User Profile

I've been working with Nick for some time online. The size and population density of the Midwest makes in-person mentoring difficult at times, along with COVID. However, Nick worked hard through all that. He's completed the modules, then reached out for help, which I was happy to provide.

We worked together discussing the JAR, and the rules and philosophy. He then went and worked multiple events, while I talked with the store that he was judging at to see how he did. Feedback was positive, and I believe Nick would do well as an L1 judge.

His next area to work and improve on is a deeper understanding of the JAR and all aspects of running FNM events. That's mainly an experience thing.

I endorse Antun Mikić as a Level 1 judge candidate.

After a great deal of in-person observation, I feel Wes has displayed competency in every aspect of Judging/Running In-Store events.

He is quick to answer Judge calls and explains them in a way that players easily understand and are satisfied with. Whenever he is unsure about a ruling or interaction he will check with the Head Judge and turn it into a learning experience.

Wes is also efficient at the Scorekeeping side of events including: posting pairings, passing out slips, entering results, and observing matches that have gone into Turns.

Finally, Wes keeps customer service in mind while running an event. He keeps open communication with the plyers whenever there is an unexpected change in schedule or tournament structure, he makes sure any feedback makes it's way to the Tournament Organizer, and strives to make every player feel welcome.

I have worked with Jonathan for the past few months as he studied for L1. He is dedicated, works in an LGS (KillerFinds) and seems like he has his community's support. I think he will do well supporting his local Magic community, while he continues to develop as a judge. 

Ottimo candidato al L1. Molto interessato e curioso alle regole del gioco. Personalmente sono molto contento di averlo visto in azione e che abbia scelto di intraprendere il percorso per diventare arbitro, abbiamo guadagnato un buon ragazzo, sia a livello di conoscenza del gioco che a livello caratteriale.

I met Tem last week at Settlers in Hamilton and I am blown away by their professionalism, attitude and obvious clear relatable experience. 

Tem judges already in other sports/activities at an exceptionally high level. They are involved in rules theory crafting and working internationally before the pandemic judging across the world. They demonstrated a mature and professional attitude to not only judging at a competitive level, but also judging in your local store. They are already a community leader within their store and have clearly garnered the respect and appreciation of their local community from the conversations I have had after this meeting. 

The store manager that they regularly judge in has nothing but praise for Tem, and from the hour or so conversation I had with them, it is completely unsurprising to see why. 

I not only strongly recommend Tem to go forward and smash the L1 rules test to become an L1, but hope to see them being involved in judging in a wider capacity. The Scottish Judging community will only be richer for your input and influence, and I think the entire judge program will benefit from your behaviour and experience.  I look forward to congratulating you in passing your L1 test.

Lance has been a magic player that others would go to when they need a rules clarification.  As that would happen he found himself wanting to pursue the proper channels to become an official magic judge.  I have had the opportunity to observe Lance in action as he attended my Eastern PA and Surrounding Area Mock Tournament.  Lance conducted himself appropriately as a judge and admirably.  He was not afraid to make mistakes and when he did, he made sure he found the correct answer and understood it.  He listened well to feedback and took constructive criticism in a positive way.  After observing him in action I can see him on the floor taking calls for events in the future.

I endorse Kyle for L1. 

I observed Eric while judging a Charity event. The format was " sealed multiplayer Commander" with 64 players.

Pros - Eric showed up well prepared for judging. Unprompted, he showed up in a business suit, notepad in hand. We talked before the event and he pointed out that he had studied the JAR and multiplayer rules before the event. Most events I have seen Eric play in are eternal formats (legacy, 93/94, etc), so his studying before the event was a great sign.

Eric was quick on his feet, attentive to details, and thorough with his calls. He was always watching a table and did a good job at seeing complicated tables and helping them without needing to be summoned. He asked for advice before the event and i suggested he be precise and firm with ruling. He took this to heart and made affirmative calls multiple times (sounding sure of himself, not using words like "I think the rule is" )He came to me after to verify a few calls, and all of the calls were accurate.

Eric also adapted to the odd situation of multiplayer well. He was able to create a fair ruling by combining previous rulings. The event was using a sudden death rule of "putting a havoc festival emblem into play" and he had to make rulings based on how this emblem interacted with players during the upkeep.

Eric worked really smoothly with the staff, ran an excellent event, and had a great aura around him. It felt like he had been judging for years.

Cons - I have very little negative feedback. There were two instances where a table need to call out "judge" twice to get his attention. One time he had started moving to the table, so getting comfortable using visual indicators to show that hes coming (raising hand or pointing at the call) would be good.

