\nLevel:<\/strong> 2
\nLocation:<\/strong> Anchorage, Alaska
\nJudge start date:<\/strong> June 14, 2013
\nWhy did you become a Judge?<\/strong> I love being able to explain things and \u201csee the light come on\u201d for people, and it just naturally extended into judging.
\nOccupation:<\/strong> Online sales manager for a gun shop.
\nFavourite card:<\/strong>\u00a0Final Fortune<\/a>
\nLeast favourite card:<\/strong>\u00a0Ankle Shanker<\/a>. Pulled way too many of that guy.
\nFavourite format:<\/strong> Legacy, though if I hit the lottery one day, it might be Vintage.
\nCommander General:<\/strong> Uh\u2026I\u2019m at 15 of them at the moment, so\u2026Doran, the Siege Tower<\/a> is probably my love-child, though.
\nFavourite non-Magic Game:<\/strong> EarthBound (Mother 2, for those in the know).
\nBest tournament result:<\/strong> Does 0-2 drop at an SCG Open count? Maybe the time I went 2-3 at Grand Prix Orlando, because it took them 2 rounds to get me added to the tournament.
\nRandom fact about yourself:<\/strong> I hate cucumbers. I believe they are evil until they have been baptized in vinegar.<\/p>\n
How did you get involved in Magic in the first place? How has being a Judge influenced your non-Magic life? What is one tip you have\u00a0for other Judges? What has been your favourite Magic event that you\u2019ve judged? If you could chat with one person, real or fictional, dead or alive, who would it be and why? If you were a creature, what would be your creature type? What are the areas you feel like you would most like to work on? Two Truths and a Lie<\/strong><\/p>\n Two of the following statements are true and one is false. Figure out which!<\/p>\n [expand title=”The answer to the last Two Truths and a Lie…”]Kyle confesses, “In truth, I don’t fit in roller coasters.”[\/expand]<\/p>\n![\"DeckCheck\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2016\/04\/DeckCheck-169x300.jpg\")
Tell us your favourite Judge story.
\n<\/strong>This one takes me back to when I was barely an L1, wanting to make his way onto the judging scene. I had applied for a few events (I believe a PTQ for Pro Tour Theros, GP Lousiville, Dragon*Con, and SCG: Atlanta). I got turned down for the PTQ and Louisville, which was kind of a bummer. I didn\u2019t really understand the system well at the time, so my cover letters were awful. I got accepted to Dragon*Con, though, then got turned down for SCG: Atlanta. Steven Zwanger<\/a><\/span><\/span> sent out an e-mail to all those who didn\u2019t get accepted saying something along the lines of picking the best people and not being able to take everyone they wanted. I was slightly disheartened, but I e-mailed him back, thanking him for the email. I remember saying something like \u201cI appreciate you taking the time to do this instead of just letting JudgeApps send out the auto-rejection letter.\u201d A few weeks later, while on the floor at Dragon*Con, Steven e-mailed me back, saying that a spot had opened up, and he remembered me because I had e-mailed him back. I wound up judging that Saturday, and without that event, I probably would have never gotten the experience judging that I now do. Shout-out to Aaron LaCluyze<\/a>
<\/span><\/span>, aka Dr. Science, for being my team lead and Bryan Prillaman<\/a>
<\/span><\/span>, aka BPrill, for being Head Judge that day. You guys were awesome!<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>A friend of mine tried to get me into Magic back in \u201997 by showing me the card Takklemaggot<\/a>. I stayed as far from the game as possible for years because \u201cain\u2019t nobody got time for all that reading.\u201d Finally, I had a friend convince me to try one game in July of 2010, and I\u2019ve been hooked ever since.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>I got a good piece of advice once from Bryan Prillaman. I\u2019m paraphrasing and leaving out a little bit of context, but he said, \u201cFocus on being the best L2 you can be.\u201d That was a little over 2 years ago, and since then, I\u2019ve extrapolated that to \u201cbeing the best Ben Harris I can be.\u201d I\u2019ve gained a lot of confidence in other areas of my life, just striving to be better for the sake of betterness.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Benjemin_Harris_SM\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2016\/04\/Benjemin_Harris_SM.jpg\")
What motivates you to continue being a Judge?
\n<\/strong>Honestly, a lot of it is seeing the steadfastness that other people have had in this program, despite some of the chaos that has happened with the program (looking at you, Turner<\/a><\/span><\/span>). But at the end of the day, I want to see the community grow, and the best way I know to do that is to continue to don the black.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>This partly goes back to the story from earlier and is particularly aimed at L1\u2019s reaching for L2. Reach out to people who can help you get where you want to be. Whether that\u2019s judge managers at events, local L3\u2019s, or your Regional Coordinator, find someone who can help you achieve your goals and stick to them like holding double blue open to bluff the Counterspell<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Probably Grand Prix: Richmond in 2014. It was a long event, and it was very rough on my feet, but it was a heck of a lot of fun. Remember to bring a spare pair of socks to refresh your feet halfway through the day, and you can tackle any event.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Oh man. There\u2019s so many good options here. I think it would be really cool to sit and pick the brain of someone like John Nash or Albert Einstein, but I\u2019d have to go with JRR Tolkien. I\u2019d love be in a D&D group with that guy.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Judge\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/files\/2016\/04\/Judge-169x300.jpg\")
If you were a Planeswalker, what would be your ultimate?
\n<\/strong>Each opponent gains an emblem with \u201cWhenever you cast a spell, that spell deals damage to you equal to its converted mana cost. Damage dealt this way cannot be prevented.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Squirrel. Nah, just kidding. In all seriousness, I\u2019m going to go with Dwarf, because the beards on those guys are for real.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Being able to help a community grow. That\u2019s something that I feel really bad about not being able to do better in an area this remote. I want to eventually get this area big enough that we can see Grand Prix: Anchorage (or even Pro Tour Anchorage, now that we have the summer PT back). I know that\u2019s a long way off, but it would be awesome.<\/span><\/p>\n\n