{"id":2845,"date":"2014-06-26T22:55:12","date_gmt":"2014-06-27T02:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/?p=2845"},"modified":"2014-07-08T15:21:13","modified_gmt":"2014-07-08T19:21:13","slug":"paul-baranay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/paul-baranay\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul Baranay"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello, Judges, and welcome back to JotW! This week we have Paul Baranay<\/a><\/span><\/span>, who has a lot of sweet stories to tell! Let’s meet Paul.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The man of the hour, Mr. Paul Baranay.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Name:<\/strong> Paul Baranay
\nLevel:<\/strong> 3
\nLocation:<\/strong> New Haven, CT
\nCertification Date:<\/strong>
\nL1:<\/strong> August 2012
\nL2:<\/strong> December 2012
\nL3:<\/strong> at GP Richmond in March 2014.<\/p>\n

Occupation:<\/strong> Computational Biologist
\nFavourite card:<\/strong> Bear Cub<\/a>
\nLeast favourite card:<\/strong> Lion’s Eye Diamond<\/a> \ud83d\ude42
\nFavourite format:<\/strong> Rise of the Eldrazi<\/a> Limited
\nCommander General:<\/strong> Borborygmos Enraged<\/a>!
\nFavourite non-Magic Game:<\/strong> Conceptually, Dominion<\/a>. By hours played, definitely League of Legends<\/a>.
\nBest tournament result:<\/strong> First place at a TCGPlayer VIP event. \u00a0I was originally scheduled to head judge with an L1, but so few people showed up that I asked the TO for permission to let the L1 head judge it. \u00a0He graciously said yes!<\/p>\n

Random fact about yourself:<\/strong> I have three sisters. None of them play Magic. \ud83d\ude41<\/p>\n

Why did you become a judge?<\/strong>
\nI was the Rules Guru and unofficial tournament organizer for my playgroup in college. After graduating, I wanted to become more involved in competitive Magic, and becoming a judge seemed like a great way to do that!<\/p>\n

Tell us an embarrassing story that you\u2019re not afraid of everyone knowing.<\/strong>
\nAt Grand Prix Providence, I managed to leave all of my compensation at the venue. \u00a0I didn\u2019t realize this until I was back in New Haven and trying to find my stuff in my friend\u2019s trunk. \u00a0Fortunately, I was able to get in touch with Steven Zwanger<\/a><\/span><\/span>, who thankfully was still in town. \u00a0Steven rushed back to the venue and found my case of product sitting in the hallway, exactly where I had left it. \u00a0Whew.
\nThanks Steven!<\/p>\n

How did you get involved in magic in the first place?<\/strong>
\nAfter playing a little when I was a kid (Fifth Edition), I got back into the game in the summer of 2010. \u00a0I was working in a research lab at Notre Dame, and one of the graduate students invited me over to draft this new set called Rise of the Eldrazi. \u00a0The rest, as they say, is history…<\/p>\n

How has being a judge influenced your non-Magic life?<\/strong>
\nI feel that I\u2019ve become a better communicator, more observant, and much more easy-going about stressful situations.<\/p>\n

You were nominated by <\/strong>Carlos Rada<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span> because of your impressive perspective in the L3 study group and how you run tournaments. \u00a0What do you bring to events to make them so smoothly, that you feel you share in the L3 group as well?<\/strong>
\nRelentless organization and attention to detail. \u00a0My style is to lead by virtue of having the best plan for everyone to follow. \u00a0As I\u2019ve grown in the program, however, I\u2019ve also realized that over-planning is a real danger. \u00a0You can\u2019t account for everything, so being able to adjust and have a flexible strategy for your event are essential.<\/p>\n

What motivates you to continue being a judge?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s a typical answer, but the people. \u00a0So many of my best friends are judges or players (or both).<\/p>\n

\"...<\/a>
… and that’s a very good reason to be a part of this community. \ud83d\ude42<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is one tip you have for other judges?<\/strong>
\nBorrow from your life outside of judging. \u00a0Everyone has skills and experiences that are somehow applicable to judging. \u00a0Integrate your judge life with your \u201creal\u201d life; don\u2019t keep them separate. To provide a concrete example: my training as a first responder has huge applications for how I handle emergencies at events (whether medical or otherwise). Likewise, I draw heavily on my experience as a peer counselor to think about how to best communicate with players and deliver rulings, especially in stressful situations.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best part about your local Magic community?<\/strong>
\nMy local community in New Haven helps keep me grounded. \u00a0For them, it\u2019s a big deal to travel to an SCG Open or a Grand Prix. \u00a0As judges, we can sometimes get caught up in focusing on Competitive REL, but it\u2019s critically important to remember that Magic involves so many people, with many different play styles. \u00a0Not everyone is a competitive grinder or GP road warrior, and that\u2019s just the way it should be. Fortunately, my local players still enjoy a good draft, so we always have something to do together!<\/p>\n

What is your favourite non-Magic hobby?<\/strong>
\nRight now, League of Legends.<\/p>\n

What is your favourite non-judging moment that happened with other judges?<\/strong>
\nTasha<\/a><\/span><\/span> and Riki<\/a><\/span><\/span>\u2019s wedding. Being part of the ceremony was an affirmation of what makes our community so wonderful.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the biggest rule-breaking play you\u2019ve ever made as a player?<\/strong>
\nIn one of my first Zendikar<\/a>\/Worldwake<\/a> drafts after coming back to the game, I thought Veteran’s Reflexes<\/a> let my creature \u201cattack twice.\u201d<\/p>\n

