JudgeCast

Join us as the team breaks down the new mechanics and most complex cards from the newest magic set!

Bryan and Jess are joined by Samantha Harr (aka Samma) to talk about one of our favorite topics, how to run a prerelease! This is useful information for Organizers and Judges alike.

We return to the countdown format as we trek through 10 common mistakes judges make (most of which we've made ourselves) and talk about how to avoid them.

The team tackles the combat phase and goes in-depth on how it works.

Priority is the system that lets players take actions in Magic. On this episode, we explore that system, including how it works in the rules, how players actually use it, and the tournament shortcuts designed to bridge these two things.

There are four different types of information that exist in a game of Magic. The team breaks them down and goes over some examples of each, then talks about what happens when something goes wrong. When does a judge issue a warning for the (relatively rare) "Communication Policy Violation" Tournament Error?

Brogan has taken over and locked Jess and Bryan out of the show! (Not really, they'll be back next week). On this episode, she interviews two regional coordinators about what they do and why: Returning US-Southeast RC Nicolette Apraez and newly selected US-Midatlantic RC Eric Dustin Brown. If you'd like to contact your region's RC about anything judge-related, you can do so here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/contact/contact-a-regional-coordinator/

There have been a lot of Magic announcements the last two weeks, and in this episode, we talk about as many as we can fit into an hour. There are tournament policy changes, MagicFest has been announced alongside Grand Prix next year, new Regional Coordinators have been selected, and JudgeCast's own Bryan Prillaman was selected as the newest Judge Program Coordinator. And that doesn't even mention the death of PPTQs! Stuff we talked about in the show: Grand Prix Schedule for 2019: https://www.cfbevents.com/2019 WotC's announcement about MagicFest and Changes to Pro Tours - https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/competitive-gaming/2019-schedules-pro-tour-qualifying-and-magicfest-2018-10-04 Program Coordinators' statement on Changes to Pro Tour Qualifying - https://blogs.magicjudges.org/coordinators/2018/10/04/statement-on-pro-tour-qualifying-system-changes/ Regional Coordinator Selection Process - https://blogs.magicjudges.org/blog/2018/10/01/regional-coordinator-selection-process-fall-2018-results/ Bryan Prillaman new Judge Program Coordinator! - https://blogs.magicjudges.org/coordinators/2018/10/01/introducing-the-fall-2018-program-coordinator-class-and-the-grand-prix-head-judge-lead/ Toby Elliott's policy changes for Guilds of Ravnica - https://blogs.magicjudges.org/telliott/2018/10/01/policy-changes-for-guilds-of-ravnica/

Join us as we discuss the new mechanics and interesting cards in Guilds of Ravnica! Check out the full Release Notes here: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/guilds-ravnica-release-notes-2018-09-20

You won't believe number 3! Or maybe you will. Yeah, you probably will. JudgeCast picks their list of worst triggered abilities in Magic. We look at why triggers have sometimes caused problems in tournaments starting with Horizon Spellbomb and ending with... Well, you'll just have to listen and find out! Creative Commons Media used in this episode: "Tech Rythmic Sound" Copyright © 2011 Varazuvi™ www.varazuvi.com "Intro Brass One" by klankbeeld Both found on www.freesound.org

L3 judge and architect of tournament policy Toby Elliott joins us to discuss what loops are, how they're handled, and what's chief among the pantheon of breakfast cereals.

On this episode, the team tackles three policy topics that aren't big enough for their own episode: Electronic Devices, Notes, and Outside Assistance. Listen, learn, and send us questions to [email protected].

On this episode, the team runs through the new mechanics and a few of the awesome cards in Commander 2018! Also... a bat-dragon? Full C18 Release Notes from WotC: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/commander-2018-edition-release-notes-2018-07-27

Feedback is a two-way street. We talk about why you should write reviews about peers and leaders that you feel are more experienced than you, and how you should do it. We also review the recent tournament policy changes, and promise we'll finally delve into loops in a future episode! You can always find the latest policy documents at www.judgecast.com/docs. Other stuff we talked about: General review info on JudgeCast #196- Overviewing Reviews: https://judgecast.com/archives/1091 Toby Elliott's M19 policy updates blog post: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/telliott/2018/07/09/policy-changes-for-m19/

Prepare for your prerelease! There are no new mechanics, but there are plenty of fun interactions still to be had as we peruse the most interesting cards from the Magic 2019 Core Set release notes! Stuff we talked about: Lots of cards from the Release Notes: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/core-set-2019-release-notes-2018-06-22 JudgeCast Layers episodes: #197 - https://judgecast.com/archives/1245 #199 - https://judgecast.com/archives/1257

Join us as we talk to Level 3 judge and Grand Prix Side Events expert Eric Dustin Brown, also known as EDB, about side events. We ask him what is the best side, and why is it cornbread? He tells us how side events work and why they're his favorite area of a GP to be working.

