Tournament Errors

Tournament Rules section 703 — 89 rules. From Riot's Tournament Rules for sanctioned events, last updated October 9, 2026.

703.1.: Overview
703.1.a.: A tournament error is caused by actions in or around a tournament match that violate tournament procedure expectations.
703.1.b.: Repeated tournament error [Warnings] can upgrade to [Game Loss].
703.1.b.1.: If a player commits the same category of tournament error [Warning] 3 or more times in the same event, the penalty is upgraded to [Game Loss].
703.1.b.2.: At competitive OPL, if a player commits a total of 6 or more of any category of tournament error [Warning] in the same event, the penalty is upgraded to [Game Loss].
703.1.b.3.: At professional OPL, if a player commits a total of 5 or more of any category of tournament error [Warning] in the same event, the penalty is upgraded to [Game Loss].
703.1.b.4.: Even if a player has not yet met the threshold to upgrade their penalties, a head judge may initiate a cheating investigation if they feel it is appropriate. See 704.8 for more information about cheating.
703.1.c.: At low OPL, penalties should generally be less harsh and rewinds may be applied even if the erroring player gains an information advantage.
703.1.c.1.: Penalties that require an opponent of the erroring player to make a choice can be made at random or by a judge if they can’t be avoided by a rewind.
703.2.: Slow Play [Warning]: A player is performing their start of game procedure or is playing mid-game at an unreasonably slow pace.
703.2.a.: Players must take their turns in a timely manner, appropriate to a judge according to the state of the game at the time, and adhere to time limits specified for the tournament.
703.2.b.: Players may ask a judge to watch their game for slow play.
703.2.c.: Intentionally stalling to gain an advantage is cheating. See 704.8 for more information about cheating.
703.3.: Decklist Error [Game Loss]: A player submits a decklist for registration that contains illegal elements.
703.3.a.: Examples:
703.3.a.1.: More or fewer cards than appropriate deck size. See 402 for more information about deck size.
703.3.a.2.: Cards not legal in the format of the tournament.
703.3.a.3.: More than 3 copies of a main deck card between main deck and sideboard.
703.3.a.4.: Cards that do not match the domain of the registered legend.
703.3.a.5.: A chosen champion that does not match the identity of the legend.
703.3.a.6.: A player’s decks contain cards that do not match their registered decklist.
703.3.b.: Remedies:
703.3.b.1.: If the player’s registered decklist is illegal, the player must correct their decklist to a legal state making as little change as possible and ensure that their deck matches the newly registered deck.
703.3.b.2.: If the player’s presented decks do not match their registered decklist but their presented decks are legal, the player must change their registered decklist to match their presented deck.
703.3.b.3.: If the cards required to correct a decklist cannot be acquired in a timely manner, the head judge can issue a proxy.
703.4.: Deck Presentation Error [Warning]: A player’s deck’s contents are illegal during presentation to an opponent or during gameplay.
703.4.a.: Examples:
703.4.a.1.: A player submits a battlefield they have already used in the match.
703.4.a.2.: A player forgets to restore their deck to a pre-sideboard state for the first game of a match.
703.4.a.3.: A player forgets to take their chosen champion from their main deck and place it in the chosen champion zone.
703.4.a.4.: A player’s deck is the incorrect deck size. See 402 for more information about deck size. (Examples: A player misplaced a card, a player forgot to shuffle their banished cards back into their deck between games, a player's deck has an extra card or is missing a card due to an effect like Possession from a previous game.)
703.4.a.5.: A player has cards in their deck box with their deck that are not part of the registered contents of their decklist. Promotional cards given out as part of the event, tokens, and damaged cards replaced with official proxies are allowed to be stored this way and do not warrant this error.
703.4.b.: Remedies when a player forgets to select their Chosen Champion during setup: If the error is caught before the start of the first player’s turn, restore the deck to its correct state and instruct players to proceed.
703.4.b.1.: At Casual OPL, if the error is caught after the start of the first player’s turn, instruct the erroring player to search the randomized portion of their main deck, their hand and sideboard for a legal chosen champion and place it in their chosen champion zone, then shuffle the randomized portion of their main deck. If the champion came from their hand, instruct them to draw a card.
703.4.b.1.a.: If none are found, instruct players to continue playing with the erroring player’s chosen champion zone empty.
703.4.b.2.: At Competitive OPL, if the error is caught after the start of the first player’s turn, a judge searches the randomized portion of the erroring player’s main deck and hand for a copy of their registered game one chosen champion and move it to their chosen champion zone, then shuffle the randomized portion of their main deck. If the champion came from their hand, instruct them to draw a card.
703.4.b.2.a.: If none are found, instruct players to proceed with the erroring player’s chosen champion zone empty. At Professional OPL, if the error is caught after the start of the first player’s turn, instruct players to proceed with the erroring player’s chosen champion zone empty.
703.4.b.3.: Purposely leaving your Chosen Champion zone empty during setup to gain an advantage is cheating. See 704.8 for more information about cheating.
703.4.c.: Other Remedies:
703.4.c.1.: If the error is caught before opening hands have been drawn, restore the deck to its correct state if possible and instruct players to proceed.
703.4.c.2.: If the error is caught by the erroring player after opening hands have been drawn and it is easily possible, restore the deck to its correct state and instruct players to proceed. For example:
703.4.c.2.a.: In game one of a match a player realizes they forgot to restore their deck to a pre-sideboard state.
703.4.c.2.a.1.: A judge can restore their deck to the appropriate state by returning cards to the main deck and sideboard as needed.
703.4.c.2.a.1.a.: If sideboard cards are in the player's hand, they are replaced randomly by main deck cards that were incorrectly in the sideboard.
703.4.c.2.a.2.: Shuffle the randomized portion of the main deck once this process is complete.
703.4.c.3.: If the error is caught by anyone other than the erroring player after opening hands have been drawn, the penalty is upgraded to [Game Loss].
703.4.c.4.: In either case, if restoring the deck to its correct state is not possible, the penalty is upgraded to [Game Loss].
703.4.c.4.a.: Example: A player has two total copies of Traveling Merchant on their registered decklist, one in their Main Deck and one in their Sideboard. During game one of a match a player draws and plays one Traveling Merchant. On a later turn, they draw the second copy and realize they forgot to de-sideboard. At this point, since both Traveling Merchants have been drawn, restoring the deck is not possible as there is no easy 1 to 1 swap that can be made to restore the correct deck state.
703.4.c.5.: At Professional OPL, extra cards in a player’s deck box as described in 703.4.a.5. upgrades this penalty to [Game Loss].
703.4.d.: For all deck presentation errors, if the cards required to correct the deck cannot be acquired in a timely manner, the head judge can issue a proxy.