Magic: The Gathering Judge Program

Last updated

The Magic: The Gathering Judge Program is an independent organization that trains, certifies, and manages Judges, the tournament officials who run tournaments of the trading card game Magic: The Gathering. [1] [2] The Judge Program was founded early in the game's history as part of the DCI, the game's original sanctioning body, but has since become an independent, peer-driven organization, selecting its own leadership. [2] [3] In 2019, a new corporation, Judge Academy LLC, took up responsibility for the program.

Contents

History

The Judge Program has existed for almost as long as Magic: The Gathering itself. An organization called the DCI (a part of Wizards of the Coast, originally standing for Duelists Convocation International) was created to organize the competitive aspects of the game, and created the original tournament policy rules as well as the original five-level Judge system. At the time, this system was directly administered by the DCI and Wizards of the Coast, managing testing, performance reviews, and reports. [4] Candidates would take an exam and be assigned a level from one to three based on their score. Levels 4 and 5 were more experienced or senior leaders, and were assigned by Wizards of the Coast. Candidates could attend a Pro Tour, work as a volunteer, and take the exam at the conclusion of the weekend. [5]

Over time, the program has grown and changed. The program is now independently organized, with a three-level system, [6] its own method for selecting leadership, [3] and incorporating many of the functions that were previously run by the DCI. [7] [8] Judges now apply for events months in advance, and generally spend months or years judging events locally - independently or with a mentor - before being recruited to larger events such as Grand Prix and Pro Tours.

In 2019, at the behest of Wizards of the Coast, a new organization, Judge Academy, was founded to manage and operate the judge program into the future. Judges are now required to pay an annual membership fee. [9] Initially fees were up to $400 a year (plus tax) to include twice-yearly shipments of judge promotional cards. [10] Fees were waived in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic [11] From 2022, a flat fee of $75 per year was implemented, no longer including promotional cards. [12] As of October 2023, Wizards of the Coast has ended its partnership with Judge Academy. [13]

Structure

The entire program consists of more than 6,000 active judges worldwide. Judges are certified once they successfully complete a series of pre-requisites and pass an exam. A similar process allows judges to reach a higher level. [14] [15]

Level 1 Judges are responsible for the majority of events worldwide, including most events at local stores. Over 4,000 judges are Level 1, and are certified to handle small events on their own, including knowledge both of the game rules and of how to resolve common mistakes. Level 2 Judges are also certified for more competitive events, such as events that qualify competitors on the path to the Pro Tour. They learn more advanced rules, as well as the penalties and fixes that are required to keep these more competitive events fair. Level 3 Judges are certified to judge all events, including taking on more difficult roles such as leading a team or head judging at a Grand Prix or Pro Tour. They are tested on leadership skills, more advanced investigation techniques, and their ability to train and evaluate other judges. Many Level 3 Judges also lead projects outside of events. [14]

The Judge Program selects its own global and regional leadership. A group of Program Coordinators and Regional Coordinators are assigned based on an application process, and they are responsible for regions or projects within the Judge Program. [15]

Role in Organized Play

The Judge Program also maintains and interprets the policies in effect at Magic: the Gathering tournaments. With each quarterly release of a new product, the tournament policy is also updated. These updates include changes needed to support the new cards, as well as periodic changes to the interpretations or rulings given in certain scenarios. For example, in early 2019, an update was published which would allow players to "take back" decisions in certain situations. This was previously commonly allowed by judges as long as the game had not progressed too far, and this update codified the practice. [16] As another example, a recent update updated the penalty for using an illegal method to end a match, such as rolling a die. Previously, this resulted in an automatic disqualification, now, players are only disqualified if they knew that what they were doing was against the rules. [17]

Judges answer a variety of calls at a typical tournament, ranging from questions about rules interactions to cases involving complex investigations to determine how a game has progressed, and whether a competitor is lying or cheating. Most cases are resolved by the judge answering the question, or helping the competitors through a complex interaction. However, in extreme cases, players can receive penalties up to and including disqualification from the tournament. When this happens, the case is also referred to a specialized committee within the judge program called the Player Investigations Committee, which determines whether any further action, such as a suspension, is required. [15] [18] [19]

Recent events

Independent Contractor Classification

Judges have historically been classified as either independent contractors or as volunteers while working at events. In 2015 and 2016, two lawsuits were filed against Wizards of the Coast claiming that Judges should be considered employees of Wizards of the Coast while acting as judges. These claims were based around the Fair Labor Standards Act and similar legislation in the US state of California. Judges alleged that because their work was directed by and done to benefit Wizards of the Coast, that they should be considered employees and entitled to hourly wages, overtime pay, and similar benefits and protections. Wizards of the Coast replied that the judges in question were doing work for local game stores and regional tournament organizers, had no relationship with Wizards of the Coast, and that in any event, their participation in the judge program was voluntary. Both cases were settled prior to trial. [20] [21] [22] [23]

