Judge levels are a communication tool, just like all certifications. They communicate a baseline suite of skills and knowledge. Knowing this, it’s very tempting then to frame each next level as a “better judge,” since they have more skills and more knowledge. I want to challenge that framing.

Back in the legacy Judge Program under The New New World Order, the Level 3 advancement process was a monumental task. There was a large checklist you had to complete, an extensive interview process, and a stress-filled panel interview at the end. Undertaking this endeavor was not feasible for many people. This created an odd problem among judges, often referred to as “Level 2+”. This was meant to describe a highly skilled and experienced Level 2 judge that maybe made sense to be Level 3, but was unable to complete the process for any of a long list of reasons. Many conversations happened during this era on how to solve this problem, but ultimately no solution was ever implemented, as evidenced by the fact that Judge Academy adopted the legacy Judge Program levels nearly identically when that transition happened in 2019. So for this whole era, there is a phenomenon of Level 2 not accurately describing many judges that were unable to obtain Level 3 which may have described them more accurately.

In my understanding, Judge Foundry’s levels attempted to address this issue by separating the former Level 2 into Levels 2 and 3, and moving the old Level 3 into Levels 4 and 5. This granularity is a positive move and is largely effective, as the new Level 3 is nowhere near as daunting as the old one. The “exceptional L2s” get a real chance to obtain a certification that more accurately describes their skills and experience. The other primary “innovation” that Foundry brought over Judge Academy was the return of maintenance.

Maintenance is a good thing. It ensures that judges are putting their skills into practice to keep them sharp and effective. But there’s also a subtle yet key aspect to maintenance that I want to emphasize: it sets a baseline for what it means to be that level of judge. As an example of what I mean by this, let’s look at the event-related maintenance requirements for Level 5, my current level:

Choose three —

• Lead a total of 30 judges as a Team Lead at events
• Head-judge an event with at least twelve judges
• Work at least eight multi-day events
• Serve on one or more advancement panels
• Lead a core project
• Create educational content (ex: article, conference presentation, video, etc.), subject to approval

Based on my 2024 events thus far and my planned events in Q1 of 2025, I am unlikely to meet the event requirements for Level 5 maintenance. There are several reasons for this. I missed an event due to a bout of COVID-19. I couldn’t travel for a while due to a wedding I was attending. I won an RCQ and chose to compete in the Regional Championship at SCG Con Washington DC instead of working it. I started a new job this year and didn’t have time to dedicate to a core project.

Now the same bracket of maintenance requirements for Level 4:

Choose three —

• Lead a total of 20 judges as a Team Lead at events
• Head-judge an event with at least five judges
• Work at least six multi-day events
• Serve on one or more L4 advancement panels
• Lead a core project
• Create educational content (ex: article, conference presentation, video, etc.), subject to approval

I will meet these requirements handily, even in a year where I put a notably lower emphasis on working every event I possibly can. When I started doing maintenance math and I realized this, I noticed my gut response was a small amount of panic. But that was just my conditioned response, from years of implications that “higher level = better”. I am here to tell you today that that’s not true. At least, it’s not the entire story.

A higher-level judge has indeed demonstrated skills above and beyond their previous level. However, a level is and has always been a floor, not a ceiling. It’s up to each judge to demonstrate their skills to their fellow judges, team leads, head judges, tournament organizers, and staffing managers. When it comes to determining the right level for yourself, I challenge you to consider what your relationship with judging actually is and what you realistically want it to be.

I’m 38 years old. My life is unrecognizable from what it was when I started judging (well, I’m still playing World of Warcraft…). What made sense for me then is not the same as the height of my Grand Prix and MagicFest staffing in 2018 and 2019, nor is it the same as what makes sense for me today in 2024. Frankly, I want to play in more Magic events. I have a great job that gives me the expendable income to travel and keep up with multiple formats. I’m traveling for non-Magic reasons more as well. I won’t be at SCG Con Portland or MagicCon Chicago because I’m going to Brazil for a week. I have to be realistic about my judging goals in 2025 and it’s pretty clear that continuing to maintain Level 5 will be difficult and may require sacrifices I’m unwilling to make.

In that context, the reality isn’t “I’m being demoted to Level 4,” it’s “Level 4 makes more sense for me.” It’s not like I’ll lose any skills or knowledge on April 1, 2025. Anyone who knew me as a Level 5 judge may not even notice unless explicitly told. Certainly, most importantly, any TOs that have staffed me previously will already know how I will be an asset to their events. Because that’s the most important thing your level does: communicate your skills to a TO who doesn’t know you. After that, it’s all up to you. And that’s why I’ll be okay at Level 4.