Hey all. After reading the tournament rules, it struck me funny that there is one single 65 minute time from for 2 games. Why isn't there just 2 30 or 32 minute games - so that each game gets a full fair amount of time?

I'm sure I'm not the first person who found this somewhat odd and curious.

Any insight from the tournament organizers? Thanks! 

The reason for not splitting it up is so that at least one game has an opportunity to be completed. If you split it into two 30-minute periods, it is possible that both games will go to time, and then you'd have a real ruckuss of a situation on your hands. If at least one game can be completed (which is highly likely within a span of 65 minutes), then at least there is something concrete upon which to declare one player victorious, even if it's not necessarily fair or balanced (i.e. one player got to play his "better" side while the other was screwed by the random selection of who decides which side to play).

I personally dont think the time is enough.  I know that in big tournaments, you need to keep to a time, and I've run M:tG Pre-Release events for >100 people.  However, in NR I've always allowed unlimited time because the tournaments that I have run have always been 12 or less players and everyone preferred to actually see the games completed.

People will get faster, but at the moment, my first tournament will be soon, and will have some newish players in it who naturally play a little slower.  I need to ensure that they enjoy the day. :)

I've been to a discovery tournament (using the premade decks) and in the first round, the time wasn't even enough to finish the first game.

Games definitely speed up the more practice you have with the system. I know at the Icebreaker, I was usually finishing both games with 20-25 minutes still remaining in the round. Granted, I had played four or five games before the tournament to shake down the rules and have been reading the PDF rulebook for a while before the convention.

Maybe for a beginner's tournament, keep it at 60ish per round, and leave in a option for a time extension if it's looking like the majority of games aren't going to finish in that time. At least that would keep the tournament moving instead of crawling to a stand-still and making people who are already *done* with their rounds sit around more.