Watching another judge take a call is often referred to as “shadowing.” There’s a lot of slang in judging but this is one of my favorite bits. Like all the best jargon, its meaning is immediately clear when you hear it, even if you’ve never heard the term before. A shadow sticks near the original, quietly standing by; in judge terms it means going to a call to observe how another judge handles it.
Shadowing is one of the best tools in our belt for making sure questions are answered correctly and for helping each other improve. Here are five tips for shadowing like a pro.
Tip One: Stay on the Call!
When you follow another judge to a call, you are there on the call with them. That might sound like a meaningless tautology or something, but I mean it – when you’re on the call, you’re on the call. You can hear what the players are saying, and you might notice a detail the first judge misses or consider an angle they don’t. They might want to doublecheck their decision with someone before delivering it. Peeling off before the call is finished (or at least you’re confident the initial judge has things well in hand) is not the best. Sometimes, of course, it’s required – another hand goes up nearby and everyone else is on break or otherwise unavailable at the moment, the TO hasn’t adequately staffed the event…for whatever reason, sometimes you’re the only person nearby and you have to leave the first judge alone to go answer the other call.
Whenever possible, however, it’s a good habit to stay on the call. When you’re shadowing another judge and see another player call for a judge, at the very least, take half a moment to glance around and see if another judge is on the way before you head off to take the call. We place a lot of importance on speed, in judging – this is a spot its ok to let the players wait a moment. If you leave at the first sign of another call, you might save a few seconds by getting there before another judge can…but then if the person you were shadowing wants a second opinion they’ll have to spend a minute or two filling in another judge on all the details, which you already have. In the long run, it costs more time than it saves.
Tip Two: Don’t Take Over
It’s always good to avoid stepping on other judge’s toes, and shadowing is no exception. If you’re the second judge to a call, recognize that the first judge is running the show. They’re the one in charge, they’re the one talking to the players, and you shouldn’t intrude unless it feels absolutely necessary.
If you are shadowing but suddenly start talking to the players, it sends the signal that you don’t trust the first judge to handle the call. It tells both the players and the judge that you think you know more than them.
This is an unwanted behavior no matter who the two judges involved are, but it can be especially undesirable at times.
Nearly every woman judge and non-binary judge I have spoken with has more than one story of a time they got to a call first, they felt they knew what to rule and did not need any help, but a cis male judge shadowing them took over. Despite not meaning to, they undermined their fellow judge. This is the kind of behavior that can make people feel unwelcome in judging, and Magic in general.
An easy way to avoid repeating this kind of behavior: don’t step into the call you’re shadowing without the first judge’s explicit permission. This doesn’t need to be a big production; just some eye contact and a brief “Mind if I…?” or similar is usually enough. You can also ask to consult away from the table, and then ask if they’d like assistance.
Tip Three: Handling Appeals
In the event of an appeal, it’s a good idea to have a judge sit on the match while someone goes to fetch the Head Judge. Sometimes the players will be upset with each other and need a calming word, or perhaps we just need to make sure the board state doesn’t change while the primary judge is away from the match.
Having two judges on the call instead of just one will help save some time here, as the shadower can stay on the match and the shadowee can head off to grab a redshirt.
When there’s an appeal, it’s always a good idea for the first judge to the call to be the one to grab the Head Judge. The first judge “owns” the call, and they’re the one the players have gotten used to talking to. They should stay the point-person throughout.
Tip Four: When Things Go Wrong
One big benefit of shadowing is that sometimes, you’ll have the opportunity to head off disaster if it seems like the first judge is about to rule incorrectly. But what’s the best way to do that?
If at all possible, it’s good to try to avoid saying the first judge is wrong, publicly. This could make the players lose confidence in the judge – or even all judges! – and it could easily make the first judge feel belittled. Also, it’s always possible you as the shadower missed a key detail, and the first judge is actually correct. Keeping up a unified front will help keep up player faith in the staff and avoid unnecessarily cutting anyone down.
Instead of just blurting out that the defense first judge is wrong and taking over the call, I recommend asking to speak away from the table. Interrupting with “Sorry – could we consult for a moment?” is going to accomplish much the same as “Wrong again, bucko,” but it is a lot less likely to make someone want to quit judging. Once away from the table you can make your case for an alternative ruling to the first judge. Whether you convince them it’s a HCE not an LEC or they point out the Urborg you had missed, you can then go back to the table together and let them deliver the now-agreed-on final verdict.
Tip Five: Feedback!
After the call, time permitting, discuss it with the judge you shadowed! Regardless of which of you is more experienced, at least one of you can learn something from a discussion of the call. Some questions to get your conversation started:
- Did the judge do anything unusual?
- Did they ask any questions you wouldn’t have thought to ask?
- What did you like most about how they answered the call?
- How did they know it wasn’t a similar-but-different ruling?
- Did they consider the player might have been cheating?
- Did the judge take longer to arrive at a decision than they should/could have?
- Did you learn anything by watching the call?
- Was there anything unusual the players said or did?
- Have you ever gotten a similar call wrong before?
Remember that the goal of feedback should be to help the other judge improve. It should be constructive. That doesn’t mean it needs to be fully positive all the time, but it does mean that anything negative should have a purpose. Just cutting someone down doesn’t do anyone any good.
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As a final note – don’t get too carried away with shadowing. It’s a good thing, but can be taken too far. As some have put it: one judge on a call is good, two judges is better, but three judges is too many. The benefits of adding another judge to a call drop off quickly, and a third judge is usually better off spreading out some.
Thanks for reading – now go shadow someone else on a call!
How timely! My Facebook memories today included a story about my first experience of being shadowed, back before I knew it was a thing. “2003 Boston, L1 at my first GP and thus my first (striped) judge shirt. One of the early rounds I answer a call near the top tables, and as I’m explaining that “no, you’ve moved one of your attackers to the graveyard as a result of lethal combat damage, it is too late to declare another attacker” out of the corner of my eye I notice that the judge who certified me had been listening in but was moving on, satisfied that I had things well in hand. I’d been nervous, but that really gave my confidence a boost. Thanks, John Carter!”