Grand Prix Washington DC 2018 - Welcome to the Fold

In America’s capital, we have six new judges to Welcome to the Fold!

Logan Anbinder

Name: Logan Anbinder
Level: Level 2
Location: Ellicott City, Maryland, United States of America
Region: USA – Midatlantic
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: Odyssey block in 2001/02– still have my Squirrel deck!
L1 Certification Date: March 29, 2017
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: The versatility of the game and the number of ways it can be enjoyed– I have just as much fun drafting at FNM and going to PPTQs now as I did playing kitchen table (or, living room floor) Magic against my friend’s mono-black Thrashing Wumpus deck.
Occupation: Academic Advisor
Random fact about yourself: I also volunteer for the US national quidditch league, training tournament organizers to make sure they can hold official events.
Why did you become a judge?: The same reason I became a tour guide in college– I really enjoy being a resource to people about things that I’m knowledgeable about. I had developed a good sense of the rules from playing for so long (and partially from printing out a giant binder full of the Comprehensive Rules back in middle school, in case we encountered any rules disputes), so I was already a “”rules advisor”” for players at my LGS, but I wanted to increase my knowledge and develop my ability to effectively give rulings.
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: I don’t play a lot of constructed Magic, so I don’t have as good an understanding as I’d like of the constructed metagame, which can be important for rulings and is especially important in understanding potential lines of play during investigations.
How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: Judging more constructed events has given me a better understanding of the metagame, as has reading more constructed-centric articles on Magic sites and watching more coverage. I’ve also been working on my investigation skills in general by attending workshops about investigations hosted by one of my area L3s.
What is your favorite Magic memory?: My first-ever prerelease, Fifth Dawn, which was also my first-ever organized play event. I lost my first match and was really disappointed to see that on the pairings for the next round, next to my name it just said “”BYE.”” I thought that was the tournament’s way of telling me that I had been eliminated from the prerelease! Fortunately I had to stick around with my friend who was playing that round, or else I might have actually left altogether!

Derrin Ashley

Name: Derrin Ashley
Level: Level 1
Location: Brunswick, Maryland, United States of America
Region: USA – Midatlantic
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: 09/1997
L1 Certification Date: February 3, 2018
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: Building new decks
Occupation: Elevator Mechanic
Random fact about yourself: I helped tear down the Berlin Wall to end communism in Germany
Why did you become a judge?: Have more interaction with Magic and help my local stores have a judge at home
What excites you most about this event?: Because it is local I am able to participate in more of the weekend than I could if I had to travel
What worries you most about this event?: Blowing some calls
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: How to handle myself in a large scale event with many many players
Who are your mentors?: Martha Lufkin
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: Understanding some of the many complex interactions in formats that I don’t typically play in
How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: Researching and watching games that wouldn’t normally be of interest to me
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: We have players for all formats, so you can really branch out and explore
What is your favorite Magic memory?: Building a deck for my brother that had Leviathan in it and convinced him how good the card was

Alex Bell

Name: Alex Bell
Level: Level 1
Location: San Angelo, Texas, United States of America
Region: USA – South
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: July 2003
L1 Certification Date: January 28, 2018
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: The competitiveness
Occupation: ER Tech
Random fact about yourself: I love cooking. Most of my time not spent playing Magic is spent in the kitchen.
Why did you become a judge?: I had been playing for a long time and I figured it was about time I became certified
What excites you most about this event?: It’s both the first GP I’m judging as well as a great opportunity to meet up with friends/family in the area
Who are your mentors?: Phillip Robinson
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: How tight-knit the community is. Most everyone becomes fast friends at our local events.
What is your favorite Magic memory?: My first time making day 2 of a Grand Prix

Charles Burger

Name: Charles Burger
Level: Level 1
Location: Union Bridge, Maryland, United States of America
Region: USA – Midatlantic
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: Sometime during Innistrad block
L1 Certification Date: November 16, 2014
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: Belcher, it’s a great deck
Occupation: Customer Service Rep for a Debt Relief Company
Random fact about yourself: I missed T64 of an SCG Legacy Open with Belcher by less than 1 percent.
Why did you become a judge?: I had a few friends who owned a store with no judge in the area. I wanted to help them out.
What excites you most about this event?: I finally get to make day 2 of a GP!
What worries you most about this event?: Making a huge mistake.
Who are your mentors?: JD Nir, Ben Harris
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: We’re fairly close-knit
What is your favorite Magic memory?: GP NJ 2014. Played solidly with Belcher in a room full of Force of Wills and was certified by Elliot Raff on Sunday!

Brad Copenhaver

Name: Brad Copenhaver
Level: Level 1
Location: Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
Region: USA – Midatlantic

Derek Maples

Name: Derek Maples
Level: Level 1
Location: Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States of America
Region: USA – Midatlantic