In response to these lawsuits and similar claims, Wizards of the Coast has taken steps to distance itself from the Judge Program and from similar community workers for other games, such as Dungeons & Dragons. [20]

Related Research Articles

<i>Magic: The Gathering</i> Collectible card game

Magic: The Gathering is a tabletop and digital collectible card game created by Richard Garfield. Released in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast, Magic was the first trading card game and had approximately fifty million players as of February 2023. Over twenty billion Magic cards were produced in the period from 2008 to 2016, during which time it grew in popularity. As of the 2022 fiscal year, Magic generates over $1 billion in revenue annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wizards Play Network</span> Sanctioning body for Wizards of the Coast games

The Wizards Play Network (WPN) is the official sanctioning body for competitive play in Magic: The Gathering (Magic) and various other games produced by Wizards of the Coast and its subsidiaries, such as Avalon Hill. Originally, it was known as the DCI but was rebranded in 2008. The WPN provided game rules, tournament operating procedures, and other materials to private tournament organizers and players. It also operated a judge certification program to provide consistent rules enforcement and promote fair play. The DCI's name was still commonly used, however, to refer to the player registration number until 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Williams (card game player)</span> American poker player (born 1980)

David Anthony Williams is a professional poker player and popular Magic: The Gathering player who also competed on Season 7 of the popular FOX cooking show MasterChef, where he finished as co-runner-up.

The Players Tour (PT) is a competitive international league for the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game, culminating in the World Championship. It consists of a series of tournaments held throughout the world, each requiring an invitation to participate. The Players Tour permanently replaced the Pro Tour in the 2020 season. Every PT awards a total of $250,000 in cash prizes, with $50,000 going to the winner. The Players Tour is split into three regions: Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Each region hosts three events, resulting in nine Players Tour events per season.

<i>Magic: The Gathering Online</i> Video game adaptation of Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering Online is a video game adaptation of Magic: The Gathering, utilizing the concept of a virtual economy to preserve the collectible aspect of the card game. It is played through an Internet service operated by Wizards of the Coast, which went live on June 24, 2002. The game does not run on mobile as Magic: the Gathering Arena does, since it is only available for Microsoft Windows. Users can play the game or trade cards with other users.

Mirage was the first official block structure in Magic: The Gathering. This new block structure consisted of three expansion sets and would continue for nearly two decades, finally ending with Khans of Tarkir in 2014. The new block structure also set up the precedent that the first set in the block also became the name for the entire block. Mirage block consisted of three sets: Mirage, Visions and Weatherlight.

The Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour Hall of Fame was started in 2005 to honor the most successful Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour players. The first inductions came on the tenth anniversary of the first Pro Tour event, and new Hall of Famers will be determined annually. Players who are eligible for the ballot can be voted in the Hall of Fame if they get more than 60% of the election committee's votes. As of 2018, there are 48 players from 12 countries in the Hall of Fame.

Grands Prix (GPs) are professional Magic: The Gathering tournaments, awarding cash prizes, Pro Points and invitations to Pro Tours. They are open to all players and are usually the biggest Magic tournaments. The first Grand Prix was held on 22–23 March 1997 in Amsterdam (Netherlands). By the end of 2018, 654 Grand Prix events have been held, the biggest being GP Las Vegas 2015 with 7,551 competitors, making it the biggest trading card game tournament ever held.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friday Night Magic</span>

Friday Night Magic is a format of Magic: The Gathering tournaments, held on Friday nights in gaming stores and associations all across the world. They are designed to be a beginner-friendly introduction to organized play.

Magic: The Gathering formats are various ways in which the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game can be played. Each format provides rules for deck construction and gameplay, with many confining the pool of permitted cards to those released in a specified group of Magic card sets. The Wizards Play Network, the governing body that oversees official Magic competitive play, categorizes its tournament formats into Constructed and Limited. Additionally, there are many casual formats with the Commander format being one of the most popular formats of the game.

Mark Justice is a former Magic: The Gathering pro player. He was considered by some to be the best player of the game in its earliest era of professional play. Justice was the second Magic: The Gathering US National Champion in 1995. He also led the first Magic US National Team to the first world team victory of the first team portion of the World Championships.

The 1999–2000 Pro Tour season was the fifth season of the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. It began on 3 September 1999 with Pro Tour Boston and ended on 6 August 2000 with the conclusion of 2000 World Championship in Brussels. The season consisted of twenty Grand Prixs, and six Pro Tours, located in Washington D.C., London, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Brussels. At the end of the season Bob Maher, Jr. was awarded the Pro Player of the year title.

The rules of Magic: The Gathering were originally developed by the game's creator, Richard Garfield, and accompanied the first version of the game in 1993. The rules of Magic have been changed frequently over the years by the manufacturer, Wizards of the Coast, mostly in minor ways. However, major rules overhauls have also been done a few times.

