technology
Wizards Releases Statement on Pro Tour Disqualification
This weekend, Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3 took place, and the event sparked a lot of discussion. The complete domination by Bant Nadu is extremely memorable and could very well signal the need for an upcoming ban. Meanwhile, the Player of the Year award was renamed the Kai Budde Player of the Year trophy, in honor of one of MTG’s greatest players of all time.
Perhaps the incident that garnered the most attention over the weekend, though, was the disqualification of pro player Bart Van Etten. A major error was made in a feature match between Bart and Javier Dominguez, one that went unnoticed in real time. While some argued it looked like an easy mistake to make, a disqualification was ultimately handed out to Bart after an investigation.
Notably, Bart has been under fire for cheating scandals in the past, so this issue happening on camera was certainly not a good look. Let’s go over the events that led to an investigation in the first place and the ultimate disqualification.
Goyf Error Strikes Again
The events that lead to the disqualification occurred in game three of round 13. On turn three, Javier cast a copy of Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury from his hand. When it entered the battlefield, he targeted Bart’s Nethergoyf to deal three damage to it and gain three life. At this point, Nethergoyf was a 2/3, as two card types were in Bart’s graveyard.
With Phlage’s triggered ability on the stack, Bart cast Not Dead After All targeting Nethergoyf. He then let Phlage’s ability resolve, returned Nethergoyf to the battlefield tapped, and put a Wicked Role token on the Nethergoyf. Clearly, this was used to indicate that the Nethergoyf had died and was returned to play via Not Dead After All.
The problem here was that once Not Dead After All resolved and went to Bart’s graveyard, Bart now had three card types in the graveyard. As such, Nethergoyf would be a 3/4, and would naturally live past Phlage’s trigger. This means that Nethergoyf should not have had a Wicked Role token attached to it in the first place. This can be a big deal in the game, especially considering how much of Javier’s removal is damage-based.
At the end of the day, it’s not exactly unusual for errors like this to happen, nor for them to be noticed mid-match by either player. Tarmogoyf math has led to many judge calls over the years, commonly when Tarmogoyf is targeted by a damage-dealing Instant such as Lightning Bolt. With this in mind, it makes sense why no disqualification happened early on.
Read More: MTG Foundations Is Already an Incredibly Controversial Set
The Decision
Despite the fact that the incident occurred in round 13, the actual disqualification decision didn’t come until midway through round 14. The issue at hand wasn’t actually pointed out to judge staff until during round 14, long after the match had already concluded. However, this prompted an investigation from judges.
Typically, investigations are used to help determine a player’s intent. The reality is, Game Rule Violations (GRVs) happen all the time in major tournaments. Something as simple as accidently drawing a second card for the turn as two cards stuck together would constitute a GRV. Most times, simple warnings are issued. From there, judges keep track of a player’s GRVs, since repeated offenses can result in a larger punishment. Where things get dicey, though, is if judges determine that you committed a GRV on purpose to try to gain an advantage.
This is exactly what happened in Bart’s case. While we obviously don’t know what happened during the investigation behind the scenes, it’s quite likely that judges asked both Bart and Javier for their sides of the story. Coupling this information with the footage of the match itself, and a conclusion can often be reached.
Some players speculate that Bart’s immediate willingness to attack for 4 damage with the Nethergoyf on the following turn played a role in the final decision. The logic there is that, by announcing an attack for four, Bart would’ve clearly recognized the three card types in his graveyard alongside the Wicked Role token, which shouldn’t have been attached in the first place. There’s definitely more to the story, but specific details were not made available to the public. What we do know is that Bart was disqualified due to his intent to commit a GRV, and that the result of the round 13 match was subsequently reversed.
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Player Reaction
When footage first surfaced of the inherent error, many players were quick to react to what they saw. From the initial clip alone, it makes sense why many players would believe this was nothing more than an honest mistake. Part of the reason this clip blew up on Twitter the way it did, though, was because of Bart’s previous run-ins with cheating problems on camera.
Years ago, Bart was seemingly caught cheating on camera on Twitch. After cracking Mishra’s Bauble and seeing that he had a mediocre card on the top of his deck, he cracked his Bloodstained Mire on the opponent’s upkeep in response to the Bauble trigger. He then semi-shuffles his deck in a very awkward manner, appearing to mess with the order of the cards himself. Afterwards, he did not offer the opponent the opportunity to cut his deck, then drew a copy of Terminate that helped him win the game.
This occurrence, along with others, had many players skeptical about Bart’s intent, believing he shouldn’t be given the benefit of the doubt. Bart’s previous problems likely played a role in the thorough investigation that took place, as well as the write-up that was released to the public. A disqualification report like this hasn’t been done since the disqualification of Yuuya Watanabe a while back.
Cheating is unfortunately something that players and judges constantly need to be on the lookout for. It’s nice to see a written report get released to keep people updated on the situation at hand. This disqualification also showcases that action can indeed be taken long after the issue occurred originally. Players are not sure whether or not Bart really cheated, but whatever investigation took place did ultimately lead to his disqualification. Make sure to be cognizant of any ill intentions from your opponents, and don’t hesitate to get judges involved if anything looks suspicious.
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Akinwumi Ajadi
Akinwumi Ajadi is a passionate blogger and technology enthusiast specializing in the information technology niche. With a keen eye for the latest trends and innovations, Akinwumi delivers insightful, engaging, and practical content to help readers navigate the ever-evolving world of tech. From software development to cybersecurity, Akinwumi's expertise spans a wide range of topics, making complex concepts accessible to both novice and experienced tech enthusiasts alike.
technology
Here’s an alleged Pixel 9 in a vibrant pink [Video]
Google is releasing the Pixel 9 series very early, and right on cue the leaks are coming. In a first leaked video, we’re getting a look at a surprisingly vibrant Pixel 9 in a pink color.