Eric has a lot of older knowledge, but could benefit from studying the interactions common with sealed deck (notably how auras work )

I recommend Eric be allowed to take the Level 1 test. He would be a great addition to the community

Andrew has demonstrated an understanding of the comprehensive rules as well as an understanding of the JAR. He knows how to look through each document to find the answers he needs and if in need of help, the resources available to him to find the right answer.
Additionally, he has demonstrated he is mature and can navigate customer service issues with tact.
Building your reputation with your magic community and local store is a very important aspect of being a judge. As a judge, you are a leader in the community and must lead by example. Andrew has shown he is both well-liked and respected.
I believe Andrew is ready to step on to the path of a Level 1 Judge and I hereby endorse him.

I endorse Joseph for L1.

I endorse Brent for L1.

I endorse Evan for L1

Jared Calabrese has been a strong candidate for a judge. Having played competitively for many years, he has an understanding of the rules and has an understanding of the IPG. I fully endorse Jared in becoming a judge and will mentor him through this whole process.

It was a pleasure to work with Josh at prerelease this weekend! He demonstrated that he ahs the ability to run a regular REL event without assistance and demonstrated the required rules knowledge to progress to Level 1. Josh communicated well with players and is professional while working. Josh should continue to improve his confidence and I am confident he will become more assertive as he gains more practice! 

I endorse Josh as a candidate for Level 1.

Bryan is a previous L1 in my area, originally certified by Brandon Welch. They were on the L2 track during their stay in the judge program, and are looking to reignite that flame.

Gonçalo is an old candidate of mine from the Judge Program times. At the time, after some unfortunate failed attempts at passing the L1 exam, Gonçalo lost heart and believed he was not cut out to become a judge. As fate would have it, Covid came to exacerbate the lack of motivation by canceling events and turning the L1 title into something with little to no value.

After some time, Gonçalo came back to me saying that now that the pandemic appears to be drawing to a close, he wished to once again attempt to make the path towards being part of the Judge community. The fact that the process had changed and he would no longer have me as a mentor did not deter him and he swiftly made his way through the modules until he reached the point where he needed the L2 endorsement, so here I am writing this review.

I have no doubt Gonçalo will make for a great L1. I cannot fully attest to his rules and policy knowledge, as that is no longer something we entirely guarantee with the new system, let alone with the present lack of tournaments and opportunities to experience real scenarios, but I know he'll be swift about learning anything he notices as not being 100% understood. I'm sure he will not be perfect at first, especially now that there is no way to judge as many events as possible in an attempt to gain more experience, but Gonçalo has the correct mindset to quickly improve after getting that L1 title. He understands the importance of our role in events, LGS, and local communities and is committed to becoming a better judge as time goes on, always striving to be updated and learn from every event, which frankly is always any of us can strive for, especially when we're at the beginning of our judge journey.

As for the advice for Gonçalo, as soon as it is possible to do so, get out there and judge. Studying policy and rules is very important (and I want you to always be updated), but the only way to become a better judge is to repeatedly do what judges do: judge events. You'll realize that seeing a real cheating situation will teach you much more about investigations than reading about 10 different cheating situations on some forum. Don't be afraid to fail, you're not expected to be perfect, you're expected to know what an L1 should know and want to improve. If you keep that mindset, players will like you more (because you'll be less tense and more honest with them) and other judges will want to keep working with you.

Best of luck and I hope we can judge together in the near future.

Lance has been running events at The Game Parlor in San Francisco. Before that I have known him as a player for about 15 years. He knows Magic very well and has always been positive for the community. 

Talked with Matt at the MID prerelease at the LGS he worked at. Seemed eager to help others and willing to learn. Didn't see much of him on the floor as we was working in the back that night, but I am confident that he will make a fine judge. It is my recommendation for L1 test advancement.

This is a Level 1 endorsement. 

Maxime is a candidate with an acceptable level to become a L1 judge.

Active and with a good aura, he plays an important role in guiding players within his community.

With a little deepening of his reading of the documentation, in particular in order to really understand the processes of the game, he will be an excellent L1.

Hello Sebastian,

After Interviewing you and seeing your efforts in the German Player Community on Facebook, I am sure you will make a great Level 1 and you will be an enrichment to the community 🙂

Greetings Philip

Jill is eager to become a judge. She has the aptitude and eagerness needed to wanting to keep up to date on the rules of the game. She has the demeanor and temperament that will make for an exemplary judge. I fully endorse her endeavors in this pursuit!

Jonathan has been judging events for Border City Games for several months now, and is strong in rules knowledge appropriate for L1. He has a positive customer service mindset and looks to help each player and customer feel welcome and have a fun experience.

