Reading List: Summer 2016

One of the things I love most about Magic is how so many amazing people create so much amazing content every day. This week, I’d like to step back and highlight some of the articles that have impacted me the most lately. Let’s get to it!

Why Words Matter – Meg Rickman

As a player or as a judge, be aware of the power behind your words. You can either build someone up or tear someone down with what you say.

Be the reason someone wants to play Magic.

The Review Revue – Brogan King and others
The Review Revue is basically a support group for anyone who wants to improve their reviews. It’s great for asking questions, finding an accountabilibuddy, or just swapping stories. If you’re looking for a more active way to heighten your thinking about reviews, I can’t recommend this one highly enough.

What’s Up Docs: GP LA Appeals Judge Report – Kevin Desprez
Hey, I was at this Grand Prix! As always, Kevin’s blog is a great source of insights on policy, investigations, appeals, and other topics. If you aren’t a regular reader you should be!

Magic Judge Monthly: May 2016
As always, the MJM does a great job of consolidating the most relevant posts from all around the Judge Blog Network and the rest of the web.

Exemplar Nomination Guidelines – Bryan Prillaman
Hot off the presses, this blog post succinctly and clearly explains the criteria that the Exemplar team uses to evaluate whether nominations should be approved or deferred. (Plus: nominations from Wave 5 will be released sometime next week!)

MtG Scorekeeper: GP Charlotte 2016: Saturday (The GP) — Jenn Dery
Jenn parts the veil of secrecy that often surrounds scorekeepers and their tournament software. An essential read!

/r/mtjudge Scorekeeper AMA – Jordan Baker, Jenn Dery, and Meg Stephens
Speaking of scorekeeping, if you wanted to ask some of the world’s best scorekeepers anything…well, you missed your chance by a couple days. But you can still read their informative responses!

Ask a Judge: The Eternal Question – Paul Baranay and Kevin King
Have you ever wanted to know what a pangolin is? Look no further! Eternal Masters is an awesome but complex set, so Kevin and I answered some of the common and/or interesting questions you may encounter.

Magic Story: Stone and Blood – Kelly Digges
As a huge Vorthos/lore nerd, I’m excited that we’ve started delving into the Eldritch Moon story. This week’s episode is particularly evocative, so make sure to check it out!

Up to Four Players – Aviv Or and Eran Aviram
A fun webcomic about games and gamers. They won me over with this incredibly on-point comic about Codenames.

“Love Is Love Is Love” (Tony Acceptance Speech) – Lin-Manuel Miranda

Now fill the world with music, love, and pride.