England WMCQ 3 - London

On behalf of Dark Sphere, I am pleased to announce and open applications for the third England WMCQ of 2016, in London. The format of the main event shall be Modern and the head judge of the event shall be Thomas Ralph (L3, Ireland). We require a number of judges for each day and will accept applications from judges of all levels.

Schedule

• Saturday: Last chance qualifier events
• Sunday: WMCQ
• Both days: On-demand drafts

Judges will be required on site at 10:00am Saturday and 9:15am Sunday, and will be required until approximately 8:00pm on Saturday and until the end of the Swiss rounds on Sunday. It is anticipated that the tournament will have either 8 or 9 Swiss rounds on Sunday. One or two judges may be asked to come in later and stay later.

Venue

The venue on Saturday is Dark Sphere, 186 Hercules Road, London SE1 7LD. The nearest operating station is London Waterloo. Lambeth North station shall be closed due to engineering works.

The venue on Sunday is the Millennium Gloucester Hotel London Kensington (https://www.millenniumhotels.com/en/london/millennium-gloucester-hotel-london-kensington/). The nearest station is Gloucester Road (London Underground). This is a change from previous announcements which stated both days would be at the hotel  

Application types

When applying, you have the option to choose Room Sponsorship, Volunteer, or Standby, or any combination of these. These have the following meanings.

• Room Sponsorship represents staying in a local judge's home, for any combination of days between Friday and Monday, plus payment as Volunteer.
• Volunteer judges will be paid as below but do not receive any additional benefits.
• Standby judges should come expecting to play the event, but if required, will be converted to standard volunteer judges. Standby judges not so converted will be offered complimentary events to the value of the main event admission price per day. Obviously you will need to be eligible in terms of residence/nationality and PWPs in order to play the main event on Sunday.

A small number of judges are required for the last chance qualifiers on Saturday, including a head judge role on Saturday. A larger number of judges are required for the main event on Sunday.

Unless otherwise indicated in your application/cover letter, you may be accepted for either or both days, and may have different roles as between days.

Applications are open until Thursday 11th August; we do not currently propose to offer early acceptances and aim to advise the outcome by Friday 19th August. In the event you require earlier notification in order to plan travel etc., please mention this in your cover letter.

Judge testing

Testing for level 1 will be available on Saturday. Testing for level 2 may be available on Saturday depending on various circumstances. Testing is unlikely to be available on Sunday. If you are interested in testing, please contact magic@thomasralph.com. In the case of L2 applications, please take a L2 practice test in the Judge Centre and include the test score in the email. 

Compensation

Despite the recent substantial increases in the cost of product, Dark Sphere has maintained base compensation for judges at one display (36 packs) of the then current set, which will be Eldritch Moon for the WMCQ. Other product to a similar value may be substituted by prior arrangement. Luncheon and snacks/drinks whilst at work will be covered and details of how this will work will be advised on the day. Some details relating to Saturday are subject to final confirmation with the TO but anything adverse to what has been offered will be discussed with judges and the option to withdraw offered.

If the proposed compensation would make it difficult for you to attend the event, please include in your cover letter details of what further assistance would make it possible for you.

Judge appearance and conduct

Judges are expected to wear the standard judge uniform of black Magic Judge shirt (or plain black shirt if you do not own a Magic Judge shirt), black trousers (not jeans), belt, and socks or black skirt and tights, black shoes, and Magic Judge name badge (if you possess one). Shirts are to be covered or changed whilst on break or otherwise off duty.

Judges are expected to deliver a high degree of customer service and player experience. A briefing on this will be provided in advance of the event.

Cover letter

An extensive cover letter is not required if you have worked for Dark Sphere in the past.