I’m afraid to say this is not the revival of the old Chris Richter articles to solve your rules questions, but thankfully, the forums have a wonderful section for just that issue.
No, this is a whole other kind of frequently asked questions. As a judge, I get a lot of questions that don’t involve the rules, or policy. Many players can be very social with us, and want to get to know us, and learn about what we do.
Q: What is a judge?
A: This is the question I answer more than any other, since it’s not just Magic players that ask me. To most people, I’ll explain that I officiate and organize events for a card game called Magic the Gathering, and then I get into a long conversation about exactly what all that means. Strangely enough, I find explaining what Magic is to be far more challenging than any rules question.
The other people that ask me this question are generally newer players at FNM who have never seen a judge in action at a PTQ or anything similar. To these people, I’ll explain the kind of questions I answer, what penalties are, and what judging is like.
Q: Is judging fun?
Short answer: Yes
Long answer: Yeeeeeeeessssssss
Long, slightly more in-depth answer: I’m surprised how many people ask me this. I always felt like it was a given that we enjoy doing this. If we didn’t, why else would we do it? To quote James Elliott when he was asked why he judges, “It’s too fun not to do it.” Judging is actually one of the most fun things I’ve managed to get myself into.
Q: What do you get for judging?
A: I suppose this question can somewhat explain why people question the pleasure of judging. Some people see it as a job, and assume I get some form of payment. This isn’t entirely inaccurate, as I almost always get something for judging, whether it be big or small. The most glamorous payment is of course the lovely judge foils we snag. I’ve also gotten anything from packs, to pizza, to nothing but the sheer enjoyment of judging.
What we are compensated with is somewhat irrelevant, though. If I was interested in getting payment, I’d work a real job, which would pay me more.
Q: Which do you prefer, judging or playing?
A: Well, it depends on the event. Simply judging at an FNM can be a bit dull for me. The store I frequent typically only has ten to twenty players, and there is only about one question per round. As you can imagine, this isn’t exactly riveting. Thankfully, I can choose to both play and judge at an FNM, but during the age where I had to make a choice, I almost always chose to play.
Q: But what about at a Grand Prix? Wouldn’t you love to, just once, cast off that black shirt and have your shot at thousands of dollars?
A: If I could somehow split myself into two people with one unified brain that would allow me to both play and judge, then sure, in a heartbeat. I actually think playing in a Grand Prix would be a lot of fun, and I bet I could even do somewhat decently with the right amount of testing, but I know exactly what would happen were I to play in one. A few rounds in, I’d say to myself “I’m having a blast, but am I really enjoying myself more than I would if I were judging?” The answer would probably be no.
So in summary, playing in competitive events would be fun, but judging in them is simply more fun.
Q: Is this card/deck/sealed pool good?
A: Typical judge misconception #1: Being a judge automatically makes you bad at Magic.
Then, of course, there is typical judge misconception #2: Being a judge automatically makes you good at Magic.
The second of these misconceptions is typically the one that players unfamiliar with judges think. They figure that our official status makes us an expert on all things Magic. It’s not an entirely outlandish thought, though. Most judges have been playing Magic for a fair bit of time, so if nothing else they’ve had a good amount of practice.
Though I will say this: if you want someone to tell you how good your sealed or draft deck is, don’t come to me. My experience in Limited is, well, limited.
For the record, being a judge has little to no relation to your skills as a player. If you want some evidence, feel free to ask the judges out there with an 1800+ rating or the folks that have ratings under 1600.
Q: How much is this card worth?
This one always throws me off, especially when the same people ask me about card prices every time I see them. Unless you’re one of the various L3’s working for StarCityGames.com (congrats, Nicholas Sabin!) or in a similar retail position, I can say with certainty that being a judge does not affect your knowledge of card prices in any way, shape, or form. In fact, every time I try to sell a card, I have to look it up to make sure I’m not screwing myself / someone else.
If you’re interested in the price or play quality of a card, always go with the sure thing, and check the Internet.
Something about saying that feels wrong.
Q: So you must love EDH, eh?
Oh, you betchya!
I have Zur (a non-absurd build), Kamahl, Razia, Korlash, Captain Sisay, Niv-Mizzet (without combos), and am currently working on a few more.
You’ll find that some judges like me have fallen in love with all things EDH, but I think we’re in the minority. A lot of judges enjoy it more for the social aspect than anything else. Judges are great people to hang out and converse with, so why not throw a hundred cards together to have something to fill the gaps of silence in conversation?
There is also the minority of judges that really hate playing EDH. They feel the games take too long, or it’s just too much of a pain to build such a huge deck.
But hey, we can’t all be perfect, right?
Q: All those judges… There must be a few you don’t get along with.
A: In my nearly four year career, I’ve met two judges I didn’t like. Turns out they were both just bad first impressions, and I would in fact consider those two people some of my favorite judges in the program. There are certainly some character traits I’ve come across that don’t mesh well with mine, but I’m certain I could say that about anyone.
As mentioned above, judges are not in this for the compensation. We do it because we’re helpful individuals that love Magic. These are the kind of people that I will typically get along with, so it’s actually quite unlikely that I’m going to come across a judge anytime soon that I straight up dislike.
Q: Any plans on advancing past Level 2?
A: That question has been asked of me a lot lately, and half the time it’s me asking myself. I’m very happy with my roles as an L2. I’m currently trying to assess the benefits to myself and the program that being an L3 would provide.
Beyond L3? Let’s not even go there… Yet.
Q: When are you going to call it quits?
A: Certainly no time in the foreseeable future. As long as I’m involved in Magic, I’ll be involved in judging, and I suspect I’ll be involved in the Magic scene for many years to come. I’ve been playing since I was in grade 1, and haven’t really stopped since. When Magic has been part of 75% of your life (and more than 80% if you don’t count the years that I wasn’t really aware of my surroundings) it’s really hard to imagine your life without it.
So why would I quit? Again, as James Elliott once said “Judging is too fun not to do it.”
Got any more questions? Post in the forums, or email me ([email protected]) Always happy to enlighten people on what exactly it is that we do.
Until next time, stay out of the penalty box.