Roughly 8:50PM EST. Watch the Discord #pings channel!
Semi-Finals and Finals are untimed, so these times could vary the most.
Will there be breaks?
To keep the day moving, there will be no scheduled breaks.
Time remaining in round can be found on the brackets page. If there is time left in the round and you are done with your pod, you are safe to take a break; we will never begin a new round before the end of round timer.
We will make announcements throughout the round in #pings to let you know how much time you have left.. We ping at 45 minutes, 15 minutes, 5 minutes, and when the round time is up.
After the round we will keep you updated with how long you can safely be away, to help you maximize your break time.
Where are pods and other updates posted?
We use Command Tower as our pairing software and will post links to the pods and brackets page in the #pings channel at the start of each round.
How is turn order determined?
Use the order of players for your pod in the pairing link which will be posted in #pings channel at the start of each round. Command Tower decides turn order with a small eye to fairness.
The player who creates the Spelltable link for the pod must click the gear icon on the left sidebar in spelltable, click manage players, and then drag everyone into the player order given on the pods and brackets page. You can post the link in the text chat within your pod’s voice channel.
How do I submit match results?
Submit your wins or draws directly on the brackets page, and have the rest of the pod confirm the result. If there was a reporting error, ping the TO in #judge-calls and they will take care of it.
How do I call a judge or get support?
You can ping @Judge in the #judge-calls Discord channel during the tournament. Be sure to mention your pod number. They can then enter your pod and you can discuss the issue.
If you need to speak with a Judge in private, request a private chat, and they will drag you into a private chat to talk.
If you have an issue beyond the scope of the game/pod, ping or PM the TO or submit a ticket in #ticket-tool!
How do I drop from the tournament?
If you need to drop, please mention that with your name as it appears on brackets in the #drop-requests channel on the discord, to avoid causing difficulties for the event, e.g unnecessary 3-player pods.
Rules and Expectations
What are the rules of the game?
Competitive Rules Enforcement Level will be in effect. Unless otherwise mentioned, the following are in effect:
- IPG is in effect: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/rules/ipg/
- MTR is in effect: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/rules/mtr/
- A few key reminders:
- No takebacks!
- No marked cards. This includes organizational stickers anywhere on your sleeves. It also includes discernable variations in thickness between sleeved cards.
- Players may only concede at sorcery speed or as part of a full player concession to a player in a winning position. If a player has an emergency, a judge call should be made by someone in the pod. If at all possible, PLEASE mention in #drop-requests if you have to drop out of the tournament for any reason.
- Praetor’s Grasp is resolved pragmatically. If targeted, PM the caster your decklist, they will PM you the card they want, and you will remove the card facedown, without telling the other players at the table what the card is. Only the caster may reveal that information. Call a judge if you need assistance resolving this spell.
- Peek effects and Opposition Agent are resolved using the block feature on Spelltable. Click on the three dots in the corner of each player’s frame, block the other two players and reveal your hand to the caster. In the case of Oppo, send the caster your decklist for them to select a card which will be exiled faceup.
- You must not receive outside assistance. Outside of emergencies, using spelltable, resolving oppo/praetor’s grasp, communicating with tournament staff, checking round timer, and resolving tech issues (with the support of a judge if board visibility is affected during your resolution), you should not be using your internet devices mid-round.
The onus is on you to prevent outside assistance. This includes from reading PMs giving you advice from watching your game on stream, having any streams of active games open at all, or actively consulting strategy information or primers during your game. Decklists may only be consulted in the special case of searching an opponent’s library, e.g with Praetor’s Grasp.
- Wins should only be decided by playing the game or by a full table concession to a player in an overpowering position, not by the roll of dice. Collusion outside the match to determine game outcomes is forbidden.
How must I represent my boardstate?
- Your playspace must meet the expectations stated above in “How do I get my playspace approved?” If you are spotted beneath standards, you will receive a game loss. If you do not correct the issue by the time the next round starts, you will be dropped from the tournament.
- All zones must always be completely in view of the camera, without any cards touching the edge of camera view (to give yourself room for error, we recommend that all cards and zones should be kept two inches away from the edge). This includes hand, library, grave, exile, and board. To emphasize, cards in hand should NEVER even partially leave view. We ask that players call a @Judge if this rule is broken and not instantly corrected.
Your graveyard should be spaced out to allow opponents to see meaningful cards in your yard and roughly how many there are without having to ask you to show and tell and thereby potentially give away unintended information.
