{"id":8766,"date":"2018-06-20T13:00:34","date_gmt":"2018-06-20T18:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/?p=8766"},"modified":"2018-06-20T18:26:21","modified_gmt":"2018-06-20T23:26:21","slug":"brook-gardner-durbin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/brook-gardner-durbin\/","title":{"rendered":"Brook Gardner-Durbin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello again, Judges! This week we bring you the tale of a judge who almost wasn’t. Grab yourself a pillow and get ready to meet everyone’s favorite sleepy boi, Brook Gardner-Durbin!<\/p>\n

\"BrookName:<\/b>\u00a0Brook Gardner-Durbin<\/a><\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span>Level:<\/b> 2
\n<\/span>Location:<\/b> Bozeman, Montana
\n<\/span>Judge Start Date:<\/b> September 11, 2013
\n<\/span>Why did you become a Judge?<\/b> There was a conference at my LGS, and there were foils being given out to people who certified. I had no interest in judging, but I like foils, so I figured I\u2019d show up, tell whoever what they wanted to hear about \u201chelping the community\u201d and whatever, get my foils, then never judge anything.
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>It worked.
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Then I got roped into judging some local events for a bit when the formats weren\u2019t ones I wanted to play. After a bit of that, I thought \u201cthat\u2019s enough of that,\u201d but I didn\u2019t want to leave the state completely helpless, so I figured I\u2019d get L2 so I could make some L1s to replace me, and then I\u2019d sail into the sunset.
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Then I judged Vegas 2015 because the pay was absurd, and found I enjoyed it far more than I expected to. That was when I really \u201cbought in\u201d for the first time.
\n<\/span>Occupation:<\/b> Student
\n<\/span>Favorite card:<\/b>\u00a0Jace, the Mind Sculptor<\/a>, Scapeshift<\/a>
\n<\/span>Least favorite card:<\/b> I like long games where both players get to make lots of decisions that matter. Anything that doesn\u2019t provide that, I dislike — Blood Moon<\/a>, Chalice of the Void<\/a>, anything that can win before at least turn 5, etc.
\n<\/span>Commander General:<\/b> I enjoy the competitive aspect of Magic, so EDH is not my thing (though I have won tournaments with both Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir<\/a> and Dragonlord Ojutai<\/a>)
\n<\/span>Favorite non-Magic Game:<\/b> There are two kinds of games in the world: <\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Magic: the Gathering<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Other<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Best tournament result:<\/b> Three time Montana State Champion, 1 GP day 2, 1 SCG Invitational day 2, missed an SCG Open top8 on breakers
    \nRandom fact about yourself:<\/b> I lived in Japan from 8 – 11 years old, which led to me repeating second grade and then skipping third grade<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"BrookYou were nominated for your outstanding work in growing the Montana judge community. What do you think are some important steps for success when trying to develop a local community?<\/b>
    \nI unfortunately don\u2019t have any magic answers. It\u2019s just about putting in the time and work, like anything else. Spend time with judge candidates – work multiple events with them before you even start talking about certification. I don\u2019t like the idea of certifying a candidate without having worked with them based on someone else vouching, no matter who is giving the candidate the thumbs up.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Recently, my focus has shifted from teaching to teaching how to teach. This comes largely from making my peace with the fact I can\u2019t do everything. I\u2019m not trying to help candidates get to L1 anymore; I\u2019m trying to help my L2s identify better candidates, learn how to pass on some of what they know, and helping them through certifying their own first L1s.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Try to pass on enough of what you know that you become unnecessary.<\/span><\/p>\n

    You are also known for being widely involved in the Judge program either through Grand Prix events or the myriad of projects you are a member of. \u00a0What advice do you have for judges looking to become more involved in the program?
    \n<\/b>There are a million projects that could use help, and you don\u2019t need permission to start a new project if something needs to be done. Whatever you want to focus on, there\u2019s a way to contribute regardless of your level. You can do it, you just have to <\/span>do it.
    \n<\/span><\/i>
    \n<\/span>\"BrookWhat challenges have you faced or are you facing to become a better judge, and how have you worked to overcome them?
    \n<\/b>I decided to begin working toward level three near the end of 2016, at my 10th GP, when I looked around at one point and, for the first time, I felt comfortable I knew what was going on. I immediately decided I was going to start climbing the next hill.<\/span><\/p>\n

    One of the first things I knew I\u2019d need to improve at was interacting with other judges. For those first 10 GPs I worked, I mostly kept to myself. I didn\u2019t like working in groups, meeting new people, I could be overly abrupt, etc. When I decided I was interested in getting L3, I started putting more effort into meeting and working with other judges, and I\u2019ve improved significantly at what we call \u201csoft skills\u201d (a terrible term).<\/span><\/p>\n

    There\u2019s nothing wrong with not wanting to go to dinner with 25 other judges after every shift, but I think some people use \u201cI\u2019m an introvert!\u201d as a crutch to avoid working to improve at these skills. Working well with other people is not just a nice bonus, and it\u2019s not something you\u2019re either born knowing or not \u2014 it\u2019s absolutely essential, and it\u2019s a skill that can be practiced like any other.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"CompletingWho have been some of your biggest mentors in the Judge Program, and what did they teach you?
    \n<\/b>    Scott Neiwert<\/a><\/span><\/span> and Steven Zwanger<\/a><\/span><\/span>. Scott was at the conference where I was certified for L1, and he had a huge impact on me just by answering my questions without making me feel like a burden. When I reached out to some of the others with questions at FNMs, I often got the vibe they were putting up with me rather than really there to help. I probably would have given up on judging before I ever got to L2 if Scott hadn\u2019t been there with a smile when I pinged him on FB. He taught me a lot more after I started working GPs and he eventually wrote me one of my recommendation letters for L3, but that\u2019s certainly dwarfed by the impact he had just by being there when I needed someone in the beginning.
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>I try to keep that in mind whenever I\u2019m approached with a question, whether it\u2019s a simple one-time thing or a request for real mentorship. I try to make sure they know I don\u2019t mind the question and I\u2019m happy to have the conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n

