JudgeCast

In our quarterly tradition, we're back with an episode all about the Battle for Zendikar release notes! We cover every mechanic in depth, and pick out the juiciest looking cards to give you a boost for playing in and judging your prerelease. Want to learn how Awakening a spell might not always be the best move? How about how it interacts with manlands? How colorless is devoid? Converge, what's the...

JudgeCast is excited to introduce Molten Nursery to the world! We spend this special episode discussing the card in-depth, including everything rules-related for the card and our own personal thoughts on all parts of the card, down to the flavor text. Here's the card you'll all skip the episode to see: If you're interested in becoming a judge, please visit http://blogs.magicjudges.org/o/judge-leve...

Ahoy! We take an episode to get caught up on e-mails, and with the help of Nicolette Apraez, L2 from Wiscons (you'll get it soon), we are able to knock out a whopping 12 e-mails in one short, action packed hour! We cover questions from all corners of policy and the rules. Exemplar Blog: http://blogs.magicjudges.org/exemplar/ CJ's cats, as cardified by Josh Carr:

We have L4, 15 year judge, and head of the Conference Sphere Damián Hiller on to talk about conferences. We cover what to expect from attending and presenting at a conference, how the entire conference system works, and how a being a judge for 15 years can make you lose your hair. Conferences blog: http://blogs.magicjudges.org/conferences/ Bryan's seminar on giving seminars: https://www.youtube.co...

We have special guest Riki Hayashi on to talk about cover letters, and applying to events in general on Judge Apps! We talk about how to prepare your profile, and what to include in your applications, and what not to include. We also get weird at the end and learn the secret of why CJ's name is CJ.

Yes I know I used this title on episode 38. YOU COME UP WITH NEARLY 100 TITLES AND KEEP THEM FRESH. Speaking of fresh, we have a brand new IPG out! This one has some big changes, and we go in-depth on the biggest: Drawing Extra Cards is now a warning! We go in deep on what this means with a few examples. We also discuss some of the other miscellaneous changes to the IPG and some small changes to t...

The release notes for Magic Origins are here! Learn about double faced cards, spell mastery, and renown! Want to hear our thoughts on Lorwyn for some reason? Well they are in this episode! How about an extremely unlikely corner case involving two copies of a mythic? People love those, and JudgeCast gives them to you for free! Release notes: http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/magi...

On this JudgeCast SPECIAL, CJ tried something different: To capture the usual judge chats that happen after a GP and have them recorded for all of posterity. The problem? Those chats are made in a moving car, and the sound quality was not good. As such, we decided to release this one as a bonus episode outside of our normal every-two-week schedule! So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the soothing road...

We take an episode to talk about all the judge levels, up to and including levels 1, 4, and even 2! Yep, all 5 of the levels are here. We talk about the roles and responsibilities of each level, what's expected of someone in that level, and how someone becomes that level. For an even deeper dive into the Level 3 process, see episode 73. We also cover a bunch of news (HoF! Exemplar! And sadder thin...

On this very special episode, we have Toby Elliott (one of the many head judges of GP Vegas, L5, and all around swell guy) on to give us a debrief of GP Vegas. We talk about some of the planning that went in from a head judge perspective, some of the problem cards from the event, and even talk about a ruling Toby had that he'd never had before. We also read a few policy-based e-mails, and one sing...

On this episode, we have special guest David Greene on (Of Judge's Corner fame!) to help us cover most of the abilities and many of the cards in Modern Masters. We put a little bit of extra focus on these cards at Competitive REL to help you get prepared for GP Vegas! Modern Masters 2015 Release Notes: http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/modern-masters-2015-edition-release-notes-2...

We have special guest and very-long-time-judge David Hibbs on to discuss the Judge Hall of Fame and the history of the judge program in general. We cover some of Hibbs's favorites from the first ballot, talk about the early days of the program, take a quiz from the original Arena exams, and even discuss the old chestnut Failure to Agree on Reality. Hibbs's blog: http://blogs.magicjudges.org/timedi...

We dedicate this episode to e-mails! We get caught up on a bunch, covering such topics as: What to do when a judge is wrong, rules questions with Dragonlord Silumgar, what is rotting in Jess's fridge, assorted additional rules questions, and whether or not you can register in two different events. Plus much more! We also take a few minutes to talk about the brand new Magic Judge Hall of Fame! Know...