<i>Magic: The Gathering Commander</i> Series of supplemental Magic: the Gathering card game products

Commander is a series of supplemental Magic: the Gathering card game products. Its mechanics are derived from a fan-created format known as "Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH)". The official Commander format is "the only sanctioned format maintained by an outside entity" other than Wizards of the Coast.

The Artifacts Cycle is a tetralogy of Magic: The Gathering expansion sets centered on the exploits of Urza Planeswalker. It consists of the expansions Antiquities, Urza's Saga, Urza's Legacy and Urza's Destiny. The latter three sets are sometimes referred to as an "Urza block" for tournament purposes, since there have been formats and time periods in which cards from the later three sets were legal but cards from Antiquities were not. However, the books "The Brothers' War", "Planeswalker", "Timestreams", and "Bloodlines" unambiguously confirm that, from a story and thematic point of view, "Artifacts cycle" is correct and it begins with the events depicted in Antiquities.

A sideboard, side deck, or side is a set of cards in a collectible card game that are separate from a player's primary deck. It is used to customize a match strategy against an opponent by enabling a player to change the composition of the playing deck.

Joel Larsson is a Swedish professional Magic: The Gathering player. He is most known for winning the Pro Tour Magic Origins competition in August 2015, and for his skills in limited formats. Joel had the highest win percentage in the world in limited matches during the 2011-2012 Pro Tour season. After his Magic the Gathering career he shifted to Warhammer 40,000 and won the Swedish Masters in 2023. He is also known for winning the first Players Tour in 2020.

<i>Magic: The Gathering Arena</i> Video game

Magic: The Gathering Arena or MTG Arena is a free-to-play digital collectible card game developed and published by Wizards of the Coast (WotC). The game is a digital adaption based on the Magic: The Gathering (MTG) card game, allowing players to gain cards through booster packs, in-game achievements or microtransaction purchases, and build their own decks to challenge other players. The game was released in a beta state in November 2017, and was fully released for Microsoft Windows users in September 2019, and a macOS version on June 25, 2020. Mobile device versions were released in March 2021.

Magic: The Gathering Organized Play is the worldwide program for all levels of tournaments for the trading card game Magic: The Gathering. Created in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast, the Organized Play program has grown to host some of the largest trading card game tournaments ever, with hundreds of thousands of events each year. The vast majority of events are casual gaming events hosted at local stores, however, due to a common ranking system and set of rules and policies, these events ultimately feed players into the highest levels of play.

References

  1. ↑ "Judge Levels". MagicJudges.org.
  2. 1 2 "What is a Judge?". wizards.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Program Coordinators - Official Resources". MagicJudges.org.
  4. ↑ "Judge Certification: Daily MTG". wizards.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 16 May 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  5. ↑ Zandi, Jeff. "So you say you want to judge at a Grand Prix?". LegitMTG.
  6. ↑ "Judge Levels - Redefinition". MagicJudges.org. 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
  7. ↑ Baranay, Paul (16 March 2017). "Launching JudgeApps Reviews!". MagicJudges.org.
  8. ↑ Fernandes, Louis (23 March 2018). "Judge Exams are available through JudgeApps". MagicJudges.org.
  9. ↑ "Future of the Judge Program". MagicJudges.org. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  10. ↑ "July 29, 2019 FAQ". JudgeAcademy.com. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  11. ↑ Apraez, Nicolette (29 September 2020). "Judge Academy Response to COVID-19". JudgeAcademy.com. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  12. ↑ Apraez, Nicolette (4 October 2021). "Judge Academy 2022 Announcements". JudgeAcademy.com. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  13. ↑ "Wizards of the Coast and Judge Academy Partnership Ends | WPN". Wizards Play Network. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  14. 1 2 "Judge Levels". MagicJudges.org.
  15. 1 2 3 "Keeping the Law of Magic: the Gathering". escapistmagazine.com. The Escapist. December 2018.
  16. ↑ Vyper, Jake. "New MTG policy for Magic Judges allowing takebacks from players". epicstream.com.
  17. ↑ Ullman, Alex (28 January 2019). "News Brief: Comprehensive Rules Update, Judge Policy Changes,..." channelfireball.com.
  18. ↑ "Player Investigations Committee". MagicJudges.org.
  19. ↑ "Suspended DCI Memberships". wizards.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  20. 1 2 Griepp, Milton (27 August 2017). "Update on 'Magic: the Gathering' judges' lawsuits". icv2.com.
  21. ↑ "Joint Motion for Settlement", Yale v. Wizards of the Coast LLC (Court Filing), no. 5:15-cv-06337, Docket 55, N.D.C.A., 31 December 2015
  22. ↑ "Joint Motion for Settlement", Shaw v. Wizards of the Coast, LLC (Court Filing), no. 5:16-cv-01924, Docket 83, N.D.C.A., 12 April 2016
  23. ↑ Byellin, Jeremy (22 April 2016). ""Magic" card game "Judges" sue for lost wages; claim to be employees". thomsonreuters.com. Thomson Reuters.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.