Where are you from? What does being a pharmacist entail? How long have you been doing it? How would you compare\/contrast your full-time job with judging? How does your judging life affect your full-time job, and how does your job affect your judging life? When did you certify? Who certified you? When did you advance each level? Any stories associated with your various advancements come to mind? How long have you been playing Magic in general? What do you like most about the game in general? If there were one thing you could change about the game, what would it be?<\/strong>Only one thing?\u00a0 I would change up the\u00a0dividing line between artifacts and enchantments. Artifacts would only have activated abilities, and enchantments would only have globally affecting abilities.<\/p>\n If there were one thing you could change about judging, what would it be? What sorts of things do you do on a typical week in so far as judging? What do you think are your biggest strengths as a judge? How did you develop them?<\/strong><\/p>\n I have a pretty strong rules knowledge.\u00a0 This came from lots of rules forum frequenting, plenty of diving in comprehensive rules, and various websites including Cranial Insertion.<\/p>\n What do you think are the areas you most would like to see you improve as a judge? What sorts of things are you doing to work on them? What’s your take on how the judge program has changed in the time you’ve been involved with it? What sorts of changes would you like to see in the judge program going forward, if any? What advice do you have for judges? What was your biggest mistake as a judge, and how did you bounce back from it? What was your proudest moment as a judge? How much time do you spend judging? And how does that break down? In other words, how much of it is actually running tournaments versus having policy discussions versus maintaining correspondence versus traveling, etc.? What is your favorite moment with other judges outside the context of running a given tournament? What do you think were the toughest obstacles you have had to try to overcome as a judge? How did you do it? The obstacle I am still working is slow play.\u00a0 It is the hardest yet simplest problem to have, but the mindset shift is still in progress.<\/p>\n What is your favorite deck and why? Least favorite? What is the crown jewel of your Magic collection, and how did you come to own it? I like Venser. Mainly because I think his character resembles my personality.<\/p>\n What are your favorite non-Magic games and pastimes? How long have you been enjoying those? What is it that you enjoy about those? What is your best tournament finish? What method(s) do you find best to sharpen your skills as a judge? Who are some of the judges you think are unsung heroes of the program? How would you describe your local judge community? How about your local player community? How do you keep your energy up during events? What was the most surprising thing you’ve experienced as a judge? If you could make your own Magic card, what would it be? Instant<\/p>\n Resolve target spell, activated ability or triggered ability.<\/p>\n Who do you consider your role models in the program? What was the toughest (or weirdest) judge call you remember having to make? Two Truths and a Lie<\/strong> [expand title=”The answer to the last Two Truths and a Lie…”] Jared has ballroom danced, he does have an extra leg muscle, but there is no 2nd president in his family tree! [\/expand]<\/p>\n Judges, we would love to hear more about some awesome stories and awesome judges! If you believe one of your local colleagues is doing an Exemplar\u2019s work, this might be your chance to make him an upcoming Judge of the Week, so nominate a Judge TODAY<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Greetings Judges! Want a prescription to become a better judge? Minh-Duc Vu can help give you one! Minh-Duc is a pharmacist and this week’s Judge of the Week. When\u00a0nominating him, wrote, “Minh is one of the best community organizers that I know. He has organized and judged a vibrant and growing competitive event scene in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"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-4329","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\/4329","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\/160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4329"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4931,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4329\/revisions\/4931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4329"},{"taxonomy":"language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/language?post=4329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Minh\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2015\/01\/Minh.jpeg\")
<\/a>Name: <\/strong>Minh-Duc Vu<\/a><\/span><\/span>
\nLevel:<\/strong> 2
\nLocation:<\/strong> Columbus, Ohio, United States
\nJudge start date:<\/strong> Approximately August 2010
\nOccupation:<\/strong> Pharmacist
\nFavourite card:<\/strong>\u00a0Tenth edition Foil Time Stop<\/a>.\u00a0 I enjoy the\u00a0elegance\u00a0of that card.\u00a0 Compare it to the non-foil and you\u2019ll understand why.
\nLeast favourite card:<\/strong>\u00a0Life and Limb<\/a>.\u00a0 I know Volrath’s Shapeshifter<\/a> is historically the bigger headache layers wise, but trivia-level layers interactions always includes Life and Limb somewhere.
