The Mid-Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 1: March 2017

| nicholas

Hello, friends, and welcome to the Mid-Atlantic Monthly!

What Is This? (A Letter from the RC)

There is a lot that goes on in the region. Some of it is obvious (Grands Prix! Exemplar mailings! Judge Conferences!), and some of it is not (new Level One judges!). We’re going to use this space to point out the news worth knowing, what’s coming next, and what’s great in this great region.

Are you curious to learn more about the newest judges in the region? We’ve got you covered there. The “Advancements” section lists all of our new Level One judges, as well as our advancements to Level Two and Level Three.

Are you eager to find out where you can judge over the next few months? Check out the “Upcoming Events” section for a list of all JudgeApps-hosted events, with links to their JudgeApps pages.

We’re also instituting a new tradition in the Mid-Atlantic: the Q&E Award. What’s the Q&E Award? Check out the section at the end of the page to learn more about this new award and its first recipient.

This blog is absolutely is a work in progress, and I’m eager to hear your thoughts about what we can do to bring you all the information you need. Please contact me with your feedback, positive or negative. We’ll use it to make things better.

Until next month!

Nicholas Sabin
Regional Coordinator: USA – Mid-Atlantic

Advancements

Join me in welcoming the following judges to Level One!

Upcoming Events

The following events are accepting applications for judges:

April

May

June

Making Magic Accessible

written by Samma Harr (L1, Fairfax, VA)

Samma Harr has some ideas about easing Magic’s learning curve.

One of the great joys of running a game shop is helping people discover new games they would never have given a try before, but that you just know they are going to love. Judges are uniquely positioned as ambassadors to the game, but Magic has a reputation in broader gaming culture as a complex game with a steep learning curve. When our reputation precedes us, how can we, as judges, take the intimidation out of diving in head first as a new player?

Anyone can find something to love about Magic. A good first strategy is discovering what exactly new players like about their other favorite games. Are they interested in games with lots of beautiful art, but maybe a more simple play style? These players aren’t going to want to deck build and scour the internet for what just won the most recent Open. This is where something like Duel Decks work to your advantage. They offer straightforward gameplay while letting players enjoy the flavor of the surrounding theme. Blessed vs. Cursed? That sounds cool no matter what kind of gaming you’re into.

If gamers are more interested in stories and world building, Magic has everything they need! The difference between “I will never be interested in learning this game for as long as I live you can’t make me” and owning a beautiful angel-themed EDH deck for a coworker of mine was reading up on Magic lore together and talking about what kinds of messes our favorite planeswalkers were getting into.

Once you narrow down what Magic has to offer, tailored to an individual’s unique interests, the most important thing you can do is get personally invested in helping them become a part our community. Play their Duel Decks with them. Jump into a Sealed FNM together and talk about the beautiful and interesting cards you pull. Laugh together about getting completely wrecked in a match, but executing a combo you never thought would actually fall into place successfully.

Sometimes gaming isn’t actually about the game at all. It’s about a sense of belonging. Becoming mindfully involved in our neighbors gaming experiences will generate new players and keep long-time players around even when they may be feeling a bit burnt out. Invest in our hobby’s future by investing in each other.

The Q&E Award

I’d like to use this space to establish a new monthly tradition in the Mid-Atlantic: the Q&E Award. The Q&E Award is given each month to a judge who exemplifies great judging. Each month, the recipient of the prior month’s award will nominate another judge in the region, and explain why that judge is deserving of the award. There are only two rules:

  1. The Regional Coordinator is ineligible to receive the award.
  2. You cannot give yourself the award.

“But Sabin,” you might think. “There is no prior month’s recipient this month!” You’d be right. Since this is a brand-new award, I’m going to take the honor of awarding it to the first recipient.

The first recipient of the Q&E Award is a judge who, delightfully, moved into the Mid-Atlantic from another region. They’d already established themselves as a rockstar well before they joined us, and since then, they’ve established themselves as an indispensable member of the community, (serving as both L1 Testing Coordinator and Richmond Area Captain) and an utterly reliable and efficient events judge. Having this judge at events has always made my events better, and they’ve been a behind-the-scenes leader like few others in the region.

Q&E Award Winner Brogan King. Guess who her favorite planeswalker is?

Congratulations, Brogan King! You are the first ever recipient of the Q&E Award. Thank you for all the exceptional work that you do, and for setting a high standard for the judges of the Mid-Atlantic.