Italian Magic Judges - Il sito ufficiale degli arbitri italiani di Magic

I was a player like any other. I played the game, participated in FNM, and was a regular at a local game store. I had a healthy collection and had a reputation for knowing the rules and playing by them. I had already been assisting my local store with events for the better part of a year, working Wizards Event Reporter for tournaments, acting as a floor judge for handling rules questions that came up, as well as demonstrating the game for new players. But the gamers and the store were looking for something more . . . and little did I know, so was I.

The store owners wanted to get Judges certified in the local area so that our FNMs and other tournaments had more of an official feel, as well as allowing us to run GPTs and other competitive level events. They asked me to make it happen, and encouraged me to be one of the first Judges for the area.

And that's when it began for me, my journey to becoming a Judge.

So for those of you out there looking to become a Judge, I urge you to ask yourself the same questions I asked of myself when I began the journey (I have included my answers):

1. Why do you want to be a Judge?
For me it was about challenging myself and a desire to see how much I really knew. It was also about the players and the store. They needed Judges to allow them to grow. Since I was already volunteering at the store in the capacity of a Judge, it seemed like the logical next step.
2. What does being a Judge mean to you?
I have come to believe and know that Judges are people who serve the players. It is our duty to keep Organized Play for Magic fair and fun for everyone.
3. Are you ready for the level of commitment involved?
I realized that becoming a Judge involves a commitment. It means having reliable transportation, a flexible schedule, possibly covering your local area and not just your home store, and a commitment to keeping up with the game and with the rules.

How you answer these questions will determine not only your level of commitment, but how far you wish to go within the Judge program, and ultimately determine what type of Judge you will become.

For some of you it will be to challenge yourself to see how much you really know about the game you play and enjoy. For others it might be a love of organizing events. And for others it may be you have been to some competitive events and seen Judges judging, and wondered what it would be like.

Whatever the reason, you now have a desire to become a Judge…so how do you do it?

I reached out to my L3 (Sean Catanese) by going to an event that he was judging and picking his brain between rounds, I put him in touch with the store owner for questions they had and for setting up a testing day, and really tried to absorb all of the information he suggested I take to heart in becoming a Judge.

He shared that there were three basic elements needed to becoming a Judge in his words:
1. Know the rules pretty well (the MTG Comprehensive Rules, the MTG Tournament Rules, and the JAR: Judging at Regular REL document. These three documents taught me what I needed to pass the test.)
2. Don't be a jerk or a psychopath (easy to figure out)
3. Have a purpose (know why you want to be a Judge)
He also gave me guidelines I should shoot for on the practice tests and I worked to meet them.

I went home and read the rules. Having played the game since Revised, I thought I knew the rules, but after reading them and rereading them, I was wrong. I took an easy practice test and failed miserably. I took a hard practice test and failed even worse. So I took this as my wakeup call to learn from my tests. I broke down the two tests, not only in the questions themselves, but what they were about—what aspects of the game did they cover? This gave me a plan for what to study and why to study them.

This was my plan and I know and believe it's because of this that allowed me to pass the L1 exam.

As for the rules, I focused on the following areas:
1. The process of casting a spell start to finish
2. The turn sequence with special emphasis on the combat phase
3. The Interaction of Continuous Effects (also known as "layers" which can be found in section 613 of the Comprehensive Rules)
4. The various unique effects in the game (such as Flashback, Bloodthirst, Hexproof, etc) and how they interacted with the rules.
5. Active Player Non Active Player a.k.a. APNAP (understanding turn order and when each player can do things on each other's turn)

I found that a majority of the questions that kept appearing in the tests were about these areas, and that if your knowledge of these areas was strong, then you would be able to pass the test. The test gives you the Oracle text of the cards in each question so you didn't have to be an encyclopedia of the cards, but if you knew the finer points of the items listed above, you could work your way through each question and have a higher chance of getting the right answer.

I then practiced and practiced daily (I encourage you to set your own pace). I would take a couple easy practice exams for warm up and then a hard practice. I eventually took the Rules Advisor exam. I would study those tests, and gradually my scores got closer and closer to the areas that my L3 said I needed to be at in order to pass the L1 exam.

Then, before I knew it, the day of the exam came. And again the advice given to me by my L3 was something I turned to. Depending on the time of day you take the exam, make sure to get a full night's rest and eat full, healthy meals all day, especially breakfast.

Last, I pass this on, as it's served me well and I really feel was the thing that brought everything together and allowed me to pass the exam. Give yourself time. Don't rush yourself. The test isn't timed. Breathe.

Now to taking the test.

Set aside the answer sheet and just look at the questions. Take one question at a time. Write on the exam. Use the extra cards given to you and mock them up to work out card interactions. Scribble notes and thoughts—anything to help you eliminate bad answers and get the right one. Then reread the question. Answer the question on the exam first. When you have all of the answers finished, go through the questions and read them again. You should still get the same answer. Then pull out the answer sheet and fill in the bubbles. Double check that you are putting the right answers with the right bubble.

That's the process I went through, some of the questions I asked of myself, and what I did to prepare for taking the exam. There's not really much I would do differently, except study more.

I will share that, now that I am a Judge, I would agree with my roommate and fellow L1 Judge Brian Dombroski, that when you become a Judge, you see the game differently. The game slows down for you. You see all of the pieces in a new light, and all of the interactions take on a depth and shape of their own. From all of the parts of casting a spell to the complex subtleties that is the attack step. Understanding when you can and can't do things, why it's done that way, and what's really going on with the game. It's changed the way I build decks, the way I play, and how I approach the game as a player and as a Judge.

I have learned that a good Judge can not only answer questions on a test, but be able to communicate that answer to a player who is asking the question . . . and do it in a way they understand. A Judge is patient and understanding, but must also be able to give confident and accurate rulings. A Judge must be impartial, and be able to treat each player the same regardless of whether the person is a stranger or your best friend. A Judge is a champion of the game and the rules by which it is played. They must encourage players, create an atmosphere of fun, and encourage healthy and fair competition with good sportsmanship.

Your journey to become a Magic Judge and being a Magic Judge is kind of like the game itself. It's a constantly changing and fluid, one that has a lot pieces and moving parts. There will be new rules and new cards every couple of months, and new opportunities for everyone as the game grows. What you choose to do with the game is up to you.

Hopefully this has helped you as much as it has helped me. It's the same process and basic guidelines that I will be using again for taking my L2 test later this year. I wish you luck.