MagicFest Oklahoma City 2019

| Laura Ellis

This weekend in OKC, we have 3 new judges to Welcome to the Fold!

Jason Gorski

  • Name: Jason Gorski
  • Pronouns He/him/his
  • Level: Level 1
  • Location: Buena Vista, Colorado, United States of America
  • Region: USA – Northwest
  • Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: May 1997
  • L1 Certification Date: October 20, 2018
  • Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: It provides an outlet for those of us with ridiculous imaginations…endless deck building options and friends to be made of other players.
  • Occupation: Business/Operations Analyst
  • Random fact about yourself: I am the introvert’s extrovert. Basically, I love doing things on my own, remotely, however in a group of introverts I’m usually the one organizing events and social gatherings for everyone else.
  • Why did you become a judge?: Initially it was to help expand a LGS’s options for sanctioned events, but earlier this year we had a falling out, so now it’s much more of a personal challenge to just help people learn Magic or bring them “into the Fold” 🙂
  • What excites you most about this event?: It’s the first Competitive REL/large Magic event I’ve ever attended and I’ve heard there are so many different exciting things going on….but what excites me most? I would say just getting the opportunity as a Level 1 Judge to develop my craft and learn more from the other Judges is the most daunting and exciting part for me.
  • What worries you most about this event?: I try not to worry about anything honestly…it’s bad for your health, but if you absolutely need an answer I’d say blanking out on some mundane rule and looking like a newb or something like that lol.
  • What are you hoping to learn at this event?: EVERYTHING…but more specifically I want to learn the best methods/practices that top Magic Judges use to be as helpful, efficient, and fair as possible while keeping our “customers” engaged and happy.
  • Who are your mentors?: Stefan Brenner was my first mentor/contact to get me engaged in the program and Bryan Spellman also mentored and conducted my L1 test/certification.
  • What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: Getting into the nitty-gritty of the 7-layer
  • What is your favorite Magic memory?: I still remember my first Magic game ever which was taught to me by a close friend back in 1997 (and we are still good buddies today). His first lesson was to have fun and remember that you don’t always need every expensive card available to make a great Magic deck. This “lesson” was then taught to me by beating the crap out of me with an all-common (this was before Pauper was a thing) Meekstone deck with tons of unblockable Ironclaw orcs and Dwarves…it was the most satisfying and informative defeat ever.

Brady Iba

  • Name: Brady Iba
  • Pronouns He/him/his
  • Level: Level 1
  • Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America
  • Region: USA – South
  • Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: Fall of 2012
  • L1 Certification Date: June 1, 2017
  • Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: My favorite thing about magic is the awesomely wide variety of people I get to meet and how friendships can be forged so easily over a card game
  • Occupation: Student at OSU College of Medicine
  • Random fact about yourself: Random fact: I was the 4th in the state of Texas for bowling in High school. Magic random fact: I stream vintage twice a week.
  • Why did you become a judge?: I became a judge for two pretty different reasons. The first one was because I wanted to know more. I am always learning and becoming a judge seemed like a wonderful way to add to my education. The second reason was and is to improve our community. Magic does a great job of inclusion and we can always continue to improve. I like being a part of the improvement.
  • What excites you most about this event?: I am excited for the surprises. The events that I’ve worked have had some cool calls and head-scratching problems, but have been pretty low-key and relaxed. I am excited for the busy rush and the hectic floor. Also, really looking forward to random high fives throughout the days! 😀
  • What worries you most about this event?: I am not worried about too much. I expect to be surprised and I expect to have butterflies until I get that first judge call and (hopefully) crush it.
  • Who are your mentors?: Easy! Kade Goforth is always challenging me with questions and tricky situations. He is a great friend and a great mentor. His sincerity in all his actions is something I greatly admire.
  • What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: I think the biggest challenge at the moment is finding time to continue studying and learning from other judges. I am not able to get out to a lot of events due to school being first priority.
  • How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: There is a discord judge group that holds weekly meetings and I try and join those calls when I can.
  • What is the best part about your local Magic community?: Oh I’m sure its like so many other local groups, but its just full of a bunch of goofballs! The legacy scene in Tulsa is small, but creative, talented, and just goofy. Everyone is there for a good laugh and some good games.
  • What is your favorite Magic memory?: My favorite memory just changed. I hosted a 48hr charity stream about two weeks ago and I was blown away with the generosity of our community. So many strangers came together to support a wonderful cause (childhood cancer research) and we had so much fun along the way!

Carlos Rocha

  • Name: Carlos Rocha
  • Pronouns He/him/his
  • Level: Level 1
  • Location: Shreveport, Louisiana, United States of America
  • Region: USA – South
  • Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: 6/2014
  • L1 Certification Date: May 27, 2019
  • Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: PLANESWALKERS…
  • Occupation: Field Technician
  • Random fact about yourself: I can over explain the smallest of questions. On demand if desired
  • Why did you become a judge?: I like the community that was surrounding the game, and thought that becoming a judge was the best(most logical) way to give back to and contribute to the game in a positive way
  • What excites you most about this event?: IT’S MAGICFEST!!!!
  • What worries you most about this event?: IT’S MAGICFEST!!! What if my skills and knowledge haven’t reached that level yet
  • What are you hoping to learn at this event?: What I might need to fill in the gaps of my level of knowledge
  • Who are your mentors?: Andrew Villarubia, Erin Leonard
  • What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: grasping the policy and differentiating between different infractions
  • How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: Bunkering down and rereading/transcribing the IPG. Also by judging at events.
  • What is the best part about your local Magic community?: The way everyone knows each other
  • What is your favorite Magic memory?: Playing a 6v6 game which went on until 5 am, this was before I properly learned the rules. No one knew what was going on….. for 9 hours….