End of the year festivities are almost here and and what better way to set the mood for the season than announcing the Wave 15 Vanguard: Alistair Crook!

Alistair is a level 2 judge from UKISA region and if you are not following the Judge of the Week blog, you should, because there is an interview with our Vanguard there! And if you are reading this to learn what nomination was selected for the Vanguard, then here it is – a recognition Alistair’s got from Trevor Nunez:

“I know you as Phillammon more than as Alistair. I also know you as a perpetual shining beacon for Magic, and the Judge program, on the LRR Discord. Most everyone in the Magic group knows you’re a judge, and if you’re the first point of contact these people have with the program, you’re a good one. You’re always polite, friendly, helpful. You’re happy to talk at length about the rules, the policies, about the Program itself. I’ve seen you spark interest in it with more than a few people. I’ve seen you pull back the curtain and show others how fascinating and complex the rules can be underneath the surface, and it’s always with visible glee and interest- it’s never you lording your arcane knowledge over others, it’s you calling everyone to come look at this neat thing, and show them to love it the way you do. I wish more Judges showed such love and enthusiasm for the game, for the complexities, for the Program, and shared it with the world as brightly as you do. The game would be all the better for it.”

I think a lot of judges can relate to the description above. If there was another reason you’ve joined the Program, I’m sure that digging into the fascinating complexity of the rules is what you’d stayed for. Judges are rules experts after all, willing to help players and share their knowledge with the colleagues. Being able to keep that attitude while being present at various platforms and engaging with the Magic community on a daily basis is a rare trait.

Burnouts are a real thing. And when one of us approaches this state it’s a good time to reflect at the reasons why we got involved into judging this game, what we loved about it. Engaging in a variety of activities like Alistair does can help one find new sources of energy and enthusiasm to go on with judging in all of its aspects.

For these reason, we selected Alistair as the Wave 15 Vanguard.  For this wave, Alistair selected to be represented as an Creature – Goblin. Unfortunately, the art is not yet available for release, so we are going to have to keep you in suspense a bit longer.

 

 

As a reminder, Exemplar Wave 16 closes on Tuesday Feb. 19th at 23:59 PST