What rules pertain to disruptive spectators and players around play area?

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FAQ #12827·asked by Penguin·October 7, 2026
Answer

Disruptive behavior at or around the play area is covered by the Tournament Rules, mainly spectator role rules (204.8) and Unsporting Conduct (704) — note that a player who is at the event but not currently in a match counts as a spectator (204.8.b), so those rules follow them too.

Spectators must remain silent during matches, may not personally point out rules or policy violations to players, and may not give strategic advice (204.8.c.1, 204.8.d.1–2). At Professional OPL they also can't ask players to pause play while they flag a judge — they can only alert a judge directly. Players can request that a judge remove a spectator from their match, and competition officials can order a spectator not to observe a match at any time (204.8.e–f).

For players, 204.7 requires respectful behavior toward all attendees, including spectators. Unsporting Minor is a Warning (disrespect, bullying, offensive materials); Unsporting Major is a Disqualification and often means ejection from the venue (704.2–704.3), and the head judge can apply any penalty up to DQ for conduct issues since the listed infractions aren't exhaustive (704.1.c). Deliberately distracting an opponent so they miss a priority window is Angle Shooting, and judges may intervene in a match when they observe unsporting conduct (704.4.a.6, 701.1.d.3).

Two adjacent ones worth knowing: giving a player advice from outside the match is Outside Assistance (the recipient gets a Match Loss unless they refuse it by calling a judge, and an advising spectator can be barred from the venue — 703.9), and players must keep their cards above the level of the playing surface while a spectator is around (424.1).

References

Suggested answer — derived from the references below

Rules

Tournament Rules 2026-07-16 > Section 200: Definitions > Rule 204.6

Tournament Rules 2026-07-16 > Section 100: Introduction > Rule 103

Tournament Rules 2026-07-16 > Section 700: Enforcement and Penalties > Rule 704

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