As many of you know, Judges are important to Magic (more specifically, tournament Magic usually). The Tournament Organizer hires us to make sure things run smoothly; we answer rules questions, help settle disagreements and disputes over how a certain thing works. We enforce those rules, set up the venue, and tear it down when all is done. I was asked this question about four times during the prerelease: “How do I become a Judge?”

It’s a fairly painless process! The first thing you should do is talk to a Judge near you. It helps if they’re a Level 2 or higher judge (level 2s can certify brand new L1s). If you honestly have no idea where to even start looking for a Judge, you can follow this link (http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=judge/resources/coords) to find your Regional Coordinator. These are higher level Judges who coordinate all the judges in their region; if you get in touch with them, they’ll be happy to help get YOU in touch with L2s near you to begin the process.

So, now you’re talking to an L2 and starting the process. What can you expect? A few things. First it helps if you’ve played in DCI sanctioned tournaments before, so you understand their structure from the player-side. You’ll also need to know the rules! If you’re worried your knowledge isn’t up to snuff, don’t be. You aren’t expected to be L1 ready the moment you think about judging; your L2 mentor’s job is to help you prepare for the test, not just to test you. You also need to work 2 sanctioned events as a Judge (you can work as a judge without certification, it’s just tougher to get work), preferably with your mentor helping/watching. This is so we can gauge how you operate during an actual tournament, and how well you can take directions. These events needn’t be big; it can be a 16 man GPT, or a simple FNM.

So, you think your rules knowledge is good enough, and so does your mentor. You’ve worked 2 (or more) events, and you both think you’re good. What now? Now the L2 is going to give you an interview, from which he or she will write a review. The interview is mostly to get a feel for your personality, maturity, how well you deal with people, etc. Remember: Judging is a customer service job at its core. Once you’ve passed the interview, you’ll be given a written exam over the rules and a policy document called Judging at Regular. Assuming you pass this exam, congrats! You’re now a Level 1 Judge.

I hope this post was helpful to some of you looking to become Judges, and if any of you are on the fence, I recommend taking the leap. Joining the Judge program is one of the best things I’ve ever done; I’ve made lots of friends all over the world, and been surrounded by wonderful and caring people. It’s also a ton of fun, and I hope this post inspires some people to head down the path to L1.

Today’s Tip Written by Trevor Nunez