Cards in hand should be fanned out when not being viewed to allow other players to independently count them.
Tokens, clones and borrowed cards must be identified as to what they are and their quantity. Keep Infinitokens™, pen and scraps of paper, and/or actual tokens handy.
Dice used must be high contrast, with a maximum denomination of D6 due to the nature of webcam.
Floating mana must be represented unambiguously, either written on scraps of paper, or with multiple marked mana tracking tokens, or with a six-sided dice on a mana tracking token or marked piece of paper. Using dice larger than D6 are forbidden.
- Crucially relevant lands, like emergence zone, mount doom, alchemist’s refuge, cephalid coliseum, geier reach sanitarium and similar cards, should be in unobstructed view, prioritizing them over normal lands if necessary in crowded boardstates.
- Cards exiled with a counter on them, e.g with Dauthi or Pako or Oppo, should be kept in their own clearly separate zone for clarity.
How do I prevent cheating?
Our intention is to create and consistently uphold an integrity system in our tournaments.
This is how we want your games with us to go:
1) Before the tournament, any first time competitors fully understand the expectations of them.
2) Before anyone does their final shuffles, at least one player in the pod announces that they have started up a recording of the game.
3) During the game, there is so much clarity of boardstate and ease of visibility and so little ambiguity about what is happening in everyone’s play areas, that discrepancies are easy to spot, both at the time and later. Poor integrity thrives in chaos, as there is simply too much information to process to notice something out of place. If everything is out of place, then you are unlikely to notice when something important is out of place. The goal is simplicity, clarity and predictability in your actions and board state. That also helps you prevent honest mistakes that may be mistaken for poor integrity.
4) After the game, if anyone smells fish, they ask the recorder for access to the recording, and as the boardstate and play area was so clear, your honesty and/or any problems with the game will be easy to see.
To that end:
RECORDING
First and foremost, RECORD YOUR GAMES if your tech allows. You should have a reason not to be recording. It’s easier than you think! Download OBS or equivalent software and look up a guide on recording a browser window with OBS.
If you have concerns, rewatch footage afterword and reach out to judges or submit a ticket. We will have you stream relevant portions of your video to us and if necessary seek out other relevant people and ask them for their own recordings to give us the best picture of the situation.
Incidentally, recording your games in full is the best way to have evidence on hand to defend yourself from allegations of poor etiquette or worse!
Assuming you already record your games, remember to press record BEFORE players shuffle up for the round, announce to everyone that you are recording, and be sure sufficient shuffling is done by all players for the camera.
SHUFFLING
Take shuffling seriously! Your shuffling should alter every area of your deck.
We also require that you angle your deck while shuffling such that you cannot see your card faces, and nor can the camera! If you can see an opponent’s card faces as they shuffle, so can they; call a judge if this is happening in your pod!
CUTTING
We require cuts to be done as follows:
At the start of the round, split into pairs for cutting; we recommend top and down, so 1st and 4th paired, and 2nd and 3rd.
When you need a cut, vocally request a cut from your cutting partner, and THEN split your deck into three separate piles. Your cut partner then tells you which pile to put on top. You do the same for them.
Cut partners massively reduce the confusion of multiple players calling out pile numbers, and avoids the potential for players to be able to choose the pile they want on top when presented with multiple options.
Along with those requirements, we strongly recommend watching your cut partner split their deck into piles, and putting a pile on top that wasn’t originally on top. At least try to do this for everyone’s first hand when resolving mulligans.
HAND CAMS
We recommend using and encourage your friends to set up a second camera to serve as a handcam and/or facecam, to further a culture of transparency of our play areas and movements during competitive play.
ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT
If you’re not actively taking game actions, be an active not passive watcher. Don’t assume people are putting the piles they are given on top. Don’t assume shuffling is being done properly while your eyes glaze over. Don’t assume resource bookkeeping such as treasure and floating mana is being done accurately. Follow along actively. Sure you won’t always have the extra mental energy, but if all four players make an effort as best they can, each person is likely to have someone following along to catch mistakes.
Don’t let things slide. The sooner we create a culture of calling each other out on poor webcam etiquette like cards leaving view, zones touching the edge of the screen, disconnects, etc., the sooner it becomes a norm that no one need take personally, and the sooner we will get to enjoy competitive tight play, with side benefit that the format will become unlivable for cheaters in the bright light of day.
CLEAN BOARDSTATE REPRESENTATION
Build a habit of clean adherence to our board state representation rules earlier in this document. The cleaner honest players are, the less noise there will be and the more attempts to cheat will stand out and be called out at the time.
