Greetings to you all,
This, being the first of what will hopefully be many blog posts, is an introduction to Judges. It details what we do and why. I explain why we might be at an event as well as what to expect while playing at normal events or “Regular REL”
So, diving right in – The reason why Judges might be present at an event is to ensure fair play and a proper application (and enforcement if needs-be) of the rules of Magic.
The rules of Magic are the same, no matter what type of event you may be playing. The Rules Enforcement Level (REL), however, changes depending on the type of event but that will be covered in more depth in my next article.
Most players who move from playing around the kitchen table to competitive events, have
a general knowledge of the rules and are able to get by in such games. What sometimes
tends to happen though, is that these players are not always up to date with new cards or
game mechanics and so, when they make the transition from casual “Kitchen” Magic to
competitive events, there can be quite a bit of confusion as to what is allowed and what is not.
As an example, there have been many instances where a player has arrived at an event after a
few years away from Magic. Then while playing has called me over asking about Mana Burn,
only to be surprised when I tell them that that rule disappeared in 2010 and is no longer a
feature of game play.
Another example is that between assigning damage in the Declare Blockers step and actually
dealing the combat damage, there is no longer a step in which players can cast spells and
activate abilities. These small things can help re-acclimatise a less skilled or out-of-date
player into the current Magic scene.
Being a Judge is more than just about knowing the rules. We also have a part to play in the
community by nurturing it to ensure its growth and to keep it healthy.
Just as with a child that grows, there will be play groups as well as individual players that
need to be guided along the way to a place where they are comfortable.
Our task is one of guidance towards this state – from their introduction to the game, to them
learning a few more of the intricacies of the rules and finally letting them run out on their
own, confident in their own abilities and with sufficient knowledge of the rules to keep going.
Do good Magic players make good Judges or are all Judges good players?
No. One does not necessarily follow the other. You might have been playing Magic for a
number of years but just that fact alone does not mean that you will pass your Judge exam
first time around.
Similarly, just because we know more about the rules does not make us better players. I often
tend to find myself focusing on the rules rather than the play and make errors in games in
which I may be involved.
Being a Judge means that not only do you have to know what is happening, you need to be
able to know why and when and how to fix it when there has been a mistake.
Now at your Friday Night Magic (FNM) event, you will not have a great need for a Judge
due to the relaxed and, hopefully, educational nature of the event. FNM is a place where all
players should be able to come and learn. Mistakes should be expected and there should be
no need to fear reprisal or censure.
At FNM there are no penalties for any rule violations. All that will happen is that you will
be told “Naughty, naughty. Don’t do that again. Rather do it this way or that way”. You can
have the problem fixed with – at worst – little more than a finger waved at you and then be
left to carry on with your game.
Only if you have committed a serious offence - such as having deliberately cheated,
threatened physical violence or stolen something - will you normally be disqualified from
the event. This shows how open FNM events are to allowing mistakes and providing
opportunities to learn from them.
Sadly I have been at an event where a casual player had decided to come play for the first
time and met with undue harshness. This player had cards in his deck that were not legal
for the format - which is quite an understandable error at that level. While this could have
been a great opportunity for teaching it became, instead, a situation where he was incorrectly
disqualified.
At that stage I had not passed my level 1 exam and in addition as a player in the event, I was
not in any position to say anything. Thus both the poor player and I had to suffer in silence.
Judges are there to make sure that, as far as is possible, those things do not happen. We are
there to teach and guide players (and sometimes even Tournament Organisers) to ensure that
a fun time is had by all.
Not every Regular event will have a judge present as most players will have a general rules
knowledge sufficient to help out new players or to tend to any serious questions that might
arise. If push comes to shove, phone a judge to get an answer. We are always willing to help
wherer needed. My mobile is always on!
At higher levels of play the enforcement of rules changes and penalties come into effect. This
is, however, something that I will cover in my next article titled “Stepping up from Regular to
Competitive level events”
If you have any comments or questions, or any suggestions as to what you would like to hear
about from the Judge's Corner, please leave a comment.
Until next time, have fun slinging those spells.
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