Magic: The Gathering Judge Program

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]

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 stood 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.

Current 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.[9][10]

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 fix 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 evaluation other judges. Many Level 3 Judges also lead projects outside of events.[9]

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.[10]

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.[11] 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.[12]

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.[10][13][14]

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.[15][16][17][18]

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 and Dragons.[15]

References
  1. "Judge Levels". MagicJudges.org.
  2. "What is a Judge?". wizards.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. "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. "Judge Levels". MagicJudges.org.
  10. "Keeping the Law of Magic: the Gathering". escapistmagazine.com. The Escapist. December 2018.
  11. Vyper, Jake. "New MTG policy for Magic Judges allowing takebacks from players". epicstream.com.
  12. Ullman, Alex (28 January 2019). "News Brief: Comprehensive Rules Update, Judge Policy Changes,..." channelfireball.com.
  13. "Player Investigations Committee". MagicJudges.org.
  14. "Suspended DCI Memberships". wizards.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. Griepp, Milton (27 August 2017). "Update on 'Magic: the Gathering' judges' lawsuits". icv2.com.
  16. "Joint Motion for Settlement", Yale v. Wizards of the Coast LLC (Court Filing), N.D.C.A., No. 5:15-cv-06337 (Docket 55), 31 December 2015
  17. "Joint Motion for Settlement", Shaw v. Wizards of the Coast, LLC (Court Filing), N.D.C.A., No. 5:16-cv-01924 (Docket 83), 12 April 2016
  18. Byellin, Jeremy (22 April 2016). ""Magic" card game "Judges" sue for lost wages; claim to be employees". thomsonreuters.com. Thomson Reuters.
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