What is a mentor? Merriam-Webster defines Mentor in a very simple way: a mentor is a trusted counselor and guide, and this definition is kind of self-explanatory. A Mentor is the person you look for when you need advice, or help achieving a certain goal, and the word trusted in the definition is key; most […]
Draft calling is when someone, usually a judge, helps to structure a draft by announcing instructions to players, for example how much time they have for each pick, and enforcing that time limit. You might have heard it on a Grand Prix Day 2 or other competitive or professional draft. Why call a draft? The […]
Congratulations on becoming a judge! But now what? Well, as a Judge you are working events and if you are progressing towards L2 you are going to start working with other judges, and that is our main focus in this module. This can happen at your local shop – maybe for a prerelease, an FNM, […]
There are various ways players can gain advantage by changing the contents of their deck during the course of a Magic tournament. In a Constructed tournament, a savvy player might observe a different metagame at a tournament and use that information to change their sideboard, or move advantageous sideboard cards to their main deck. Similarly, […]
The Magic Tournament Rules indicate that Deck Checks are mandatory at Competitive and Professional REL (Rules Enforcement Level) events. Judges should therefore be familiar with the reasons for this and the best practices for performing these checks. This module will cover: Why deck checks exist How to perform a deck check Common issues and tips […]
Hello! This module is an introduction to leading at events. The target audience is experienced Level 1’s who are planning on advancing and want to know what to expect from some of their new responsibilities, and new Level 2’s who haven’t led or have led only a little, and similarly want to know what to […]
After a Judge makes a decision on a call Magic’s tournament rules give the player the ability to appeal the ruling to the Head Judge of the event. This module will cover the basics of the Appeals process, from the basics of why and how players can appeal, to the best practices for each role […]
Disqualification removes the affected player from the tournament. It is reserved for serious infractions and does not come up at every tournament. This module will prepare you in the event that you need to disqualify a player from a tournament through the course of your duties as a judge.
Every sanctioned event is run with a specific REL, so what does REL mean? REL is an acronym that stands for Rules Enforcement Level. The REL of each event informs players and judges what to expect about procedures, technically correct play, and rigidity of the rules. The REL of an event depends on the prizes […]
This Judge Academy module will get you up to speed on the definitions, penalties, and fixes for three of the most common Game Play Errors in Magic: Missed Trigger Looking at Extra Cards Hidden Card Error
Welcome to the second Judge Academy module covering Game Play Errors. This module will go over: Mulligan Procedure Error Game Rule Violation Failure to Maintain Game State Lets get started!
Backing up during a game of Magic is way to restore a game state damaged by a mistake after that mistake has been noticed. Players often use partial fixes at the kitchen table or casual play. The result, at least from the players point of view, is a restored game and justice. So, it’s only […]
Hello everyone and welcome to this module. In the next few minutes, we will cover about half of the Tournament Errors. We will specifically cover: Tardiness Outside Assistance Slow Play Insufficient Shuffling This will include a brief definition of the infraction, possible applications and examples, as well as pointing out specific or noteworthy elements about […]
Tournament Errors cover problems that occur during a tournament that aren’t the result of violating the Comprehensive Rules. This is the second Judge Academy module about Tournament Errors and will go over: Decklist Problem Deck Problem Marked Cards Limited Procedure Violation Communication Policy Violation
So, you’ve been studying the IPG for a while now, and you already know the difference between Game Play Errors and Tournament Errors. But now we’re about to embark on a new kind of infraction – Unsporting Conduct. In the case of Unsporting Conduct, we’re talking about infractions that don’t necessarily happen in the context […]
Welcome to this Judge Academy module! We are going to talk about some infractions on the Magic Infraction Procedure Guide that fall into the Unsporting Conduct category. They are: Improperly Determining a Winner Bribery and Wagering Theft of Tournament Materials Stalling Cheating Lets get started!
This is the final test for the Competitive REL Policy Badge. This quiz has a 2 week cooldown, and will need at least an 80% to pass. Before you begin, make sure you have a stable internet connection and do not refresh or close the page as doing so will count as a submission.
Before we dive into the more complicated areas of the Advanced Comprehensive Rules, this module will serve as a review of many of the basic concepts necessary for a game of Magic to function and add a bit more nuance to some concepts already covered in previous videos. We will be discussing: Game requirements Some […]
Following up on some of the concepts covered in 100-111, this module will continue laying the groundwork for more advanced rules. This lesson will focus on delivering more detail about some steps and processes that are often shortcut during a game of Magic. We will be discussing: Starting and Ending a game Targets of Spells […]
Many of Magic’s complicated puzzles can be solved by understanding the way information on a card is organized. To increase that familiarity, this module is a deep dive into the anatomy of a Magic card. We’ll talk about the most important parts of a card and the interactions related to them. We will also cover […]