    I don\u2019t actually remember meeting Steven Zwanger; he\u2019s just been there for as long as I\u2019ve been working Grand Prix. He taught me more than I could say about judging, but I think maybe the biggest thing he gave me that I couldn\u2019t have gotten elsewhere was taught incidentally \u2014 he taught me how to teach. After watching him help a hundred other judges improve, I was able to replicate a lot of what he does with my own mentees.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"BrookWhat\u2019s the best part about your local Magic community?
    \n<\/b>One cool thing about playing Magic in Montana is that, because we have a much smaller community than many (most) places, everyone knows each other. We\u2019re much tighter knit than most places. I\u2019ve played in LGSs in Seattle, Denver, Madison, LA, NYC \u2026 and I\u2019ve met players who play at the same shop every week and don\u2019t know the other regulars at all. In Montana, the competitive players might live 4 hours drive away from each other but we all hang out at every tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n

    What is your favorite non-Magic hobby?
    \n<\/b>My favorite what now?<\/span><\/p>\n

    How did you get involved in Magic in the first place?
    \n<\/b>I started playing in kindergarten or first grade or so, before I could read. I remember not seeing what the big deal with reading was or why it was so important to learn, and then Fallen Empires\u00a0came out with multiple arts for every card and I couldn\u2019t play by memorizing the pictures anymore. At that point, Magic was just a cool fantasy game \u2014 iconic cards like     Shivan Dragon<\/a>, Serra Angel<\/a>, and Sengir Vampire<\/a> really captured me.<\/span><\/p>\n

    I played with school friends for a while before quitting when my family moved to Japan, then came back to the game after we moved back to the US around Odyssey.
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>At that point, I was in middle school, and life wasn\u2019t great. I was picked on pretty mercilessly through most of middle and high school and didn\u2019t have a lot of friends at school. The card store was the place I could go and let that all melt away, and actually make some friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

    I played through Odyssey, Onslaught, and Mirrodin blocks, and Champions of Kamigawa, then quit after Betrayers of Kamigawa <\/span>still<\/span><\/i> didn\u2019t solve the Affinity problem. I stayed out ~a year and a half, missing Saviors, all of Ravnica block, and Coldsnap, then came back to the game just before Time Spiral was released in 2006. I\u2019ve been playing ever since.<\/span><\/p>\n

    If you were a Planeswalker what would be your ultimate?
    \n<\/b>I actually don\u2019t have to imagine this, it\u2019s already done. A while ago a friend made me into a planeswalker, but he made me red, so I had to redo it to have a more accurate representation. So I made two cards that I felt fit me better. The third one here was made for me by one of my local L2s. I use them as tokens when I\u2019m playing<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"Brook's\"Brook's\"Brook's<\/p>\n

    What is the pro<\/b>udest moment of your Judge life?\"Brook
    \n<\/b>Maybe GP Vegas, 2018 \u2014 it\u2019s a few days before the event begins as I write this, but I\u2019m looking forward to showing the ropes to a couple of my local judges I certified for L2. Montana hasn\u2019t fielded three L2s to a GP since Vegas 2015, but I\u2019m excited to introduce my judglings to the big show and see what they can do. <\/span><\/p>\n

    What\u2019s the biggest rule-breaking play you\u2019ve ever made as a player?
    \n<\/b>I\u2019m not sure about the worst I\u2019ve broken the letter of the rules, but the worst I\u2019ve broken the <\/span>spirit<\/span><\/i> of the rules was when I won a Tribal tournament with a biiiiiiiiig Wizards deck. Normally, the rules for a Tribal event are that one third of your deck has to be the chosen tribe \u2014 for this event, the store\u2019s posted rules said that your deck had to contain at least 20 cards of the chosen tribe \u2026 so I drove a truck through that loophole and played UW control with something like 140 cards and 15 sweepers against a bunch of people playing with 25 land and 35 creatures.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Is there anything else you’d like to add?
    \n<\/b>Onslaught was released in 2002, and the fetchlands from it became judge promos in 2009 \u2014 a gap of seven years.
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>Zendikar was released in 2009, so we\u2019re now more than seven years past. <\/span>
    \n<\/span>MaRo promised no more incomplete cycles of cards.<\/span><\/p>\n

    It\u2019s time to make things right and print the Zendikar fetchlands as judge promos.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Two Truths and a Lie<\/strong>
    \nTwo of the following statements are true and one is false. Figure out which!<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. I dropped a class so I wouldn\u2019t have to finish The Brothers Karamazov<\/i><\/li>\n
    2. I was Culture Editor of my college paper for two years.<\/li>\n
    3. I have released two albums of original piano music.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      [expand title=”The answer to the last Two Truths and a Lie…”]Christian Gawrilowicz never playtested Magic, but he did interview Richard Garfield.[\/expand]<\/p>\n

      If there is a judge who is also doing something exemplary, please nominate a judge\u00a0TODAY!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      This week’s rockstar is a Level 2 from Montana who is known equally well for his event presence and dedication to local communities. Join us as we learn more about Brook Gardner-Durbin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":386,"featured_media":8767,"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-8766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-judge-of-the-week"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8766","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\/386"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8766"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8802,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8766\/revisions\/8802"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8766"},{"taxonomy":"language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/jotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/language?post=8766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}