Welcome to the Southeast Region of the Judge Program!
Congratulations! You are a Level 1 Judge now! You have just joined thousands of other people in the world that are committed to making sure that everyone enjoys this wonderful game that we all love. We know that you’ll do great, and we want to make sure you are well taken care of. This letter will help serve that purpose.
The South East region is a unique region in that we blend dedication with fun. Work hard, but also play hard. We pride ourselves on accomplishing goals and self-improvement followed by drinks after events.
Becoming a judge can be daunting, and often you might wonder, ‘What’s next’? This document contains a few nifty little things that you’ll have at your disposal. Below you will find a list of resources that you can use to help become a better judge. These resources are things that you will be using throughout your entire judge career, so be sure to check them out! After that, will be a list of Frequently Asked Questions.
If the FAQ or the resources do not have the answer you are looking for, then you can always contact your Regional Coordinator, Nicolette Apraez (picture included).She is essentially the overseer of the entire Southeast region of the US, and she loves to make sure that our region has a blast while also keeping us up to date on anything we need. If she is not available, then you can always try contacting the judge that certified you or your Area Captain for where you live! They should be happy to help you with anything you need.
Best of Luck,
The Southeast Judges!
#SEStrong
Say hi to her if you meet her!
She’s our Regional Coordinator!
Resources
Facebook: Facebook is a very common resource judges use to communicate. There are quite a few Facebook groups that you can use as a judge in order to help you stay in contact with judges! The most prominent ones are the MTG Judge Study Group and the Southeast USA Magic Judges Group! Just request to be added into these groups, and an admin will happily let you in!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MTGJudgeStudyGroup
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SoutheastUSAJudges
(Your state may also have their own private Facebook groups)
Magic Judge Apps: Judge Apps is the center of the judges’ communication network and our most important website. It hosts our forums, our judge directory, our event application process, the exemplar program, and our exams. You can find it at apps.magicjudges.org.
Magic Judges Blog: The Blog is a great place to read articles related to Judging and to also keep up to date on any news related to the Judge Program. This is also where you can easily find up-to-date rules documents for the game itself! The Magic Judges Blog has a link on Judge Apps, but you can also find it at blogs.magicjudges.org.
Slack: For those of you that know what Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is, this is what we have used to replace IRC. We have a Southeast Regional chat called SEStrong. You can gain access to it by sending your email to any of the admins in the chat, the most prominent being our Regional Coordinator, Nicolette Apraez! The admins for Slack are also the admins for our regional Facebook group!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get on staff for events?
Events are posted in different forums. Smaller events, such as PTQ’s or SCG IQ’s might simply be posted on your states Facebook group. Larger events are posted on http://apps.magicjudges.org/events/
First, you’ll need to apply for the events that you want to get on staff for. Also, try and make sure that your application is professional! It’s important to treat each one like a job interview. While this may be a hobby, we still take judging very seriously! Second, just give it time! You will either be accepted or declined once the application due date is complete. You can also message the judge manager of the event to ask what you can do to help get on staff. That should be listed on the event page. It’s important to be proactive! Last, if you do not get accepted, do not take it personally. All events are staffed with the interest of the event in mind. If you did not get on staff, there are a plethora of reasons why that could have been, none of which were personal.
What is a review?
The judge program uses a peer-to-peer review system so that we can improve. Getting feedback from each other is how we improve exponentially. If you want a review, you can always ask a judge to write one of you based on an event! In that same regard, if someone asks you to write one, it is common courtesy to actually do so. However, you are always welcome to write them regardless! You can write these on Judge Apps under the “Reviews” section.
How can I get my hands on those super shiny “Judge Foils”?
The most common way these days is through the Exemplar Program! This program is a way for judges to recognize each other through Exemplar Nominations for doing “above-and-beyond” exemplary work! Foils are also distributed through this program for performing with excellence or otherwise exceeding expectations, and are rightfully earned! Bryan Prillaman, an L3 in our region and one of the Program Coordinators, is one of the heads of Exemplar if you want to ask him some questions! The other main way to get judge foils is through Judge Conferences. You can apply for judge conferences the same as any other event in Judge Apps. As long as you attend, actively participate, and apply in time, then you should receive judge foils!
What is the proper attire for when I judge an event?
That all depends on an event! For events like FNM, you will be judging events at your local store, so just wear what makes you feel comfortable in public (but still actually wear clothes, please). However, if you work a more competitive level event, then you will want a pair of black pants (or black skirt), black shoes, black socks, and a black belt. No kilts. No scarves. No hats, and please put in your low-key facial piercings. After that, you will want a judge shirt that will match the rest of the staff. The majority of the time, you will be using the current judge shirt, which is a black button down with the Magic Judge Logo on the front and the Planeswalker symbol on the back. Beyond that, events in your region may accept regional judge attire, such as the Southeast regional judge shirts in our region.
Where can I get that swagalicious attire?
You can contact Adam Blaylock for any of the regional attire. He is easily reachable on Facebook. We typically run an online store with various items and pickup available at local large events, like Magic Fests! As far as the black button down shirt, the best way to acquire those is to attend a Grand Prix! Typically, you can get those for being on staff at those events. Beyond that, local L2’s and L3’s in your region may have a few extra in their region that they can give to you.
What is the Magic Judge Code?
The Magic Judge Code is our Code of Conduct document. Part of the testing process for L1 is making sure you agree to be bound by the Code. It basically says if you are an a**hole you can be suspended or worse. Don’t be an a**hole. If that summary wasn’t specific enough, you can find details here. http://blogs.magicjudges.org/conduct/magic-judge-code/
How do you remember all of this?
You just passed the test, and you’re going to do great. All good things come in time, so just know that you’re not alone, you have all of us to help you.
-Best of luck!
Your friendly neighborhood judge,
Matt Newnam