The definitive episode on missed triggers! How to recognize them, how to tell whether or not one was missed, and what to do after you know one was missed. CJ was sick so we have special guest and former host Riki Hayashi on to fill in. We also break our usual policy of not discussing the "hot-button" issues of the week and spend some time talking about the Patrick Chapin upgraded GRV ruling at the...

We have our very own April Fool on, L3 and RC Justin Turner, to talk about how to talk to a TO when you're new in town. We cover such topics like how to show you add value to the TO, how to ingrain yourself as the judge for that TO's store, compensation, and what to do if they store already has a judge. These are the types of things that apply to more than just judging at the store level! We also...

Part 2 of our episodes on the Dragons of Tarkir release notes! We cover the rulings on some individual cards, with some behind-the-scenes looks thanks to our returning guest Matt Tabak! Release Notes: http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/dragons-tarkir-release-notes-2015-03-18 Fblthp Walking the Planes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF7l4gkOekY

On this super-special episode we have Magic Rules Manager and all around tall dude Matt Tabak on to talk about the Dragons of Tarkir release notes! We've split the notes into two episodes. In this one, you'll find a discussion of Matt's career at Wizards of the Coast, some forced Gummi Bear references, and we go over the new mechanics in Dragons of Tarkir. Release notes: http://magic.wizards.com/e...

Part 3 of our mega-series on all the formats legal in FNM! In this episode, we focus on the limited formats that can be played in FNM: Solomon, Winston, Rotisserie, Cube, Back, Pick a Pack, and Reject Rare draft. And of course we cover e-mails from around the globe! Steve Argyle's Playmat Art: http://steveargyle.tumblr.com/post/113178634660/judges-2015-when-i-talk-about-my-own-art-im

We go off-script and cover Zones in detail! Learn exciting facts about the "battlezone," the exile zone, objects moving between zones, and listen to us bravely try to come up with scenarios for some of these ridiculous rules. We also read some e-mails from listeners just like you!

Alternate proposed titles: "Backing up is hard to do," "We got your backup," "Baby got backup," "Backup to the future," and "The Way Backup Machine." Also the words "Back that sass up" were said at one point. On this episode, we have former host and Dawsons Creek fan Riki Hayashi on to cover the great umbrella that is Game Rule Violation in detail! We also take a deep dive into rewinds: How to per...

(You know, like the movie) On this episode, we have L4 and charity playmat star Jared Sylva on to discuss investigations! And not just the cheaty-kind too, but what it means to walk up on a table blind and determine what went wrong and how to fix it. We also cover the sparse IPG changes and some minor changes to supplementals. New IPG can always be found at judgecast.com/docs Investigations, the S...

It's manifesting time! Just doesn't have the same ring as morphin' time. Sad. On this episode, we cover the FAQ for Fate Reforged. We cover some specific cards and go over the new rules for Dash, Bolster, and everyone's favorite new boogeyman, Manifest. Fate Reforged Release Notes: http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/fate-reforged-release-notes-2015-01-14

This is another part in our series on all the newly legal FNM formats, and how to play them and judge them! In this episode, we're able to cover the relatively-new Tiny Leaders format, Wizard's Tower, Emperor, Star, Archenemy, Planechase, and even throw in Grand Melee for good measure. We hope you never have to judge any of these formats, but if you do, you should be prepared. Links from the show:...

This episode is as casual as they come! The JudgeCasters have special guest Joe Hughto on to simply reminisce about whatever we want. Get a little taste of what happens before and after every show, and what happens at every Judge Dinner. Arguably, standing around with a bunch of judges and talking about is the best part about being a judge! Oh, and we cover the morph policy change BECAUSE WE HAVE...

On this episode, we have frequent guest, L4, former Regional Coordinator, Smooth Voice Champion 6 Years Running, JudgeCast co-creator Sean Catanese on to talk about the new Code of Conduct document. We cover why the document exists, what it says, how to report breaches in code of conduct and what it means if someone were to report a breach against you. Links from the show: The Code of Conduct: htt...