NP and the rest just wanted the Bakugan, not the cards, Gear, Evos, or the rules.
Exactly, and what annoys me to no end is that they were allowed at the previous Cons, the Battle Masters KNEW the one kid was using a GI, when he asked them if he could use it they said "Yes, but not the cards that came with it." WHY THE **** DID THEY BAN THEM NOW AND NOT THEN?!?[/capslock]
It's because they're too scared to confront anyone without a written mandate. If they ban someone without a mandate and it turns out it was okay, there would be more hell to pay than NOT disqualifying someone without authoritative descisions to back it up.
SM needs to really work on the game rules. They have a good product but the core of the product which is the game is a mess in some areas. Their FAQ is insufficient. They should start creating a gameplay ruling database or list that will deal with the different issues that players encounter with the game. Official rulings that should cover card errors, turn sequences, legal plays, etc. It's their game. They can pretty much say or enforce any rule as long as they they make it clear and make it official. I know this is a lot of hard work but if they keeping adding to the game without the solid foundation of the game rules then they are bound to create confusion and frustration among players.