It’s almost inevitable for every Pixel to leak in a hands-on video ahead of its launch, and that’s what it seems we’re now seeing for the Pixel 9.
A leaked video posted by @hanibioud on Twitter/X supposedly shows the Pixel 9 in a bright pink color. The device is supposedly from Algeria and is claimed to have 256GB of storage.
Focusing in on the color, it’s way brighter than any color we’ve seen in recent years outside of the A-Series, but matches the leaked “Peony” color that first surfaced back in May. The color is unusually vibrant for Google’s flagship lineup. As mentioned, we’ve not seen a color this vibrant on a Pixel outside of the A-Series since 2019’s Pixel 4 (with its delightful “Oh So Orange”).
The design, of course, lines up perfectly with past leaks, with the device having flat edges and a glossy back, just like we’ve seen previously. This model also has two cameras, unlike what the similarly-sized Pixel 9 Pro is expected to have.
We’re taking this video with a grain of salt, but the user posting images claims we’ll hear more details tomorrow.
More on Pixel 9:
H/T Mishaal, Brandon
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Update: Removed speculation over date.
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About the Author
Akinwumi Ajadi
Akinwumi Ajadi is a passionate blogger and technology enthusiast specializing in the information technology niche. With a keen eye for the latest trends and innovations, Akinwumi delivers insightful, engaging, and practical content to help readers navigate the ever-evolving world of tech. From software development to cybersecurity, Akinwumi's expertise spans a wide range of topics, making complex concepts accessible to both novice and experienced tech enthusiasts alike.
technology
The first Thunderbolt 5 cables are here, but there’s barely anything to plug in
Available today from Amazon in 1-foot (0.3m), 1.6-foot (0.5m), and 3.3-foot (1m) lengths for $23, $27, and $33, respectively, the new cables obviously don’t do anything on their own — you’d need a computer with a Thunderbolt 5 port and a dock or accessory of some sort to get some real use out of it.
But as of today, the only laptop we’ve heard of with a Thunderbolt 5 port is the Razer Blade 18, and even there, it’s not guaranteed. You’d have to buy the $4,500 Mercury edition of the laptop to get that port. (You do also get an Intel i9 and a mobile RTX 4090 for the money.)
And unless you own two of those laptops, there’s still probably nothing special you can do with a Thunderbolt 5 cable as of today because the peripherals we saw at CES aren’t yet ready: Belkin, J5Create, OWC, and Sabrent do not yet list any of those Thunderbolt 5 products on their websites, and Hyper still shows its $400 dock as being out of stock with a “Sign up to be notified” button.
But if you do have two of the exact same $4,500 Razer laptops, could you use Thunderbolt Share to transfer files between them at ludicrous speed? Inquiring minds want to know. If not, I suppose you could use it as a USB4 / Thunderbolt 4 cable for now.
According to Cable Matters’ press release, its cable is manufactured by Lintes, the same company that provided the prototype cable we saw at CES.
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About the Author
Akinwumi Ajadi
Akinwumi Ajadi is a passionate blogger and technology enthusiast specializing in the information technology niche. With a keen eye for the latest trends and innovations, Akinwumi delivers insightful, engaging, and practical content to help readers navigate the ever-evolving world of tech. From software development to cybersecurity, Akinwumi's expertise spans a wide range of topics, making complex concepts accessible to both novice and experienced tech enthusiasts alike.
technology
Instagram’s ‘Made with AI’ label swapped out for ‘AI info’ after photographers’ complaints
On Monday, Meta announced that it is “updating the ‘Made with AI’ label to ‘AI info’ across our apps, which people can click for more information,” after people complained that their pictures had the tag applied incorrectly. Former White House photographer Pete Souza pointed out the tag popping up on an upload of a photo originally taken on film during a basketball game 40 years ago, speculating that using Adobe’s cropping tool and flattening images might have triggered it.
“As we’ve said from the beginning, we’re consistently improving our AI products, and we are working closely with our industry partners on our approach to AI labeling,” said Meta spokesperson Kate McLaughlin. The new label is supposed to more accurately represent that the content may simply be modified rather than making it seem like it is entirely AI-generated.
The problem seems to be the metadata tools like Adobe Photoshop apply to images and how platforms interpret that. After Meta expanded its policies around labeling AI content, real-life pictures posted to platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Threads were tagged “Made with AI.”
You may see the new labeling first on mobile apps and then the web view later, as McLaughlin tells The Verge it is starting to roll out across all surfaces.
Once you click the tag, it will still show the same message as the old label, which has a more detailed explanation of why it might have been applied and that it could cover images fully generated by AI or edited with tools that include AI tech, like Generative Fill. Metadata tagging tech like C2PA was supposed to make telling the difference between AI-generated and real images simpler and easier, but that future isn’t here yet.
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About the Author
Akinwumi Ajadi
Akinwumi Ajadi is a passionate blogger and technology enthusiast specializing in the information technology niche. With a keen eye for the latest trends and innovations, Akinwumi delivers insightful, engaging, and practical content to help readers navigate the ever-evolving world of tech. From software development to cybersecurity, Akinwumi's expertise spans a wide range of topics, making complex concepts accessible to both novice and experienced tech enthusiasts alike.
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