"Sufficiently Mixed"

jamesatzephyr wrote:

Ankha wrote: Distinct backs should be equally distributed, with a maximum variation of 10%.
Also, for each distinct back, the type of the front card should also have the same ratio than the whole deck: for instance, you can't have only Jyhad combat cards while the rest of the deck uses a different back. If your deck contains 40% of combat cards, then 40% of the Jyhad cards should be combat cards (+/- 10%).

This is still problematic:

- A Twister deck could have all its burn option cards, which exist in pretty much every card type except Events, have a distinctive back.
- This doesn't explain how to account for dual-type cards. Is a combat/action modifier (e.g. Swallowed by the Night) account for in the percentages of combat cards, action modifier cards, or a separate class of combat/action modifier cards?

- There are at least four easily distinguishable card backs(*): Jyhad (says Jyhad), WotC V:TES (says V:TES and Deckmaster), later/WW V:TES (says V:TES and Deckmaster with a trade mark symbol), and Black Chantry V:TES (doesn't say Deckmaster). So that's 25% of the deck each. Does a 10% variation mean I can go as low as 15% on one back type? In a 60 card deck (which is legal), that's as low as 9 cards for one of those types. If, say, 6 of those 9 are Villein and I have, say, 6 non-blood gain masters with a different back, I have a much better chance of knowing that my next draw is likely to be a Villein.

(*) Not including differences in printing quality / vibrancy, which some players are alert to.

jamesatzephyr wrote:

Ankha wrote: These are general guidelines

I'm pretty certain that when you state maximums with percentage variations, people will treat those as rules to be followed, not guidelines.

If the situation is that you can follow the specific percentages that have been laid down and still have to argue with a judge about it, then I'm pretty sure the actual answer to the question that has been asked is "Whatever your judge thinks is reasonable", and that any faffing around with percentages is ineffectual window dressing which makes the problem worse by giving people the false belief that they know their deck will be allowed.

Timo wrote: Quick question :

Why is it not simply forbidden to come in any tournament with different backs except with opaque sleeves ?