Ideas to prevent abuse of the timer system

[GLO BOY GOAT]

While it is annoying to deal with players who abuse this system to waste other players time i understand that it is necessary to sometimes run the clock to play your moves and think logically to your opponents play.

A method that I've thought might work is that players who abuse this system or are consistently running the timer out might lose the opportunity to use the timer. My only concern with this method of punishment or enforcement is that players who require more time to play there turns correctly will be punished for no reason.

I would like to know what the community thinks or other ideas they might have to correct this system to make it a better experience for all players of the game.

[Winter Wolf]

You mention the reason this is not good in your caveat. Slow players are not always slow because they are being spiteful or lazy or distracted. They may actually need the time they have. The game does punish people who run out of time. Unfortunately it doesn't do much to deal with those who rope purposefully because many of them just do it enough to be annoying but not enough to lose on time. And it is impossible to differentiate those from the players who are like you say in need of the time they are using.

In addition. as long as the punishment is soft (you lose the game if you delay long enough and you may lose priority/your turn in the meantime) this allows for people to have accidents, fail their connection, think long enough to satisfy their needs, go take care of something with a higher priority than the game they are playing. And still enjoy the game. And while this may inconvenience you and I, it is the conservative safe choice for WoTC.

I think there is really no other solution (than the status quo) that will make everyone happy and some may potentially make no one happy. Your proposal is one such I believe. Even people who hate ropers will fall victim to it randomly. (because things happen and pattern recognition for this sort of thing is not flawless.)

[Thorbalt]

They could start by going after the trash who never play a single card. If you end a game with 0 cards played its an automatic 1 hour ban. If it happens within x games after the first ban expires, its a 24 hr ban. If it happens within x games after the 24 hr ban, its a 1 week ban. Etc etc

[DontMisunderstand]

You've actually hit the nail on the head for why there really aren't many solutions... the timer counts down even if the player is actually playing, so there are already decks that hit the timer while playing faster than the average player. I would think the obvious solution would be to significantly reduce the timer, but make the timer not count down while the stack is resolving with no decisions being made.

[Brujah]

I don't know what's worse, a player who holds time on purpose or a player who creates a deck that each turn takes so long that the timer is activated.

[DontMisunderstand]

Originally posted by Poison Ghost:

I don't know what's worse, a player who holds time on purpose or a player who creates a deck that each turn takes so long that the timer is activated.

Even aggro decks that don't bother thinking about what to do can hit the timer, depending on which specific creatures they're using.

[Brujah]

Originally posted by DontMisunderstand:

Originally posted by Poison Ghost:

I don't know what's worse, a player who holds time on purpose or a player who creates a deck that each turn takes so long that the timer is activated.

Even aggro decks that don't bother thinking about what to do can hit the timer, depending on which specific creatures they're using.

To me it seems like a quick thinking problem

[Malvastor]

The timer should only start ticking if you're actually doing nothing, not just playing slowly, and there should be something actually tracking how many times Player X has lost a game by roping out.

[Brujah]

Originally posted by GLO BOY GOAT:

While it is annoying to deal with players who abuse this system to waste other players time i understand that it is necessary to sometimes run the clock to play your moves and think logically to your opponents play.

A method that I've thought might work is that players who abuse this system or are consistently running the timer out might lose the opportunity to use the timer. My only concern with this method of punishment or enforcement is that players who require more time to play there turns correctly will be punished for no reason.

I would like to know what the community thinks or other ideas they might have to correct this system to make it a better experience for all players of the game.

Unfortunately, nothing can be done about roping. Introducing punishment for those who abuse time would only generate more discussion and problems, especially for beginners who are just starting the game. It wouldn't be an inclusive game.
As I said before, this game should unite people who play MTG, but Arena does the opposite, it makes people less friendly and more toxic, because there are a thousand ways to irritate your opponent whether by Roping, the shuffler or the broken system that became MTG because of extremely powerful cards.

[twinny28]

Just played against Tarlock and he definitely ran the clock down on purpose. Having 2 - 3 cards in his hand and going to the count down clock each time. So I did the same and I had 3 time outs. If he had played quicker he would or beat me quickly as he had a superior deck BUT he had to slow it down didn't he? Two can play at that game it was the slowest victory he has ever had.

[Ravenns24]

Yeah, this def happens A LOT, and it's curious that most of those players only get "lag" when they start losing. However this was an issue even back in Magic Duels and before that, so I am not surprised.

another type is blue control players, it takes AGES for their to finish their turn.

[DontMisunderstand]

Originally posted by Poison Ghost:

Originally posted by DontMisunderstand:

Even aggro decks that don't bother thinking about what to do can hit the timer, depending on which specific creatures they're using.

To me it seems like a quick thinking problem

It's a stack resolution problem. The game counts the timer even while zero input is ALLOWED from either player.

[DontMisunderstand]

Originally posted by njmfffanj:

Yeah, this def happens A LOT, and it's curious that most of those players only get "lag" when they start losing. However this was an issue even back in Magic Duels and before that, so I am not surprised.

another type is blue control players, it takes AGES for their to finish their turn.

Wild that draw-go decks hit the timer on their own turn.