Grand Prix Barcelona 2018 - Welcome to the Fold

This weekend in España, we have nine new judges to Welcome to the Fold!

Nicolás Cabello Iglesias

Name: Nicolás Cabello Iglesias
Level: Level 1
Location: Langreo, Spain
Region: Iberia

Tiago Careta

Name: Tiago Careta
Level: Level 1
Location: Torres Vedras, Portugal
Region: Iberia
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: Summer ’98
L1 Certification Date: December 17, 2016
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: My favorite “”thing”” in the world is obviously my son… he’s the BEST
Occupation: Salesperson and Store Owner
Random fact about yourself: Managed to go from my job to a Magic store in less than 12 parsecs
Why did you become a judge?: To be able to better serve my local community
What excites you most about this event?: The possibility to work with so many people and get to learn with all of them (judges, staff, etc.)
What worries you most about this event?: Nothing to worry about
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: As much as I can… about judging and event management
Who are your mentors?: in Judging? Diogo Santos, from my hometown; in life? My parents and my son (who teaches me a lot about myself everyday)
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: I think that the most difficult part is to better interact with the players, keep their egos in control, and avoid toxicity as a general behavior.
How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: I listen to “”Toxicity””, from System of a Down, 10 times before any event XD
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: Basically the fact that most of us know each other, and are friends, for over a decade… I think that is the best part of Magic… The Gathering.
What is your favorite Magic memory?: I can’t say… Magic is in my life for so many years that I can’t point just one memory… There are just too many of them, and all great!

Luis Manuel Encina Diaz

Name: Luis Manuel Encina Diaz
Level: Level 1
Location: Sevilla, Spain
Region: Iberia
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: February, 2006
L1 Certification Date: November 1, 2014
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: The Gitrog Monster as Commander
Occupation: Biologist
Random fact about yourself: I practised ancient fencing
Why did you become a judge?: Because I love weird interactions and I want to know them and explain them to other players.
What excites you most about this event?: I’m very excited of all because it’s my first GP
What worries you most about this event?: My little experience in these events.
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: How a GP works from inside.
Who are your mentors?: Jose Luis Rofa for L1 and Maxim Antipov for L2
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: I’m trying to improve my english skills.
How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: I am in translation team of Cranial Insertion
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: All the strange decks they play.
What is your favorite Magic memory?: My first top 1 at Eventide Prerelease

Almudena Gómez Sánchez-Paulete

Name: Almudena Gómez Sánchez-Paulete
Level: Level 1
Location: Madrid, Spain
Region: Iberia

Guy Franck Kone

Name: Guy Franck Kone
Level: Level 2
Location: Carignano, Italy
Region: Italy and Malta
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: 2009
L1 Certification Date: March 17, 2013
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: Jund people out.
Occupation: Shop assistant/translator
Random fact about yourself: I hate carrots.
Why did you become a judge?: To help others and myself improve as players by knowing how the game works.
What excites you most about this event?: Everything.
What worries you most about this event?: Not much really. Just a little worried of not being good enough.
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: How to eat tapas without being noticed. On a serious note, I actually don’t know; there’s so much to learn. I’ll just go with flow for now.
Who are your mentors?: George Gravilita, Walter Zarà, Luca Romano and Giorgio Maldarizzi.
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: Trying to be more technical and less of a player who knows the rules.
How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: By becoming more involved in the Judge Community.
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: It’s very big. So the events have an high affluence. Also it’s is like a big 2nd family.
What is your favorite Magic memory?: When I finally got a playset of tarmogoyf.

Elsa Gara Maqueda Nevado

Name: Elsa Gara Maqueda Nevado
Level: Level 1
Location: Sevilla, Spain
Region: Iberia
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: March 2013
L1 Certification Date: September 19, 2016
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: Avacyn, Angel of Hope
Occupation: Biologist
Random fact about yourself: I collect angels and cats cards
Why did you become a judge?: Because I love helping, especially new players and children
What excites you most about this event?: Meeting new judges and working in a great event.
What worries you most about this event?: It’s my first GP, everything is new.
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: I hope to improve my English skills and learn from other judges.
Who are your mentors?: José Luis Morales for L1 and Jorge Requesens for L2
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: I don’t have a lot of free time, but I try to help the community in many projects.
How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: I get involved in many projects and try to keep in touch with other judges.
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: Players, especially my “”minions””.
What is your favorite Magic memory?: Any Commander match with my friends.

Kerry Meyerhoff

Name: Kerry Meyerhoff
Level: Level 2
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Region: Iberia

Iván R. Molia

Name: Iván R. Molia
Level: Level 1
Location: Badajoz, Spain
Region: Iberia
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: June 26, 1995
L1 Certification Date: September 19, 2015
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: Aggravated Assault: my first lock-win condition combo with elfs and Voracious Cobra.
Occupation: Support tech lv2 in call center
Random fact about yourself: I’m very curious
Why did you become a judge?: I love the game, and I want to thank for it involving myself more in the community
What excites you most about this event?: I will enjoy for all. Big events are great experience: players, judge mates, works and tasks, there is a lot to discover and learn. I want learn a lot.
What worries you most about this event?: My english is poor. I prai to avoid a moment where I must understand faster and I missunderstand what telling to me.
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: I want improve in deckcheck tasks, but in ODE it’s rare to happens; them, I want to mastered KEFKA.
Who are your mentors?: AJ
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: In my regional enviroment, sucessfully players see Ivy as player/mate vs Iván as judge. And all about that diference means.
How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: Wear the judge only when judging (swap ropes in break to lunch for ex), change my languaje forms and tone, trying to be less serious as person/player vs judge…
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: All in my community can understand as adult persons when I must talk with they. They are all rationals.
What is your favorite Magic memory?: As player: 5E50 damages in 1 non-infinite atack (slivers); As judge: a puzzle in mini-conferences that make 10 judges doubt about Provoke hability.

G. Aziz Quintana Ballines

Name: G. Aziz Quintana Ballines
Level: Level 1
Location: Madrid, Spain
Region: Iberia
Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: 1995
L1 Certification Date: September 3, 2017
Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: All, I really like playing collecting and now judging
Occupation: Electronic engineer
Random fact about yourself: I love the Bulldogs
Why did you become a judge?: I want to try the other side.
What excites you most about this event?: working with a lot of judges
What worries you most about this event?: my english is not so good
What are you hoping to learn at this event?: a lot of tournament organization
Who are your mentors?: Monica Gonzalez and Aruna Prem
What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: do not coaching the players
How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: try to keep an eye on myself
What is the best part about your local Magic community?: anybody are well received
What is your favorite Magic memory?: 5-1 drafting in day 2 GP Lisboa