MANAGING WEBCAM INSTABILITY
Encourage players with webcam instability to put a die or other object on their library and hand when not accessing those zones, so that if cut-outs happen, recordings can help verify no foul play.
KNOWING WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Examples of common cheats to actively watch for:
- Not shuffling the stacked top of library and taking the 1/3rd chance of that pile being called out, or disregarding the called out pile order and hoping it goes unnoticed.
- Moving a zone to the edge or partially off view and wishboarding an out of game card into the game.
- Playing extra lands for turn with distracting stuff in between.
- Drawing extra cards from the library. Look out for entire hands covering up the library.
HANDLING TEMPTATION
If you yourself are tempted to cheat for any reason, seek support from trusted people in your life in regaining perspective and examining your motivations and whether you can satisfy those motivations through means less destructive to your reputation and the very health and continued existence of competitive magic. E.g if you are feeling insecure about your performance, consider switching decks for a while, seeking out intel from commander-specific discords, or investing in paid coaching from respected tournament grinders.
WARNING
Nearly every pod is recorded by one or more players and/or the caster team, in addition to judges and the TO discreetly spectating random games using Spelltable spectate links. You should always assume you are on camera.
Every month we put more and more effort into cultivating a watchful playerbase. If you are tempted, you WILL be caught, and the longer it takes, the more you have to lose when you are inevitably found, stripped of your bling and honors, and lifetime banned from not only this series but multiple partnered tournament series and almost certainly all other higher profile tournaments not to mention access to all serious webcam cEDH discords.
On top of that cheaters get roasted on Twitter, Youtube and Discord (not by us or our partners mind you) to the tune of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of views. We have little to no ability to protect you from the anger and long memory of the community if you are proven to be intentionally cheating. Don’t put yourself in that position.
Why should I call a judge?
To call a judge, head to #judge-calls and tag @Judge with your pod number. Your pod’s text chat is not a place to tag judges!
Remember, most rules infractions are not malicious, just sloppy play. Honest players will be happy for reminders from fellow players and judges to tighten things up. Tight play creates an environment that is difficult for the rare malicious actor to thrive in, which is in everyone’s interest as competitors. Judge calls reassure everyone that the integrity of the game is being maintained.
Example reasons for calling a judge:
- Cards in any zone touching the edge of the screen and not being immediately corrected when asked.
- Hand cards even partially leaving camera view.
- Opponents shuffling in poor ways, e.g the top cards of their library not changing, angling card faces towards the player or camera, shuffling partly off screen, or putting the wrong pile on top in a brazilian cut.
- Players disconnecting or having other technical difficulties that impede board visibility or communication. Pods must not attempt to resolve tech issues on their own if the resolution impedes board visibility (e.g refreshes or restarts).
- A player not showing up at round start, or leaving mid-round.
- Nudity on camera.
- Slow play. Don’t be shy to call a judge if players are unreasonably eating time with individual game actions or with loops that do not meaningfully progress the board state. Judges can keep an eye on things to keep things moving at a healthy balanced pace.
- Excessive aggression or overwhelming levels of politicking that derail the game, or continued misgendering after a correction.
- Players using their internet devices outside of resolving tech issues, emergencies, checking round timer, using spelltable, or resolving praetor/oppo.
- Anything else you feel is an issue.
After a judge call, feel free to ask for a time extension and if deemed appropriate, one will be granted.
What happens if I'm late?
Late to check-in:
If you have not checked in or contacted the TO by 20 minutes after the start of the player meeting. you will be dropped from Round 1. If you do not get in touch by the end of Round 1, you will be dropped from the tournament.
Late to round start:
Round timers will start a few minutes after pods are posted. You have max three minutes from the start of round timer before you will lose your first turn. Ten minutes after timer starts, if you are not present you will receive a game loss for the turn.
These late penalties also apply if your alters or playspace don’t meet expectations and you are asked to take the time to make changes to your deck or playspace.
What happens if I have tech issues?
TEST YOUR TECH WELL BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT BEGINS
By tech we mean internet stability, microphone clarity and loudness, Spelltable functionality, Discord functionality, and camera/lighting quality (actually lay some cards out while in a test spelltable game)!
If you discover tech issues well before the start of round and would like assistance, you have some options:
- Follow the troubleshooting advice below.
- Ask for help in the #player-questions channel on Discord.
- Submit a ticket on our Discord in the #ticket-tool channel.
