SCG Daily: Ask the Frickin’ Judge

I have played in a lot of PTQs, Grand Prix, and other big tourneys, and have my fair share of PTQ Top 8 pins. I’m a player. I’m also a judge, and have judged at Nationals, Grand Prix, Worlds and Pro Tours. Since I have a foot in both camps, I want to pass on some advice – judge to player. This is stuff that players should know, and judges wish they would know. This may not win you games and matches – but it may keep you from losing games and matches.

My first piece of advice – if you think something is wrong in a game, if you have a problem, or if you don’t understand something – call the frickin’ judge.

Look, judges are there to answer questions. That’s at least half of what they’re there to do. If you have a question, just ask.

Here’s a little secret. Judges like getting asked questions. We judges are often bored out of our minds during the event. We aren’t playing. We are watching for problems, for cheating, and for misplays – but just walking around watching pieces of individual matches for hours on end is not really that exciting.

Getting asked a question is way more exciting than passively watching a match. Especially after watching snippets of the same matchups table after table.

When people call for a judge at events I’m at, several judges head for the table. The first judge gets to answer the call. The second judge, nowadays, often “shadows” the first judge. Shadowing merely means listening in on the conversation, observing the call, and assisting, if necessary. Shadowing is mainly a teaching tool – although it can also serve as a backstop, if necessary. If the first judge is uncertain, the judges may discuss the answer.

Shadowing also means two judges get to respond to a judge call. The boredom lifts for two judges.

One more thing – when you call a judge, call “Judge” loudly and clearly, then raise your hand and keep it up until a judge responds.

Typically, people who call a judge are looking at a problem or confusing situation. They call for a judge, then look at the cards some more. The judges hear “Judge!” and turn to see fifty tables of people staring at cards and no hands up anywhere. This happens all the frickin’ time.

If you want a judge, you have to raise your hand, or signal us in some way. Like everyone else at a tourney, judges are generally watching Magic cards in play. The odds that they will actually see someone’s mouth saying “judge” are not good – you need to get your hand up.

As I said before, if you think there’s something shady going on, or if you don’t understand something, call a judge. It’s what we are there for. Call us, ask your question. We’ll try to answer.

Judges are judges, however, not coaches. We can answer rules questions – e.g. “Can I do this?” We can’t / shouldn’t / won’t answer “Is it a good idea to do this?”

This gets tricky at times. A classic example – and common question – was “Can I Misdirect Duress?” Technically, the answer was “Yes” – Misdirection can target Duress, and change the target of the spell. However, Misdirection does not change the controller of the spell, and Duress targets an opponent – so Misdirecting Duress does nothing in a two-player game. The answer might vary with the level of the tournament, but a better answer was, typically, “Yes, Misdirection would allow you to change Duress’s target to any target opponent.” The player will still have to figure out what “opponent” means – or be smart enough to ask.

The answers are also going to vary based on the level of the tourney. At FNM, for example, I am going to do a lot more explaining and teaching in my answers than I will at a GP or Pro Tour.

Also, be careful what you ask. Here’s a real life example: Player A had Sakura-Tribe Elder and Promise of the Bunrei in play, and the opponent had a Samurai of the Pale Curtain. Player A asked “With Promise and the Samurai, can I still sac the Elder?” The answer was “yes.” What Player A should have asked was “if I sacrifice the Elder, will that trigger Promise?” The answer to that is “no.”

You also shouldn’t worry about getting your opponent into trouble. If they are not cheating, and just made an innocent mistake, the penalties are generally not harsh. If they are cheating, they deserve to be in trouble. Don’t worry about that distinction – that’s the judge’s job.

I talked about “levels” of tournaments – I should explain. Tournaments come in several levels – with the increasing levels of both rating points and rules enforcement. The rules enforcement levels (REL) for typical types of tourneys are:

• REL 5: World Championship and Pro Tour events

• REL 4: Grand Prix and National Championship events

• REL 3: Pro Tour Qualifiers, Regional Championships, and Junior Super Series Championships

• REL 2: State Championships, Amateur Championships, Junior World Opens, and Grand Prix Trials

• REL 1: Junior Super Series Challenges, Prerelease tournaments, and Friday Night Magic

The penalties also vary, depending on the REL. A caution is, basically, a mild scolding. A warning is more serious – and warnings will be reported to the DCI and tracked. A game loss means that you just lost a game – either the one you are in, or the one you were about to start. A match loss means losing the current (or next) match. Disqualification without prizes means you are being booted from the tournament. Here’s the table, from the official DCI penalty guidelines:

These are guidelines, not set in stone. Judges have some flexibility to modify the penalties if circumstances warrant it. In some mitigating circumstances, I have downgraded a penalty. In others, I have upgraded the penalty.

If you make the same mistake – in other words, if you repeat an infraction – the penalty is generally going to be upgraded one level. For example, the first time you look at four cards, instead of three, with Sensei’s Divining Top, you may get a Caution. The second time, you will probably get a Warning, and the third time, you may well get a Game Loss. This depends, to some extent, on the circumstances, but at GP: Minneapolis, the head judge directed all judges to upgrade Top errors, because of the high potential for abuse, and the ubiquity of Tops in that format.

To recap – if you are unsure about something, call a judge.