Grand Prix Toronto #1 2018

| Io Hughto

This week, we have five new judges to Welcome to the Fold in Canada!

Félix Bouchard

  • Name: Félix Bouchard
  • Level: Level 1
  • Location: Sainte-Julie, Canada
  • Region: Canada

Dylan Harkness

  • Name: Dylan Harkness
  • Level: Level 1
  • Location: Location Hidden
  • Region: Canada
  • Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: May 1 2014
  • L1 Certification Date: May 15, 2016
  • Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: The game is different every single time
  • Occupation: Mixologist
  • Random fact about yourself: Medically diagnosed too stretchy; have a surplus of elastin
  • Why did you become a judge?: Looking to develop my knowledge as a player and broaden my views of players from the bureaucratic standpoint.
  • What excites you most about this event?: Mass exposure to people better at judging than me
  • What worries you most about this event?: Being no name at the end
  • What are you hoping to learn at this event?: As much as possible
  • Who are your mentors?: Mike Gyssels and to a smaller degree Kaitlyn McLachlan
  • What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: Time at tournaments; in my career it’s hard to get the weekends off and I work nights, when weeklys go on.
  • How have you worked to overcome those challenges?: Play more modo; be in more group chats with players
  • What is the best part about your local Magic community?: How diverse it is
  • What is your favorite Magic memory?: As a new player, bringing a brew to a spikey Tuesday standard and getting compliments on innovative ideas and scraping out some wins!

Jonathan Jones

  • Name: Jonathan Jones
  • Level: Level 1
  • Location: Buffalo, New York
  • Region: USA – Northeast

Flora Li

  • Name: Flora Li
  • Level: Level 1
  • Location: Toronto, Canada
  • Region: Canada
  • Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: June 2014
  • L1 Certification Date: November 12, 2016
  • Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: It’s a fun way to keep your mind sharp
  • Occupation: Accountant
  • Random fact about yourself: I think okra is the worst vegetable ever invented. It’s got a slug-like texture
  • Why did you become a judge?: A few particularly negative interactions at some competitive events. I encountered players who acted like I was a poor player (possibly true) with poor rules knowledge (definitely not true) because I’m a woman. That was not okay. It was something I felt like I needed to prove to them (and myself).
  • What excites you most about this event?: Seeing my non-local judge frans yaaasssss <3
  • What worries you most about this event?: The possibility of bungling a call and having it impact the outcome of the game
  • Who are your mentors?: Meg Baum, Graham Schofield, Meg Linscott, Kaitlin McLaughlin, Stephen Tran
  • What challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge?: Time management. I think it requires a certain amount of time commitment in order to gain the knowledge required to be a good judge, whether it be through self-study or through working events. Between my IRL job, judging, hobbies and social life, it’s hard to find the time to balance it all and maintain a steady pace when it comes to improving as a judge.
  • What is your favorite Magic memory?: Forcing Stephen to play beginner kitchen table Magic publicly while we were waiting for our food at The Works. His sheer embarrassment still makes me giggle.

Inn Oh

  • Name: Inn Oh
  • Level: Level 1
  • Location: Kitchener, Canada
  • Region: Canada
  • Approximate date/month/year you started playing Magic: September 1993
  • L1 Certification Date: August 9, 2015
  • Favorite thing (e.g., card, deck, group of people) about Magic: Playing with friends
  • Occupation: Martial Arts Instructor
  • Why did you become a judge?: To give back to the Magic community. I wanted to pass on my knowledge and love of the game to others through being a Judge and being able to bring larger competitive events to the community.
  • What excites you most about this event?: My first GP!!!! To meet other judges.
  • What are you hoping to learn at this event?: To learn other ways of doing things. Having an open mind for the opportunity to improve my skills.
  • Who are your mentors?: Rick Miles
  • What is your favorite Magic memory?: Qualifying for PT Dallas 1996.