JudgeCast is taking the week off to make sure we're on track for the M19 release notes. But never fear! We've still brought you a great episode from the archive; it's an interview with Jared Sylva about investigations! JudgeCast will be back with new episodes next week. Stuff mentioned in the show: Great article series by Eric Shukan Part 1 - http://blogs.magicjudges.org/articles/2014/12/30/investigations-the-search-for-collateral-truths/ Part 2 - http://blogs.magicjudges.org/articles/2015/01/06/investigations-the-search-for-collateral-truths-part-2/ Part 3 - http://blogs.magicjudges.org/articles/2015/01/13/investigations-the-search-for-collateral-truths-part-3/ Another episode on investigations with Eric Levine - https://judgecast.com/?p=408

On this episode we talk about everything 2HG, including the upcoming Battlebond supplemental set! We also introduce Judge Tales: record and send us your favorite judge stories to be on the show! Last, but certainly not least, we ask you what Jess should do with the newly acquired www.bprill.com! 2HG quick reference: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/2hg/faq/ Battlebond Release Notes (Unavailable when we recorded): https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/battlebond-release-notes-2018-06-01

We're often asked about our conversations before and after the show. What do we talk about? How do we interact? Hang out with us as, on our 200th episode, we go in unscripted and unstructured. Our stories and silliness will give you a peek behind the curtain. For some reason, we'll talk a lot about food. Regular Magic learning content will resume in two weeks.

In a continuation from episode 197, we talk about layers and how effects interact using them. We also talk a bit about dependencies, and reference too many moons (Blood Moon, Bad Moon, Imprisoned in the Moon, etc)

The rules are changing, but the sky isn't falling. Along with new mechanics and weird cards, Dominaria brings with it rules changes that have caused the errata of many, many Magic cards. Additionally, we go card-by-card over some of the most interesting interactions in the set. Listen in as we explain it all! Links: Dominaria Release Notes (.docx): http://media.wizards.com/2018/downloads/DOM_Release_Notes/EN_MTGDOM_ReleaseNotes.docx Dominaria templating changes: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/dominaria-frame-template-and-rules-changes-2018-03-21 Dominaria Comprehensive Rules Changes: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/dominaria-comprehensive-rules-changes-2018-04-13 Dominaria Oracle Text Changes https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/dominaria-oracle-changes-2018-04-13

Judges talk about continuous effects until end of episode. We reference copy effects, discussed in more detail here: https://judgecast.com/archives/1034 We also reference our Types episodes, which are here: https://judgecast.com/archives/651 and here: https://judgecast.com/archives/659

On this episode, we're joined by Charles Featherer, AKA "Dr. Judge" at Un-Set events, about judging local, regular REL events, especially FNM. Whether you're new to judging or old hat, you're sure to learn something from this episode.

In which we discuss each penalty, why they're given for various infractions, and how that applies at Regular vs. Competitive RELs. Disqualification process and FAQ: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/o/disqualification-process/ Toby's April Fools Challenge Flags article: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/introducing-challenge-flags-new-approach-appeals-2013-04-01

Join us as we interview Pro Tour Rivals of Ixalan Head Judge Jared Sylva! We talk about the prep that goes into the Pro Tour and the way in which it's different from a Grand Prix or other event. Jared has been our guest before! Check out these awesome topics, especially Episode 51. About being an L4, Episode 51: https://judgecast.com/archives/423 About Investigations, Episode 111: https://judgecast.com/archives/771 About Grand Prix DC, Episode 142: https://judgecast.com/archives/952

Jess, Brogan, and Bryan tackle the steps of casting a spell in this concise, evergreen episode. You may want to bookmark this one for your friends that want to become a judge.

Join the team as we discuss new policy updates, new background check requirements for Tournament Organizers, and the new banned and restricted list. Banned and Restricted list - https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/january-15-2018-banned-and-restricted-announcement-2018-01-15 Tournament policy documents - https://wpn.wizards.com/en/resources/rules-documents Toby's Policy update Blog (Including SECRET Cavern of Souls rules) - https://blogs.magicjudges.org/telliott/2018/01/15/policy-changes-for-rivals-of-ixalan/ WPN Article - "Making magic Spaces Safer" - https://wpn.wizards.com/en/article/making-magic-spaces-safer

Prepare yourself for the prerelease! Join Jess, Brogan, and Bryan as they discuss the new mechanic (that's right, just one) in Rivals and some of the more interesting interactions. Full Rivals of Ixalan Release Notes: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/rivals-ixalan-release-notes-2018-01-05

In this episode, we discuss what judging was like in 2010 when the first JudgeCast was recorded, and we talk about some of what has changed. Bryan managed to get his hands on a copy of the IPG from 2010, and we also discuss some craziness from that document.

