Is it legal to write down the cards that get recycled into your deck?

Question

Accepted Answer

Yes — nothing in the provided Core Rules forbids you from privately writing down which cards you recycled. However, writing notes cannot change how Recycling is performed: when cards are Recycled to the Main Deck their bottom-order is random [416.5], while Recycled cards to the Rune Deck are placed in the order of the owner's choosing [416.5.a]. You also are not compelled by game effects to reveal private information about cards in your hand or other private zones [FAQ:unleashed#7].

It is legal to write down (privately) which cards you recycled. Doing so does not alter the recycling action or the placement rules for those cards: multiple cards recycled to your Main Deck are placed on the bottom in a random order [416.5], and multiple cards recycled to your Rune Deck are placed on the bottom in the order you choose [416.5.a]. You may keep those notes private and cannot be forced by a game effect to perform an action that would require exposing private information about cards of a specified type [FAQ:unleashed#7].

Decide which cards you will Recycle (you make that choice when instructed) and perform the recycle action as normal [416.6]. If you want a private record, write down the identities of those cards and keep the note private (the Core Rules excerpts provided do not forbid privately recording your own information). Apply the placement rules: if the cards are Recycled to your Main Deck and 2+ cards are placed simultaneously, they are put on the bottom in a random order [416.5]. If the cards are Recycled to your Rune Deck and 2+ cards are placed simultaneously, you place them on the bottom in the order of your choosing [416.5.a]. Do not reveal the note to your opponent unless you choose to; you cannot be forced by a game effect to perform an action that would require exposing private information about specific card types [FAQ:unleashed#7].

If Recycling is a cost, you must be able to complete the recycle to pay that cost — writing a note cannot substitute for having the cards to recycle [416.3]. If an effect instructs you to Recycle more cards than exist in the specified zone, you Recycle as many as possible; you may note whatever you actually Recycled [416.4]. Notes do not change placement: even if you wrote down an order for Main Deck recycling, the game still randomizes the order for Main Deck placement [416.5]. Recycling during a Mulligan follows the same rules; you may note the recycled cards from the Mulligan, but the Mulligan’s recycle still follows rule [416] as referenced by [118]. If a tournament organizer or judge has a specific policy about written notes or aids, that policy takes precedence over this ruling (not covered in the provided Core Rules).

The Core Rules define Recycling as moving cards from a zone to the bottom of the corresponding deck [416.1]. The rules tell you how to choose cards to Recycle when instructed — "Recycle X from [Zone]" means the instructed player chooses the cards to Recycle [416.6]. There is no rule text in the provided excerpts that forbids a player from privately recording which cards they chose to Recycle. When multiple cards are Recycled to the Main Deck, the placement is randomized, so any written record cannot change the resulting order [416.5]. By contrast, multiple cards Recycled to the Rune Deck are placed in the order of the owner's choosing, so a private note could track that order if the owner wishes [416.5.a].

Be mindful of interaction with cost and partial fulfillment rules: if Recycling is a Cost you must be able to complete it to pay the cost [416.3], and if Recycling is part of an effect you must Recycle as many as possible from the specified zone [416.4]. The official clarification about private information makes the underlying policy clear: players cannot be compelled to perform an action on cards whose privacy is secret or private if that action specifies a type or quality of card, and so you cannot be forced to reveal private card contents just because an effect would demand it [FAQ:unleashed#7].

Because the provided Core Rules do not address tournament-specific policies or written-aid restrictions, check with a tournament organizer or judge if you are in a sanctioned event to confirm whether private notes are allowed under event policy (that is outside the provided excerpts). Otherwise, within the Core Rules excerpts given: writing down which cards you Recycled is legal as long as the notes remain private and you follow the placement and cost rules for Recycling [416.1] [416.5] [416.5.a] [416.3] [416.4] [416.6] [FAQ:unleashed#7].