Hello Canadian Judges! Our very first Maple Mana Judge spotlight is a pillar of the national Judge community and one of the most recognizable Judges in Canada!
Name: Michael Hill
Level: 4
Location: Toronto
Judge start date: Jan 11, 2013
Occupation: Organized Play Supervisor at Face to Face Games
Favorite card: Cruel Ultimatum
Least favorite card: Farewell
Favorite format: Commander
Commander General: I’ve had to many to count but first commander was Sedris, the Traitor King and I like casting Cruel ultimatum. These days I like Grave Pact decks
What Single Colour, Two Colour Guild and Three Colour faction do you identify with personally?
Single – Red
Two – Gruul
Three – Jund
Favorite non-Magic Game: Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dungeons and Dragons
Best tournament result: Day 2 at a GP. Not very impressive! (Editors note: Most people I know have never done this…)
Random fact about yourself: I have never broken a bone.
Why do you Judge?
I enjoy the culture of improvement in the community, so many people are driven to get better and help others get better. I want to be a part of that.
Tell us your favorite Judge story
I was judging a RCQ like event just before the pandemic started (whatever acronym they had at the time). A player had a playmat with an underage anime character in suggestive attire that made another participant uncomfortable. When I asked the player to not use the playmat and explained that underage anime girls in bikinis were weird to have on playmats the player defended themselves by saying “she is actually a 1000 year old dragon spirit.” I was unmoved by this argument…
What are some tips you have for other Judges?
Ask for help if you need it before it becomes an issue. Don’t be scared to say you don’t feel like you have the tools to do a task
What is your favourite non-judging moment that happened with other Judges (or after-event story)?
I spent new years this year with a bunch of judge friends and relaxed while playing a ton of games. We played a ton of Blood on the Clock Tower which is a great game to play with judges. It was great to just hang out without any event to work and really just chill.
Who have been some of your biggest mentors in the Judge Program, and what did they teach you?
Kelly Ackerman, Graham Schofield, Jon Goud, more recently Jonah Kellman, Travis Lauro, Tobias Vyseri and Brook Gardner-Durbin. Kelly taught me customer service and Graham taught me policy when I was starting out. Jon Goud showed me what presence and charisma looks like. My current mentors give direct feedback on how to improve and push me to try things outside my comfort zone.
What’s the best part about your local Magic community?
Toronto has some of the best players out there. I get to cube with people who play on the pro tour pretty often! Getting to talk to professional players about their perspectives is always good!
What is your favorite non-Magic hobby?
I play ball hockey every week to help scratch my competitive itch
How did you get involved in Magic in the first place?
Some of my friends in high school introduced me during Lorwyn block. I started playing standard at my local game store in Oshawa, SkyFox Games.
If you were a Planeswalker what would be your ultimate?
You get an emblem with: Whenever a creature dies target opponent loses 2 life and you draw a card.
Where would you go if you could take an omenpath vacation on any magic plane?
Avishkar because it seems interesting and relatively safe and stable. I don’t want to be turned to dust by some eldrazi or other nonsense.
If you could have any magic character as your head judge who would it be?
Grand Arbiter Augustin. Everything would run smoothly and rules would be followed.
Proudest moment of your Judge life?
Seeing people I’ve helped mentor level up this year. It’s been a great year for many Canadian judges and the reason I judge is moments like that.
Two Truths and a Lie:
I was on the basketball team in high school
I wrote 26 judge reviews in 2024
I have a pet Iguana named Nicol Bolas