How to become a Judge
So you’re interested in becoming a judge. That’s awesome!
What does a Judge do?
There’s multiple facets in judging or being the person players come to to ask questions or get help. What do you like about the idea of becoming a judge? Do you want to help players with rules questions or do you want to help run events? Or do you want to do both? This guide tries to help you answer those questions and get you started.
Helping with rules questions
Maybe you want to be the person people come to to ask rules questions. Answering rules questions is the more technical part of being a judge. Magic rules are very comprehensive and technical and dissect what cards can do into their parts and describe how those parts interact. The most important rules are laid out in the rules part of the Level 1 study guide.
In the old days there was a dedicated certification for only this part of judging, the rules advisor. Because of a shift in the judge program this certification does not exist anymore, but maybe it will exist in the future. But for now the only existing way to a certification is the level 1 judge, which also entails more than just answering rules questions. (see below for more details)
Running events
Another big part of being a judge is running events. This typically happens at a local game store. But how exactly that’s working may differ from region to region and how the Magic landscape looks where you live.
But what does running events mean? Running events includes handling the organization and execution of an event and the logistics that come with it. How exactly those things play out is dependent on the tournament organizer (typically the local game store) and how you and them arranged all those details.
Customer service
What’s part of running events and judging in general is customer service. You are part of creating a welcoming and friendly environment within which the players have a fun event. This includes helping them with issues that may arise during the event.
Where do judges judge?
A judge typically starts in their local community. This will typically be a local game store. The first level of certification is geared towards enabling you to run events in that context, typically FNMs and prereleases. Once you get some experience, large casual events like MagicCon can be a next step. Higher certifications are more focussed on competitive tournaments which use the Infraction Procedure Guide (IPG) and large tournaments.
What do you like about the idea of becoming a judge? Do you want to help players with rules questions or do you want to help run events? Or do you want to do both?
Where and how to start?
The International Judge Program has a level system. Each level defines some requirements you need to fulfill to advance to that level. These levels aim to standardize a minimum of skills and abilities that judges have. The first step in that system would be the Level 1 judge certification (L1). But how do you get there from where you are now? Where do you find a judge that can help you with all that?
How to find a judge?
Do you already know a judge? If yes, perfect! If not you can ask a judge at an event you are visiting that has a judge or ask the LGS in your area. If that does not work there’s typically also a way to find judges via community Discord servers or groups on social media.
Being in contact with the judge community is very important if you want to work towards a certification.
How to find a mentor?
Once you’ve found a judge, talk to them about your wish to become a judge. They can either be your mentor or guide you to and connect you with someone who can. A mentor is an experienced judge who helps you through the process of becoming a judge. They should be the person you can come to with questions.
It’s recommended that you have a mentor who guides you through the process and can help you with questions you may have.
How to get in contact with the judge community?
If you do not already know a judge or can contact one at an event you can ask us for contact to your local community or organization.
If you are looking for contact with a mentor and can’t find someone you can contact the L1 Testing Manager or a Regional Representative for the region you are from.
How to find events to judge?
The one thing that distinguishes the “rules person” from a judge is running events. If you are already part of a community in the vicinity of a local game store, that’s a very good starting point. If not, try to find the next local game store. If that store runs events like Friday Night Magic or Prereleases that’s probably a very good place to start your journey. Watch how they run their events, if they already have a judge (talk to them!) and if there’s a spot for you to start judging.
Having a place to judge is important for you as a judge.
The International Judge Program has a level system. Each level defines some requirements you need to fulfill to advance to that level. These levels aim to standardize a minimum of skills and abilities that judges have.
Working towards a certification
Once you decide to get a certification and find someone to mentor you, you can start working on your skills.
Hard skills
Rules
The most important and biggest part of those hard skills are the rules. The comprehensive rules are a very big document. It is not expected that you know everything. But there are a few important parts of the rules that are necessary for basic game functions to work. The most important parts of the rules you need to know for the first certification can be found in the Level 1 rules study guide.
Policy
Sometimes players make a mistake. Policy is here for you to guide you through common issues that may have happened like a player missed a trigger or resolved a card incorrectly. The policy documents describe how such situations should be handled. The most important parts of the policy documents you need to know for the first certification can be found in the Level 1 policy study guide.
Soft skills
Customer service
One of the most important parts of judging is customer service. Besides rules and policy questions this is the most important thing for running events at the local store level like FNMs and prereleases. This includes helping players use the Companion app or just answering questions like “where’s the restroom”.
Other Skills
There’s some more skills you should have when working towards your certification, like event skills or community skills. Read more about them here.