\nFavourite flavor text:<\/strong> “Some convictions are so strong that the world must break to accommodate them.” (from the 2007 Judge Foil version of Vindicate).<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>I was born in Cincinnati, OH and raised in Lake Charles, LA.\u00a0 I moved back to Cincinnati for pharmacy school.\u00a0 I had to make an effort to say \u201cPop\u201d instead of \u201cCoke\u201d but I will say “Y\u2019all” without remorse.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>I\u2019m a pharmacist.\u00a0 It\u2019s legal drug dealing.\u00a0 More importantly, pharmacists are drug experts, and we receive far more training on drugs than doctors or nurses.\u00a0 I only graduated from my 4 year post-graduate Pharmacy Doctorate program in 2013, so haven\u2019t been at it for very long (Don\u2019t call me doctor).<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>I love my job.\u00a0 It is drug-drug interactions instead of card-card interactions.\u00a0 Also, I\u2019m miserable at trading, so judging full-time isn\u2019t in the cards.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Judging has taught me quite a bit about time management and people skills.\u00a0 Pharmacy has pushed compassion and patience.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>A PTQ side event at Grand Prix Columbus 2010. Ryan Stapleton<\/a><\/span><\/span> gave me the review and exam, but I also give credit to John Alderfer<\/a>
<\/span><\/span> \u00a0who gave a shot to some random kid who approached him at a PES PTQ in \u201cCincinnati\u201d (Actually Erlanger, KY).\u00a0 Cincinnati desperately needed a judge as there were no active judges in the entire city.\u00a0 Considering the population of the Cincinnati metro-area; it is a huge group of players that had no judges.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>My advancement was pretty much in line with the \u201cCurrent L1s should move to L2 *wink*\u00a0*wink* *nudge* *nudge*\u201d when the L1 change was incoming. It was an SCG Open in Indy in 2011.\u00a0 My advancement was pretty clean although Dan Stephens<\/a><\/span><\/span> did attempt to troll me when the Oracle text didn\u2019t print on the exam the first time.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>I started around Ice Age.\u00a0 A friend introduced the game to me while we were playing the Decipher Star Wars CCG.\u00a0 It\u2019s been off and on since then although a hurricane ruined my old collection.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The social aspect is the most important.\u00a0 I think this is truly what separates the game is the global network of places where players interact face to face.<\/p>\n![\"Minh](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2014\/11\/Minh-Sunglasses-225x300.jpg\")
<\/a>What do you like most about judging?
\n<\/strong>Meeting fellow judges is my favorite activity.\u00a0 We have work to do, but we have time to get to know each other as people.\u00a0 The judge community is far more tight-knit that the average player community, and generally more diverse as well.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Right now, I worry about PPTQs.\u00a0 I have had an epic struggle holding Cincinnati together as the solo L2 of the city.\u00a0 My best efforts of pushing others to L2 hasn\u2019t been working, and I think I have to withdraw from more regional activities to keep my local house in order.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>My week has changed throughout school.\u00a0 I used to visit 4 different stores a week.\u00a0 I also made a point to visit every advanced store in my area to introduce myself and leave contact information.\u00a0 With work, I reduced down to only 2 stores a week, but I still stop by the other stores in the area to check up.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>I need to work on spending time observing others and writing reviews.\u00a0 I admit when I have a task, I tend to focus on it and don\u2019t spend time to observe others enough to write a review.\u00a0 I am currently forcing myself to write a review at every event; two if the event is two days, while taking copious notes throughout the day.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>I think we threw the Rules Advisor out the window with the L1 change.\u00a0 I know a good number of players who know the rules very well and could help in minor rulings in the area; but have some severe flaws that make me not want them to be a L1 judge.\u00a0 They would make ideal Rules Advisors, but the players often disregard that moniker with the L1 shift.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The PPTQ change has pushed a gigantic demand for L2s, which means a surge in L3 demand.\u00a0 I am happy the program laid out a stronger path for L2s, but the I think some areas like Cincinnati with very few, or no,\u00a0L2s are going to have it rough.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Always strive to be a better judge, but don\u2019t associate being better with a level.\u00a0 I know some amazing L1s who focus on their store community.\u00a0 They run their GPTs and SCG IQs with fantastic precision and efficiency.\u00a0 They don\u2019t want to travel to other events due to family, work etc., and I respect their choice.\u00a0 I personally chose to focus on my city, and I\u2019m remaining L2 until that city is in order.\u00a0 Finding what level of responsibility you want to take in the program is important, but never be content in your abilities as a judge.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Probably the biggest mistake was a bit of miscommunication between myself as a head judge and my floor judge about back-up authorization.\u00a0 I trusted the floor judge so I didn\u2019t go into detail of where the backup should go, but the floor judge went back one step too far, which resulted in very different result. The match was also on camera.\u00a0 I know Twitter blew up after that, and the floor judge took quite a bit of heat for it.