A new Judge can have lots of questions about the Judge program. Brogan, Bryan and Jess try to answer all the questions you have, and even a few you didn't know you had. How do I get a Shirt? What is Judgeapps? How do I find other judges? What is this Code of Conduct I have to agree to? What is that squeaking sound? And many more!! Referenced Links: Judging at Regular - https://judgecast.com/docs Judge Code of Conduct - https://blogs.magicjudges.org/conduct/magic-judge-code/ Judgeapps - https://apps.magicjudges.org Official Announcements - https://apps.magicjudges.org/forum/71/ Your email settings - https://apps.magicjudges.org/notifications/settings/ Level Definitions - https://blogs.magicjudges.org/o/judge-levels/

CJ Shrader joins us as Brogan hosts JudgeCast's new game show, "Wait, Wait, Don't Spell Me." She asks the team questions about Unstable mechanics and cards, and the team gives their best answer (along with some not so accurate ones). Check it out! Unstable Release Notes: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/unstable-faqawaslfaqpaftidawabiajtbt-2017-11-22

Brogan, Bryan, and Jess break down all the turn-based actions that occur in Magic, even the ones no one knows about! Did you know there are special ones just for the beginning of combat step and the precombat main phase? Other related episodes and stuff mentioned in the show: Steps of a Turn - JudgeCast #52 - https://judgecast.com/archives/425 Combat Phase (more in-depth) - JudgeCast #72 - https://judgecast.com/archives/573 Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny - https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/285267

This special bonus episode discusses the new Unstable card Rules Lawyer. In addition, we talk about the alternate art Judge promo version that will be available to judges starting in January! Have a listen and learn about how Unstable breaks State-Based Actions.

We spent Halloween talking about some of our favorite rules and interactions, both obscure and intricate. What's yours?

This episode we tackle special actions in the Comp Rules. They're not just for Leonin Arbiter anymore! Other rules episodes we referenced: Steps of casting a spell (JC #71) https://judgecast.com/archives/531 Morph (JC #99) https://judgecast.com/archives/707 State-Based Actions (JC #147) https://judgecast.com/archives/974

The JudgeCast crew spent the weekend at GP Providence, and they're here to tell the tale! BPrill was on sides, Brogan was on the main, and Jess was playing in his favorite format. Listen as we regale you with stories and talk about our various perspectives on the event.

Vampires and Pirates and Dinosaurs, oh my! Let's walk the dinosaur together as we prepare for Ixalan prerelease weekend with a review the new mechanics rules changes, and most interesting new cards from Ixalan. You can check out the official release notes here: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/ixalan-release-notes-2017-09-15

L2 Kyle Knudson, Event Guru at Cascade Games, joins us to talk about Magic events that take place at conventions. We talk about his experiences at PAX, Comic-Con, and elsewhere. They're great fun and great learning opportunities for level 1+ judges. Check it out! Thanks to Kyle for joining us on this episode. You can reach him by email here: [email protected]. Be sure to check out upcoming Cascade Game conventions at CascadeGames.com and, as always, check out other opportunities at http://apps.MagicJudges.org.

On this episode, we are joined by Level 3 Judge Eric Levine, a member of the Player Investigation Committee, to talk about Bribery. What is it, how do you recognize it, and what isn't bribery? Find the answers to these questions and more on this episode of JudgeCast. If you enjoy listening to Eric Levine's dulcet tones, you'll be pleased to know that he also appeared on episode # 44 - Investigations and also episode #105 - Commandeering.

