La disposition des cartes est gérée, dans le cas des tournois compétitifs et professionnels, par les Tournament Rules :
4.7 Game Layout
Players in Competitive and Professional Rules Enforcement Level matches must arrange their cards, tokens, and
other accessories on the battlefield using the following layout:
• From the player’s perspective, nonlands must be kept closer to the player’s opponent than lands, and
no non-land cards should be between the land area and the edge of the table closest to the player.
• Non-creature permanents whose use may reasonably be associated with either the land or nonland
area (e.g., an artifact whose only ability is a mana ability) may be located in either area, provided the
overall layout is, in the judgment of tournament officials, clear. However, permanents that are also
creatures (e.g., artifacts with March of the Machines on the battlefield, Dryad Arbor, or a Treetop
Village that is currently a creature) must be placed in the nonland area. Players may not use other
cards to intentionally obscure the presence of a permanent in any area of the battlefield.
• Each card should remain clearly associated with any permanents attached to it. For example, an Aura
enchanting a land should be in the land area in contact with that land.
• The player’s library, graveyard, and exiled cards should be kept all to the left of the battlefield or all
to the right of the battlefield at the player’s discretion.
• The player’s graveyard and exiled cards should be adjacent to the player’s library. All three should be
distinct at all times.
• If a card is exiled by a permanent and that permanent includes a way to perform additional actions
with the exiled card, the association of the two cards must be clear. Keeping the two cards together is
recommended.
• Each untapped permanent should face its controller. Players are permitted to briefly turn a card
upside-down as a memory aid.
Physical objects used to represent permanents must have a way of clearly representing any in-game status, such as
whether a permanent is tapped. Sleeves or card backs that appear similar to any player’s sleeves or card backs
may not be used. The Head Judge is the final authority on what may be used to represent permanents.
Tournament officials may make exceptions or additions to these guidelines at their sole discretion in order to keep
each player’s game layout clear. Players in exceptional situations (e.g., a player playing a deck with no lands or a
deck that makes significant use of the graveyard) should consult with tournament officials to determine what
allowances, if any, will be made.
Ces règles peuvent aussi s'appliquer dans un cadre non compétitif. Par ailleurs, les Tournament Rules décrivent de manière assez précise les règles de communication entre les joueurs, et notamment ce qui est autorisé ou pas pour compliquer la lecture du jeu de l'adversaire.