The Bith Shuffle

[Hutch]

From Page 9 of the Alternate Formats Guide:

The Bith Shuffle
This is a constructed event that can be held as a “consolation event” during larger tournaments where players bring the exact same decks (including defensive shields) that he or she played in the main event (this helps ensure the legitimacy or playability of their decks). Pairings are determined just like a normal Swiss event, but at the start of every game you are randomly assigned a deck from another player at the event. Decks are assigned randomly and are not based on your opponent, but you will never play your own deck. Players will hold on to their own decks in between games, and no player will play the same deck twice. Players are encouraged to shout questions across the room at their deck‟s owner, such as “how many ships are in this deck” or “how is this piece of crap supposed to beat walkers?”

Can we please, please, PLEASE do this at World's this year for the Day 3 Consolation Event? I know it's only a few weeks away, but I just saw this for the first time today in the Glossary 5.0 and want to play in one of these. A side question, when was the last time one of these was held at a Major?

[arebelspy]

Or day 3 main event.

[Cam Solusar]

Socal grand prix, 2012 iirc

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[quesosauce37]

i played in one of these, and it was pretty fun (i think it was the 2012 socal)

one thing that i didnt like about it was that my cards were in the hands of other people all day, and while i know we have a pretty straight up community, its still in the back of your mind all afternoon that someone could just literally walk away with your decks. also most people have different levels of OCD when it comes to how they like their cards to be shuffled/handled/etc and i was afraid that the guy whos deck i had was watching over my shoulder to make sure i wasnt bruising his mauls(and vice versa)

[Hayes]

That ^

[Hutch]

Those are valid points. I had thought about the first one but not the OCD part. But because you started off with “it was pretty fun” I’d like to offer some mitigation suggestions to those concerns:

1) If someone you’ve never met (or have met and don’t particularly trust) draws your deck, sit at the same table as them or a table between them and the door where you can see them. One of the rules of the tournament is that your deck is returned to you between rounds. I also assume some record is kept as to who is playing whose deck each round, so if they do walk off with your deck, you know who has it. I’d say that would be deterrent enough for the person walking off with them.

2) If you’re particularly OCD about your cards, say something to the person as you had the deck off to them (e.g. don’t touch the cards to your mouth, always have the opening of the sleeve pointed away from you, put the deck back in the box with the tops of the sleeves pointed down, etc). Also at the start of the tournament, just make a clarifying statement off no bend shuffling of cards.

I those would mitigate those concerns and still allow for a fun, seldom played alternate format.

[shawnd1984]

i played in one of these, and it was pretty fun (i think it was the 2012 socal)

one thing that i didnt like about it was that my cards were in the hands of other people all day, and while i know we have a pretty straight up community, its still in the back of your mind all afternoon that someone could just literally walk away with your decks. also most people have different levels of OCD when it comes to how they like their cards to be shuffled/handled/etc and i was afraid that the guy whos deck i had was watching over my shoulder to make sure i wasnt bruising his mauls(and vice versa)

Yeah... I feel like my deck would end up in the hands of the person who happened to be on the receiving end of a flu bug. I'd also fight the urge to post a sign in the bathroom that says "Bith Shuffle Participants Must Wash Hands"

[WiseMarsellus]

i've always wanted a team tournament where every so often the td shouts switch and one team has to switch seats with their teammate

[TacoBill]

i've always wanted a team tournament where every so often the td shouts "Change places!" and one team has to switch seats with their teammate

FTFY

[Cam Solusar]

i've always wanted a team tournament where every so often the td shouts "Change places!" and one team has to switch seats with their teammate

FTFY

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[rhendon]

i've always wanted a team tournament where every so often the td shouts "Change places!" and one team has to switch seats with their teammate

FTFY

How about "grab your partner and do se do."

[quesosauce37]

How about "grab your partner and do se do."

[timeofyouppi]

I am strongly in favor of bith shuffle format for Sunday

[Harpster]

And Im strongly against. If I have to play in this event (hopefully not) I dont want to fly across the country to end up playing someone elses HB QUADS because he thought the deck looked neat.

[darkjediknight11]

agree with harpsta

[mrfahrenheit7]

And Im strongly against. If I have to play in this event (hopefully not) I dont want to fly across the country to end up playing someone elses HB QUADS because he thought the deck looked neat.

You dont have to fly across the country. Just let me know. I'll let you borrow my hidden base deck anytime!

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[puck71]

Having played in the socal event in question, I think it was in the "sounds cooler than it is" category. Maybe if someone put together a bunch of preconstructed decks and you got a random one? Like cube without the draft.

[JediJer]

Having played in the socal event in question, I think it was in the "sounds cooler than it is" category. Maybe if someone put together a bunch of preconstructed decks and you got a random one? Like cube without the draft.

I think just grabbing 40 random cards from a cube and blindly playing with that + 10 fixed cards of your choice is funner than Bith Shuffle.

[arebelspy]

But with bith shuffle, they're constructed decks meant to do something. Not a random jumble of cards.

And you're missing the only good part of cube then--drafting (and then a single game to see how well your draft worked).

I want a bith shuffle day 3 event, where everyone has to bring their decks, but others play them, but you have to play your own decks if you make the finals, so you can't just bring trash decks for others to play.

[JediJer]

But with bith shuffle, they're constructed decks meant to do something. Not a random jumble of cards.

And you're missing the only good part of cube then--drafting (and then a single game to see how well your draft worked).

I want a bith shuffle day 3 event, where everyone has to bring their decks, but others play them, but you have to play your own decks if you make the finals, so you can't just bring trash decks for others to play.

Not knowing what cards you have in your deck until you draw them for destiny or take them into hand is what is fun about grabbing a random 40 cards. I'm not trying to play cube, I'm just saying that using the cards from the cube is convenient. Play a game, ditch the cards, grab another random 40 cards, play another game. It's great for fun, quick games. It's a different experience for a different reason.

If you want to draft cube, then you draft cube, play a game, and then get bored and want to draft again. The fun is in the draft, and I agree with that. I'm not "missing" that, I'm suggesting something completely different that's not cube and not constructed, but using the cards from the cube because it's convenient.

I think that playing your own decks in the finals should be part of the official Bith Shuffle format.