Jonathan's going to be working on improving his skills in conflict resolution in the coming months along with fellow L1's in the Lloydminster community. The goal is to confidently deliver rulings and understand the appeals process for players.

Thank you for helping your community, Jonathan!

笹原さんから、以下のようなコメントをいただきました。

「有山さんには、以前の大会開催期間では何度もジャッジコールに対応していただいたりと、
ジャッジに対して真摯に向き合っていると思います。
ジャッジ学習も空きの時間を見つけてはコツコツ進めていたようで、態度に問題はないと思います。」

以前に私が有山さんと一緒に働いた際に、有山さんの真面目さは私も実感しています。そのため、Endorsementを残します。

Lindsay approached me a little while ago online and asked me to write an endorsement for her to become an L1 judge due to there not being any judges in her area who she could go to. I talked to her local game store where she helps out with judging and they have given a glowing review saying that she is very smart and knowledgeable. While talking to her further, she is professional but very likable. It is in my opinion that she will make an excellent judge and a great resource for her community. 

Ryan exhibits everything I'm looking for in a judge. Not only is his knowledge of the rules impeccable, he has the tact and temperament to handle himself properly in any situation. When he doesn't understand a ruling, he will absorb every piece of information and retain that knowledge of why it is the way it is. Ryan will be an asset to the judge community and I look forward to see how he develops.

O Fábio tem uma vasta experiência como jogador e tem conhecimento das principais interações de alguns dos formatos mais conhecidos.
Demonstra interesse e uma vontade enorme de saber mais e melhorar.
Pelo que consegui apurar, é um dos pilares da sua comunidade local, mantendo excelentes relações com os organizadores da região algarvia.
Tem objetivos bem definidos e reconhece a importância e responsabilidade de se ser juiz na comunidade.
Apesar de não ter ainda arbitrado torneios, devido à situação pandémica atual, demonstra alguns conhecimentos sobre a sua logística e irá arbitrar o seu primeiro já esta semana. Deve, no entanto, ler o JAR e perceber os seus conceitos, de modo a conseguir aplicar a sua política em torneios de REL Regular.
Não tenho dúvidas que o Fábio é uma excelente aquisição para a comunidade portuguesa, mas deve ganhar experiência arbitrando torneios e estudando as regras, para evoluir como juiz e solidificar os seus conhecimentos.

Bem-vindo à comunidade portuguesa de juízes mágicos!

Carleigh has been playing the game for quite some time and demonstrates great knowledge of the rules. She also has a hunger to always find the correct answer for the situation. As a pillar in the commander community here in Charleston SC, she also has an extensive knowledge of intricate interactions that can only happen in that format. I truly believe with some time and guidance, she will be come a great judge!

I spoke with Joel and he is enthusiastic about becoming a judge. His rules knowledge is in a good spot, just need to keep practicing and read some policy to handle events at regular. Players at the LGS seem to enjoy having him run the MID prerelease. I can confidently recommend him for L1 advancement.

Hey Thomas,

Thank you for your enthusiasm. Your progress in Judge Academy courses clearly indicates you are ready for L1. Looking forward to seeing you become part of the Judge community in Leuven.

I've spoken to Carl and find that he is an excellent person of character as well as having a solid rules foundation.  I believe he will be an excellent resource to the judge community as well as serving College Station well.

Sebastian has shown a good level of competence in rules knowledge as well as customer service at two local prerelease weekends in Vienna.
He has some corners to work on but I belive he will be a great addition to the judge community! KL

Bobby has a really good understanding of the rules and loves Magic as much as anyone can. He really works extremely hard to help players with rulings when necessary. He's a sponge and soaks up any knowledge he can acquire. Working with him has been an absolute pleasure. He's extremely active in the community and really wants to become a judge for the correct reasons. I truly believe he will be successful as a judge and will want to climb the ranks even higher. For these reasons alone, I fully endorse him to become an Level 1 Judge.

I'm great!

I have talked with Jacob and feel he is ready to take the steps to become a level 1 judge for MTG. He has set goals for what he wants to accomplish in the program and him growing the MTG community through helping to run events.

スキルツリーを意欲的に進めています。レベル1試験を受ける準備が整ったと判断するため、Endorsementを残します。

Gerardo has been really attentive during the process. Because of personal reasons he left the process some months ago and contacted me to finish his path to L1. During this second wave he demonstrated great understanding of the rules with some minor flaws on the JAR section but approved my review with flying colours. As such, I recommend him to become a L1 Certified Judge  

I would like to endorse Paul because he has been working very hard towards his goal, that is become a lvl 1 during these difficult times, he has shown commitment with his LGS and is willing to help running tournaments in the future, also he would like to join our community in order to learn from other judges but at the same time work together for the benefit of judges in Costa Rica.