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>I think my proudest moment was Grand Prix Cincinnati.\u00a0 I spent long time on my travel guide, and preparation for different breakfasts, and other little goodies for the judges.\u00a0 I felt the community of judges was essentially visiting my house, and I wanted to make their stay as comfortable as possible.<\/p>\n![\"Minh](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2015\/01\/Minh-1-300x165.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n<\/strong>I still check rules forums on a daily basis.\u00a0 I tend to not jump on rulings unless it\u2019s late at night to give newer judges or judge potentials a shot at answering first.\u00a0 So that\u2019s only about 15 minutes a day.\u00a0 I read Cranial Insertion each week as a quiz for myself, so that\u2019s 30 minutes a week.\u00a0 Otherwise, it depends on the events.\u00a0 If I have to compose team lead \/ head judge emails or coordinate staffing for events, I\u2019ll spend the 1-2 hours on the event every few days.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Probably judge dinner after Grand Prix Cincinnati.\u00a0 I fortunately budgeted enough money to buy a round that night.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>I had to overcome fear of being hated.\u00a0 You know your rulings is correct and someone\u2019s day is going to be soured and they may curse your name for a while, but you have to stand by your ruling.\u00a0 Some people will not be happy, but you have to stand firm, speak politely, and keep a clear head.\u00a0 The ease comes with experience and realizing that the players will get over it over time.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Not sure I have a favorite deck, I guess burn decks are my favorite because they rarely go to time.\u00a0 Least favorite goes to super durdle combo decks piloted by inexperienced players.\u00a0 Take your pick: Eggs, High Tide<\/a>, Jeskai Ascendancy<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The card I show off the most is the\u00a0Final Judgment<\/a> \u00a0alter by Eric Klug.\u00a0 Basically, it ended up looking like a cross armed Sheldon Menery with a Judge Dredd hat looking down at you.<\/p>\n![\"Minh](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2015\/01\/Minh-4.jpg\")
<\/a>Who is\/are your Commander general(s) and why? Your favorite planeswalker?
\n<\/strong>Currently I have ten commander decks, so I won\u2019t list them all.\u00a0 I enjoy building on a budget, I make commander decks that TCG mid for less than 50 dollars.\u00a0 It\u2019s a challenge, but I find it enjoyable.\u00a0 The lists are online and I update them at least monthly. (Recently, darn you Hornet Queen<\/a> for jumping in price).<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>I recently started playing more board games.\u00a0 I fortunately have a group of guys who will play board games on Friday nights when Standard gets a bit dull.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>4th<\/sup> place at a 70 man Prerelease in Zendikar with a blue-red deck.\u00a0 My local players looked at my miserable deck and wonder how I pulled it off.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Read, do, get feedback, and then repeat.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>As said, the L1s and L2s who focus more on local communities are the most unsung of heroes.\u00a0 The players in that area are immensely grateful for their service, but they don\u2019t get the recognition they deserve.\u00a0 Cincinnati is thankfully positioned where I can hit a GP or a SCG Open with little effort several times a year; so I don\u2019t count myself among them.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>My local judge community is an eclectic bunch that I mostly certified myself.\u00a0 I have a high focus on people skills as it is far harder to train.\u00a0 I am constantly developing judge potentials or my L1 posse.\u00a0 My local players are nice guys but with the city being such a large size with no central hub store; it\u2019s a rough federation of smaller communities.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The main point is to keep busy.\u00a0 Just standing and watching magic requires a lot of focus and attention.\u00a0 If you ever feel tired, start moving a bit.\u00a0 Pick up trash or push in chairs.\u00a0Or run to get Cinnabon on a break….mmm…Cinnabon.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The surprising thing is to get judge questions when you are doing something else.\u00a0 I was working in a pharmacy and a player came up to the consultation window to ask a judge question.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Rush {R}<\/p>\n![\"Minh](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2015\/01\/Minh-3-300x231.jpg\")
<\/a>What’s your favorite color in Magic and why?
\n<\/strong>Personality-wise, I\u2019m definitely White.\u00a0 In games, I like Red and a bit of Blue.\u00a0 I like my games to finish.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>I see certain persons to be icons of different aspects I aspire to. Off the top of my head: Steven Briggs<\/a><\/span><\/span> is a model of how to keep a positive attitude while maintaining authority.\u00a0 I look at Dan Stephens<\/a>
<\/span><\/span> on maintaining a judge-life balance.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>My weirdest call was a player asking \u201cDo I have to?\u201d\u00a0 It was Blue-Black faeries vs. Green-White\u2026something.\u00a0 Either way, the Green-White player mulled to 5 and kept on the draw.\u00a0 Blue-Black Faeries player fetched for a shock, and cast Thoughtseize<\/a>.\u00a0 The cards in hand were 4 lands and a Obstinate Baloth<\/a>.\u00a0 Yes, you have to.<\/p>\n
\nTwo of the following statements are true and one is false. Figure out which!
\n1. The last five sanctioned Magic events Minh played in go back to 2010.
\n2. Minh carries a pack of over-the-counter medications with him to every Magic event.
\n3. Minh still can’t get the new Wizards account thing to work.<\/p>\n