In this episode, we discuss the Commander format and the perks and quirks of cards in the new Commander 2017 decks. What happens if your cat is enchanted by a rat? How does phasing even work? How does Commander Damage work, Generally? Find out all of this and more in this episode of JudgeCast. Commander 2017 Release Notes: http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/commander-2017-edition-release-notes-2017-08-11

Level Three judge Matt Williams joins us to discuss the JudgeCast Open that took place in Atlanta recently, where all three of our hosts were Classic HJs on Sunday. We talk about some challenges that lead to the event and interesting things that occurred. For more information on team events, check out episode 174: https://judgecast.com/?p=1114

In this episode, we talk about the state of judge testing, some styles of learning, and how one can study and prepare for tests without being able to spam practice tests. In addition to JudgeCast, we talk about lots of other resources for judges to learn from. We end the episode by discussing the list of things you need to know to pass the Level 1 and Level 2 exams. Resources discussed in this episode: Rules Documents: Basic Rulebook and Comp Rules (PDF/TXT Formats) Comp Rules (Hyperlinked; Good for reference) WPN Doc Center (IPG, MTR, JAR, etc) Annotated IPG Annotated MTR Other Learning Resources: Knowledge Pool (Weekly Policy Scenarios) Cranial Insertion (Weekly Rules Articles) Mystical Tutor (Judge Classes and Presentations) Judge School (Available in English, French, Russian, Spanish, and Polish) Jueces en Vivo (Spanish Language Latin American Judge Podcast) Exam Information: Level One Exam Level Two Exam

Settle in as Brogan, Bryan, and Jess bring you everything you need to know about Hour of Devastation. Learn about the Afflict mechanic as well as the pseudo-return of Embalm and Exert. We also go over all our favorite new cards and tell you what tricky rules to watch out for. Be sure to check out the full release notes.

Welcome to Episode #175 In this Episode we talk about things a player may want to know before taking the plunge and attending their first Competitive Rules Enforcement Episode. What is a decklist and why do I need to bring it? Is there a lunch break? Why is this person in a black shirt hovering behind me? It's full of chillax and whatever wine pairs well with chillax'in. We also are joined by a special guest; Michael Shiver from The Mana Pool. The Mana Pool is one of the longest running MTG related podcasts in the world, and are only a few months away from Episode #500. Please check them at themanapool.com or find them on Twitter at twitter.com/themanapool

Edit: This is the second attempt to publish this episode. The first had some unfortunate audio errors that made it impossible to listen to. This has been corrected. Sorry about that. -Jess We are joined by L3 and GP Head Judge Paul Baranay as he and Jess chat about their recent experiences Head Judging ~900 player Team Constructed Opens. We talk logistics, weird stuff, deck checks, and take a nice tangent into investigations. For more listening on Investigations, listen to: JudgeCast #44 - Investigating Raging Levine JudgeCast #111 – Sylva Linings Investigationsbook

The JudgeCast team reprises an episode from five years ago by tackling replacement effects. If you would skip this episode, instead don't! Replacement effects rules on Yawgatog: http://yawgatog.com/resources/magic-rules/#R614

There's a lot to go over in this policy episode, but first we introduce the newest regular co-host of JudgeCast. Please welcome Brogan King back to the show for her first episode as a full-fledged co-host! The MTR, the IPG, the combat shortcut, and decklist problems. Also deck problems. Wait, what? There's two of them now? Find out about all of this and more on this episode of JudgeCast! You can always find the most recent policy docs at our JudgeCast policy redirect: https://judgecast.com/docs. Toby Elliot's Amonkhet Policy Update Blog: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/telliott/2017/04/24/policy-changes-for-amonkhet/ Toby Elliot's Combat Shortcut Examples: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/telliott/2017/04/27/how-to-think-about-the-new-combat-shortcut/

We are once again joined by Brogan King as we talk about the newest Magic set, AlmondCat! Oh wait... Amonkhet! Yeah, that one. We discuss the mechanics, what we love, what we hate, and some Madness Weirdness. And, of course, we go through a ton of interesting cards and rules interactions. Amonkhet Release Notes: http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/amonkhet-release-notes-2017-04-14

Listen to Channelfireball.com's own Jon Saso and Mashi Scanlan talk about the new world of Grand Prix and the challenges they face ramping up from 12 GPs this year to ~55 next year! What does this mean for the events, the players, and especially the judges? We ask those questions and ask for your feedback. Do you have more questions about judging at Grand Prix? Email us at [email protected]. Mashi also said in the show that he's open to questions at [email protected]. You can give feedback about what you want out of GPs and also read the article Mashi mentions here: https://www.channelfireball.com/home/how-can-we-improve-your-grand-prix-experience/

Join us in talking to Brogan King, an admin of the Review Revue Facebook Group. We talk about that project and reviews generally. This includes what a judge review is, how to access them, and the different kinds of reviews judges write. We also speak a little about the basic dos and don'ts of writing reviews. We'll tackle deeper review topics, such as gathering feedback for a review at an event, in a later episode. The Review Revue: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1720829451483343/ Reviews (requires JudgeApps login): https://apps.magicjudges.org/reviews Investigations (requires JudgeApps login): http://www.judgeapps.com/investigations