Rebecca sempre me procurou durante seus estudos para tirar dúvidas de regras. Não tinha receio de perguntar, e creio que continuará assim caso se sinta insegura com algum caso de regra, o que é um ponto muito positivo. Rebecca tem muita vontade de acolher, ensinar e de deixar sempre um ambiente o mais receptível possível. Infelizmente durante a pandemia não está sendo possível testá-la e mentorá-la em torneios, o que é de suma importância e compreendo este não ser um requerimento neste momento. Dado isto, se comprovada com o teste final de L1 da Academy que tem os conhecimentos necessários, desejo acompanhá-la e ensiná-la em torneios em lojas assim que as condições sanitárias permitirem.

James has demonstrated on understanding of the comprehensive rules as well as an understanding of the JAR. He knows how to look through each document to find the answers he needs and if in need of help, the resources available to him to find the right answer.
Additionally, he has demonstrated he is mature and can navigate customer service issues with tact.
Building your reputation with your magic community and local store is a very important aspect of being a judge. As a judge, you are a leader in the community and must lead by example. James has shown he is both well liked and respected.
I believe James is ready to step on to the path of a Level 1 Judge and I hereby endorse him.

I talked to Andy, who is a judge who was previously lapsed, and he's already performing judge duties. It's about time we get this man his title back.

He is personable and knowledgeable and has already been helping out his store. I believe he will be a great addition to the judge ranks.

Hey Łukasz,

We've been judging at Paprykarz tournament last month (27-29.08.2021). We've been both working as floor judges, which provided me with many occasions to speak with you and observe your work.

I am aware that you are a player who plays competitively a lot, and it truly shows. The way you manage to easily come up with a plan for both players during an investigation is a remarkable ability.

The manner in which you approach the judge calls is also good, providing the players with a correct ruling and a feeling of being looked after. The only thing I would recommend you to work on is the way you articulate. Speaking more slowly should help players understand you better and more easily.

You are an experienced judge, showing no issues with both managing tournament logistics and operating as a part of the judging team.

Considering all the points mentioned above, I am confident that you are ready to become a L2 judge. I hope we get to judge together soon. 

Cheers,

Karol

Greetings,

I was introduced to Dimitris Botzas by Evan Ketsetzis (evankets) in our judge online hangout group. He had sufficient knowledge of the rules, having passed the L1 test and was eager to join our group as a fellow judge. He is mostly interested in getting involved with the community in a helping way, provide rules advice and aid to local stores and fellow Magic enthusiasts. As he is a player for many years of various formats and maintains contact with many TOs in the city of Thessaloniki, and is in general, liked by the player community, he will be able to provide customer service in a warm and welcoming way. 

As of areas of improvement, naturally, there are aspects of the rules that are more tricky to fully understand and deconstruct than others (layers, dependencies, state-based actions, etc), and it isn't that Dimitris lacks knowledge and understanding (on the contrary, when asked during the interview, he repeatedly understood and deconstructed the situation correctly), it is that he needs to acquire more experience in order to communicate the procedure to the players that ask.

All in all, I find Dimitris to be ready to join the ranks of the L1 judges.

Charles is the best judge I have had the opportunity to mentor and work with in SC. As a Level 1, he has been a pillar of his community, not only running great events at his LGS, but also cultivating a community in the greater Charleston (SC) area. He has a mastery of most formats, and is constantly inquisitive about how the rules & policy apply. I've seen him grow from reaching out to me for help with a ruling during the event, to checking in with me after the fact to make sure he did things correctly. He has great judge instincts when it comes to policy enforcement, and I think he also has a great skill for player evaluation when it come to the more nefarious infractions like USC and Cheating. 

He has judged several local/state-wide CompREL events in the Pre-COVID days, and with the return to face-to-face MTG has begun working toward CompREL events in his local area. I trust his knowledge of the CR, MTR, and IPG at the level of any L2. He has worked hard to get to this point, and I fully endorse his quest to become a Level 2 judge. 

スキルツリーを伸ばすことに意欲的に取り組んでいます。また、会話の際の受け答えもしっかりしています。

レベル１ジャッジとして活躍することを確信したため、Endorsementを残します。

スキルツリーを伸ばすことに意欲的に取り組んでいます。また、会話の際の受け答えもしっかりしています。

レベル１ジャッジとして活躍することを確信したため、Endorsementを残します。