<SG7>
According toe SG7, as well as the Q&A, a DQ for scoring with 4 discs can result in a disqualification from the match if it is intentional, egregious, or match affecting. This is being called differently by prominent referees, as well as local ones. So that all of us can call it as you intended the rule to be, would you answer the following questions:
Scenario and question 1: A team picks up four discs. They shoot three and score all three. Of course the first one is the only one that was scored while holding four discs. The team who shot while holding four discs wins the match by 11 points. Would the offense be consdering match effecting because they consider all three discs scored to be illegal (scoring 15 points illegally), or would it not be match effecting because they only shot one disc while holding four discs (scoring 5 points illegally)?
Scenario and question 2: A team accidentally scores with 4 discs without being aware. They were not warned by the ref. Let's say they win 223 to 27. Is the team disqualified for unintentionally scoring with four discs when the scored disc did not affect the outcome of the match?
Your scenarios are directly addressed by the <SG7> Violation Notes and red box note, as provided below:
- Any intentional Violation by an Alliance who wins the Match will be considered Match Affecting.
- Egregious Violations, such as continuing to play other portions of the Game (e.g., Rollers or Endgame) without attempting to remove excess Discs for the majority of the Match, or “accidentally” Possessing an egregious amount of Discs, may also be considered Major Violations
at the Head Referee’s discretion.
Red box:
Other than a situation involving a blatantly intentional Violation of G14, any Robot which is in Possession of more than three Discs is in Violation of this rule, regardless of intent, circumstance, or context. It is extremely difficult to extrapolate how limiting an opponent’s access to game objects, even temporarily, may impact a Match. Therefore, in general, it is a Team’s responsibility to ensure that:
- Their Robots are designed to mitigate the possibility of controversial rulings (e.g., they cannot physically Possess more than the permitted Disc limit).
- Their strategies during a Match mitigate the possibility of controversial rulings (e.g., they do not attempt to score any points while Possessing four or more Discs).
Based on the first Violation Note, both of these scenarios are Match Affecting if the violation is committed by a Robot on the winning Alliance, particularly because the Robot does not comply with either of the bullet points in the red box. Either scenario may also be ruled as Match Affecting at the Head Referee's discretion based on the 2nd Violation Note, regardless of whether the offending Robot is on the winning or losing Alliance.