What has been your favourite magic event that you\u2019ve judged?<\/strong>
\nMy first Grand Prix, GP Toronto 2012<\/a>, ranks very highly on the list. \u00a0Also, while I wouldn\u2019t count it as my \u201cfavorite\u201d by any stretch, the Connecticut PTQ I head judged, that had 300 players, where WER crashed in the middle, was definitely very memorable.<\/p>\n

\"At<\/a>
At GP Montreal 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What would you be doing now if Magic no longer existed?<\/strong>
\nSpending fewer of my weekends traveling and more of them volunteering as an EMT!<\/p>\n

What is the strangest card interaction you have seen in a tournament?<\/strong>
\nIn the finals of a Standard PTQ last year, my friend Jared was playing American Control versus a Boros Aggro deck. \u00a0Jared was having some mana trouble, and his opponent\u2019s board state of Ash Zealot<\/a> plus Hammer of Purphoros<\/a> was pretty threatening, so Jared tapped out for an Imposing Sovereign<\/a>. His opponent then untapped and cast Purphoros, God of the Forge<\/a>… who, thanks to the rules on replacement effects, entered untapped<\/a>, and promptly hit Jared in the face for 6. \u00a0Jared was not amused.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite \u201cafter event\u201d story?<\/strong>
\nKaraoke after SCG Baltimore. \u00a0Even though the karaoke itself was mediocre, so many of my favorite judges were there, including several that I didn\u2019t know very well yet, and we had a fantastic time.<\/p>\n

How do you have fun during events?<\/strong>
\nI love discussing policy and interesting rules interactions with other judges. \u00a0I also try to talk with my fellow judges about their goals for the event and in the program as a whole, especially if I\u2019m their Head Judge or Team Lead. \u00a0Oh, and lots of high-fives! (Shout-out to Nicholas Sabin<\/a><\/span><\/span> for teaching me the importance of this!)<\/p>\n

\"No<\/a>
No high-fives in this photo, sorry.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you were a Planeswalker what would be your ultimate?<\/strong>
\nYou get an emblem with \u201cPermanents you control have indestructible. Creatures you control can\u2019t have -1\/-1 counters placed on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you were a creature what would be your creature type?<\/strong>
\nBear<\/a>! For those who don\u2019t know: I commonly go by Bearz in judge circles. \u00a0I first used the nickname as my IRC username (it\u2019s based on my last name), but it stuck in real life thanks to judges like Tasha Hayashi, Riki Hayashi, Nicholas Sabin, and Ryan Hoffman<\/a><\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

What hobbies do you have outside of Magic?<\/strong>
\nLeague of Legends, poker, and board games. \u00a0I also enjoy sci-fi and fantasy (like The Dresden Files<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Proudest moment of your judge life?<\/strong>
\nAdvancing to Level 3 was a huge accomplishment, one which I couldn\u2019t have done without the advice and encouragement of so many other people. \u00a0There are too many to list here, but you know who you are — thank you!<\/p>\n

What character in Magic (real or fictional) represents you the best, and why?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019ve always been a fan of Venser<\/a>, mainly because he\u2019s the only blue-white planeswalker, and that\u2019s the color pair I identify with most strongly. \u00a0Oh, also, RURIC THAR<\/a> SMASH!<\/p>\n

Is there anything else you\u2019d like to add?<\/strong>
\nMy L3 panel at GP Richmond included Sean Catanese<\/a><\/span><\/span> and Jason Reedy<\/a><\/span><\/span>. \u00a0After the panel, the two of them decided to troll Jared Sylva<\/a><\/span><\/span>, who oversees supplemental activities for L3 candidates who don\u2019t pass their panel. \u00a0The troll was to tell Jared that he would have to monitor me for a \u201csupplemental activity\u201d… of handing me a new nametag with \u201cL3 Judge\u201d on it.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
So this is what a “supplemental activity” looks like…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I hope you all liked Paul and his stories. Join us again next week to meet another awesome Judge! See you then!<\/p>\n

Two Truths and A Lie
\n<\/strong>Two of the following answers are true, figure out which!<\/p>\n

1. I’ve never played in a Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

2. I’ve never played in an SCG Open.<\/p>\n

3. I’ve never played in a Game Day.<\/p>\n

[expand title=”The answer to our most recent Two Truths and a Lie…”]Christian has not been to every continent he is\u00a0unfortunately missing Antarctica..[\/expand]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Written by Stephan Classen and Pedro Gon\u00e7alves<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hello, Judges, and welcome back to JotW! This week we have , who has a lot of sweet stories to tell! Let’s meet Paul. Name: Paul Baranay Level: 3 Location: New Haven, CT Certification Date: L1: August 2012 L2: December 2012 L3: at GP Richmond in March 2014. Occupation: Computational Biologist Favourite card: Least favourite […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"language":[],"class_list":["post-2845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-judge-of-the-week"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2845"}],"version-history":[{"count":39,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2845\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3428,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2845\/revisions\/3428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2845"},{"taxonomy":"language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/language?post=2845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}