Following Mythic Championship IV in Barcelona, Wizards of the Coast announced the end of their support for the Judge Program as of October 1, 2019. At the same time, a new company, Judge Academy, was introduced to address many of the gaps left by Wizards’ discontinued support. This news raised a lot of questions in the Judge community, as well as in the Magic community at large, and a lot of people have contacted us about the future of judges at the SCG Tour.
Currently, compensation for judges at the SCG Tour is organized primarily by judge level with rates found on each application page. The Star City Games Keystone program provides additional sponsorship tiers for Level 2 and 3 Judges in leadership roles. With the Judge Program ceasing level certifications, and Judge Academy level requirements still undefined, it is natural to question how we will handle judge compensation following October 1st and moving into 2020.
Although Star City Games has events occurring after the end of the current Judge Program on September 30th, all currently scheduled Star City Games events in 2019 will close applications for staff prior to that date. Judges will be selected based on their Judge Program level and their contracts will be based on those levels. This includes SCG Tours in Philadelphia (October 5-6), Indianapolis (October 12-13), and Atlanta (October 26-27) as well as SCG Con Winter (November 14-17).
For Season One of the 2020 SCG Tour, we will honor Judge Program levels as of September 30th, 2019 (“Historical Level”). Contract rates for Season One 2020 of the SCG Tour will remain the same and be based on a judge’s Historical Level. Similarly, Keystone Sponsorship rates will remain the same, with eligibility and selection determined by Historical Level.
Once training and testing materials are fully available, we will evaluate how we will recognize Judge Academy Level 1. The information that we have so far is promising, but we feel that it is not fair to evaluate until the complete structure is finalized. As Judge Academy publishes final versions of their Level 2 and Level 3 process, we will evaluate those as well to ensure that Judges with those certifications meet the needs and standards that we have established at the SCG Tour.
Obviously, using Historical Levels is not a long-term solution. Once all of Judge Academy’s training materials and certification exams are finalized, we will evaluate whether they meet the needs of the SCG Tour, as we will for any other judge certification bodies that arise. Our plans for 2020 Season Two and beyond will be announced prior to opening applications for any 2020 SCG Tour Season Two events.
On behalf of the Star City Games Organized Play Department, I want to thank everyone who has been a part of the Judge Program. Magic: The Gathering Judges foster a welcoming environment and run the best tournaments in the world. The SCG Tour wouldn’t be the success that it is without the hard work of our judges. While it is understandable that during this period of transition many people are re-evaluating their priorities, we hope that many of you will continue to make judging on the SCG Tour a part of your lives.