[cets_callout_box style=’gray’ align=’full’ title=”]Regular Rules Enforcement Level Events:

• 8 – 35 expected players: Level 1 or higher judge.
• 36 – 70 expected players: Two Level 1 or higher judges.
• 71+ expected players: Level 2 or higher Head judge, with one judge per 35 players or fraction thereof (Head Judge included)

Competitive Rules Enforcement Level Events:

• 8 – 35 expected players: Level 2 or higher judge.
• 36 – 70 expected players: Two Level 2 or higher judges.
• 71 – 105 expected players: Three Level 2 or higher judges.
• 105+ expected players: A Level 2 or higher Head Judge, with one judge per 35 players or fraction thereof (Head Judge included).
• 140+ expected players: as above, but a Level 3 Head Judge is recommended[/cets_callout_box]

For any tournament expecting over 150 players a dedicated Scorekeeper is recommended on top of the above listed judge staff.

Level 1 judges (and judge candidates at Regular level events) can be staffed for training purposes in coordination with the Head Judge.

We recommend one trainee position in a judge staff of 2-4 judges to provide the best training experience without compromising event quality. Larger events can have multiple trainee positions.

These recommendations are the minimum. Unusual circumstances may make extra judges necessary, for example a playing area divided into several separate rooms.

Consult with your Head Judge for further advice on extraordinary circumstances.

Reasoning and common questions on the above guidelines.

Where do I find Certified Judges?
This is the Judge Program website, where you can browse for judges near you. This website requires an approved user account and verifying new users may take some time, meanwhile or if you need further assistance, please contact the Judge Regional Coordinator corresponding to your region.

Why are Level 2 or higher judge recommended for Competitive REL events?
Certification for Level 1, its test and its training do not cover the Infraction Procedure Guidelines and this document is mandatory to use in Competitive REL events. Therefore, Level 1 judges haven’t passed a certification exam on the rules Competitive REL events have to use.

Why are Level 2 or higher judge recommended for Regular REL events with more than 70 expected players?
This tournament requires at least two other judges in addition to the Head Judge; and logistics to efficiently run an event increase exponentially with the number of players. Those two factors make the tournament beyond the scope of the training and certification a Level 1 judge has.

Why is a Level 3 judge recommended for Competitive REL events with more than 140 expected players?
Larger events require an experienced Head Judge due to the more complex logistics and management skills required. Level 3 judges are experts at Competitive events and have the required leadership skills.

Why one judge is needed every 35 players?
As the number of player increase, so does the judge responsibilities: judge calls, number of decks to check, results to enter, matches to watch, and situations requiring further investigation.

Why is a dedicated Scorekeeper recommended in events larger than 150 players?
The more results there are, the messier and slower things get. Entering over 75 match result slips, making pairings, and taking appropriate safety measures takes a significant amount of time. Expecting someone to do this at the same time this person is taking judge calls increases the risk of mistakes significantly . Those mistakes are slow to fix and will cause significant delays in the tournament.

Who created these guidelines?
Magic Judge Program Coordinators (PCs) created them.  PCs are extremely experienced judges in charge of the Magic Judge Program, with a combined experience in Magic tournaments of over 60 years. Some of them have experience as Magic Store Owners, Judge Managers or Tournament Managers for major Tournament Organizers around the world.

I have more questions, not answered in this document.
Feel free to contact the Program Coordinators at mail-the-pcs@googlegroups.com . Please note that messages in a language other than English may take longer to receive an answer.