Hi everyone,

I am Jean-François, the judge in charge of the Judge Booth Project. Today, Thibault shares his experience at the GP Strasbourg Judge Booth.

(Statement from 23rd February)

Jean-François : Hi, could you present yourself to our readers ?

Thibault : Hello everyone, I’m Thibault, Judge L1 since one year approximately and living in the Great East french region since six months. I became a judge back in Toulouse to help with my local growing community and do the same when I would move in my new region. As you already guessed, my main motivation is to help as much as I can people who invigorate the Magic community.

JF : Why were you at the MagicFest Strasbourg ?

T : To have fun first of all while playing formats that I like but mostly Commander. MagicFest are amazing places to meet passionate players from all over Europe and sometimes beyond ! While discussing with them, we always have a good time.

I was also there to help at the Judge Booth once more because I was helping at the GP Lille Judge Booth in november (note : see our next blog post here). I didn’t have a lot of time available back then but I appreciated making contact with players and my fellow judges I met for the first time in person.

JF : Sunday, you took part in a Judge Booth with the french judges community. Could you please give details to our readers what happens there what you did ?

T : First, it’s normal to specify there wasn’t only french Judges in the stand because german-speaking Judges also came to help us. The Booth proposed activities for both players and Judges.

For players there were some challenges in the form of enigmas and puzzles. We made available a selection of the most difficult Possibility Storms enigmas to see if players were able to win this turn even in the most complex situations. Beside that, players’ knowledge about Magic rules were tested using questions from the Judge Booth. Each good answer deserved a reward such as Judge special Token or home-made goodies.

For Judges, Sophie Pagès the french RC was available to talk about our projects and our future in the Judge Program. Some of us also could pass the test for L1 or L2 ! Sophie also invited Khanh Le Thien to make a conference about judging, Judge Program organization, expectations from each level and what we may do no matter what is our level. His conference brought clarity to a system that seems complex at first sight, he encouraged us to show our abilities during our projects and to build intelligently our progression in the program.

Beside that conference and interviews there was also a challenge for Judges : the Counting Cards Challenge. It’s a situation where the Judge is called for a doubt in the game and he has to resolve it with all informations available. For the fashion victims, the SWAG section was there to sell our polos, hoodies and badges.

JF : Did you appreciate the experience ? What about the players ? Was it fun ? Why is so important to share an experience like that with the players community ?

T : Yes that was a excellent experience that I enjoyed more than my previous one at GP Lille. French and foreign players were delighted and came all day long intrigued by our banner standing next to the Main Event stage. We also had players qualified for Day 2 of the GP who came to resolve our puzzles between each rounds ! Everyone took pleasure participating in the Judge Booth, players and Judges alike.

MagicFests are essential events for the community gathering players regardless of their nationality, their playing habits and their seniority in the game. Judges are sharing the same passion and the Judge Booth is a place to show that. We are not the « Men in Black » of Magic and we share the best part of us when we talk with every player outside of an organized event. For us it’s also a time to meet each other outside the rush of a big event in a professional attitude and learn a little more about what we can bring to the community. In Strasbourg, it brought me a lot personally.

The Judge Booth allows MagicFests to gather every part of the Magic community.

Thanks a lot Thibault ! As a reminder, if you want to challenge yourself, visit the Judge Booth website !

Jean-François