If you discover tech issues during or at the start of a round, make a judge call in #judge-calls with your pod number and they will address the matter at their discretion. Do not attempt resolutions that disrupt the game without judge support.
Some common issues and advice:
VISUAL TECH
If your issue is minor such as brief freezes or poor camera quality during a round, make a judge call and ask if you can block the other players, show them your hand, and then try below suggestions or other potential fixes:
Spelltable instability or failure to load:
Try refreshing, and then try a different browser or indeed multiple other browsers, try restarting, and if all else fails, try a VPN set to another country.
Spelltable or Discord lag:
Lessen the load on your computer by closing other programs and browser tabs and then reloading. If the lag persists, restart and open fewer programs/tabs.
Camera tech issues:
Try unplugging your camera and plugging back in, and restarting any camera tech software you use, and if necessary bypassing software.
OBS lag (if you use it for camera processing:
Try reducing the number of cameras active. Try reducing the camera resolution by double clicking on video capture device and setting the resolution to lower values.
Camera blank in OBS
Try switching your camera and switching back.
CAMERA QUALITY
If mid-round, and the issue is borderline, lift cards up to the camera when casting them and when asked by opponents
Glare
If it only affects an area of your playspace or if you just need a short term fix til the game is over, try putting small items underneath your cards to tilt them away from the light. In a pinch lift cards up to the camera til they’re clear when you cast them or when anyone needs clarification.
For a longer term fix after the game, adjust curtains to manage sunlight, and pivot to less direct lighting. Good lighting is most of what goes into camera quality. Treat it like a fun puzzle and figure it out! If all else fails one hack I like to recommend is to turn your ceiling lights off, close your curtains, and use the light from your monitor, turning up the brightness and using light mode/a white desktop background behind your browser window. Monitor light is a handy source of diffuse lighting that doesn’t cause glare.
Focus
If your cards are out of focus, try lifting a card up til it is in focus, and then bring it slowly down to your board again, and if all goes well your camera’s focus will follow you.
Pixellation
This will likely require progressive resets to fix. Refreshing spelltable > Restarting browser > Unplugging and plugging back in your camera > Restarting any camera software > Restarting your computer. If in a round, ask a judge for support before attempting any of this.
AUDIO TECH
Discord audio issues but functioning otherwise:
Go to Settings > Voice and Video, and make sure you have the correct input and output devices set. If you can’t get it to work, try connecting to voice over Discord on another device.
The above doesn’t work:
Message the other players, if necessary using Discord on another device, and ask them to unmute spelltable and mute themselves on Discord, and try to continue using Spelltable voice.
You’re too quiet for others to hear:
Turn up the gain on your mic if it has that setting and/or ask your opponents to right click your name in the voice channel and turn up your volume.
You have too much background noise for your opponents to bear:
Try downloading Krisp or another equivalent program to filter your background noise. Advanced features of Krisp even include excluding others’ voices by pitch.
Your voice quality is poor:
Think of other mics you might already have to try. Laptop and phone mics, depending on the model, can be surprisingly good, and often better than cheap dedicated mics, headsets or earbud mics.
May I spectate or stream games?
You may not use Spelltable spectate links as there are limited spectate slots that are reserved for tournament staff.
You may not watch streams in pod channels either, as that requires you to join the channel which creates a distraction and potential confusion.
While actively playing you may not watch the official twitch stream or any other streams run by players or staff on any platform. To be safe, close any stream tabs you had open when your round starts as if you end up in the feature match and are found to have been watching your own stream, that will constitute outside assistance and will be result in serious penalties from the judges.
Streaming games is forbidden. You may and are heavily encouraged to record your games, but you cannot stream them.
Any terms and conditions I agree to by participating?
By using this website, joining the discord, and participating in Mox Masters tournaments or leagues, you accept and are bound by the Mox Masters Terms & Conditions, Code of Conduct, and Privacy Policy.
After The Tournament
Where can I see decklists and other content post-event?
Immediately after an event, decklists will be enabled on the brackets page for the day, which should be easily findable in #pings and/or in the post-tourney celebratory announcements. You can also find them on edhtop16.com when they are uploaded there a couple of days later, and browse past event results here.
The event is streamed live on our Twitch page. The VODs are available on YouTube the following week.
If I placed, how will I get my winnings?
Cash prizes will be paid out through Paypal, Venmo, or Zelle. An admin will contact you the week following the tournament to request payment information.
Championship series points will be automatically applied to your Eminence account.