It’s Not Easy Being Green or: Why are most judges grouchy

Before Mark opened the doors of Lilac House to Magic, the first thing he did was ask me to be his rules judge.  He did this because of my experience and my 2 year tenure as a judge for Tales Twice Told.  I went into this wild adventure as his Rules Advisor, not anticipating the baggage that comes with this “prestigious” title. 

Since March, I’ve had to hand out very few hand slaps.  As long as the players tap 90 degrees and use token cards for tokens and NOT dice (tap a square die 90 degrees, I triple double dog dare you), I’m a pretty easy-going guy and this nonchalance mirrors the “casual” environment that Mark has created. A handful of game losses from not un-sideboarding between matches and tardiness between rounds are the only major “infractions” I’ve had to assess in 6 months.  But for as relaxing a casual environment can be, it can also breed bad habits and disrespect for the “law.” 

Yes, it’s a casual environment.  But we still have rules to follow in the game.  FAM and Saturday Standard tournaments at Lilac House are primarily there for us to have fun and for newbies to learn the game.  Well fine, you’ve got a deck and you “know the rules” so you can play the game and don’t have to “learn” anything new.  Wrong.  Now you turn FAM into practice pit for bigger tournaments – your Gameday box events, PTQ’s, GPT’s and $XK events like Star City Opens and TCG Gold & Platinums.  This forces you to learn proper play and etiquette.  Arguing with the tournament official is pointless, regardless if your point seems logical to you or not.  There is a reason the DCI formats things the way they do and it is the tournament official’s duty to enforce it.  We live in a country where freedom is the way.  Yet we all still stop at red lights or pull over if the lights are flashing behind us.  Stop Signs and Speed Limits become the stack and triggers in Magic.  You can’t have freedom without order.

People need to remember that arguing with an official leads to disrespect.  The official loses their “Air of Authority” from this.  Ignoring an official after they make a ruling is unpardonable.  Colluding behind the Judge’s back to create an outcome in your favor is just as bad.  All of this adds up and makes the Judge wonder why they even bother.

My wife asked me why I haven’t taken the Judge’s Exam.  I told her I’m not ready for it yet, as I still have much to learn.  The rules?  Oh, except for a minor brain fart here and there, I know the rules.  The rules aren’t the problem here. The problem lying herein is my attitude.  I tell myself “Until I can learn patience and develop that iron skin where I can ignore someone’s comments, I can’t take the test.”  Bottom line.  I have to make myself a better person, and for every 3 steps I take forward in what I believe to be positive progress, I do something to wreck it all.  But I can’t be nihilistic regarding my attitude.  I should be LEARNING from my mistakes instead of dwelling on them.  How can I improve my attitude without making a concerted effort to do just that?  Well, I have to judge tournaments, first and foremost.  And that also means I have to take the test.

So this week I’ll be taking the test.  Our reserve Judge, Mark Jr., recently passed the Rules Advisor exam and I now will be doing the same.  Mark and I want you to have the best experience you can at Lilac House and will do all we can to insure that.  Not just for a select few, but for everyone who walks in the door.

We fall so we can get back up.  And run faster.

Until the next time Popeye the Sailorman eats a can of spinach . . .

PEACE!