As of late I've been kind of zealously helping my LGS, judging every chance I can, helping the owner and staff and whatnot, and with the upcoming GP in Ottawa, I've spoken with him about holding a GPT.

This is not the first time the store has had a sealed GPT, but when we did, another judge came in to help (I wasn't a judge back then) and I didn't really pay much attention to how it was run or anything. It was a year ago, and while I'm aware of some things involved with it (recording pools, passing them to another player, cutting to top 8 draft, competitive REL,) I'm honestly a bit nervous, and slightly ill-prepared as it is.

We're scheduling it for early November, and I was hoping that I could get some tips and maybe resources that will help boost my confidence and readiness for this event. (ie: where the heck do I get the sheets for pool registering?)

Even just suggestions or any sort of words of wisdom would be GREATLY appreciated!

Gregory, you've probably noticed a number of Tournament Reports (in a separate section of these forums); I suggest you take a look at some of those, as I suspect you'll find a wealth of information there.

And, here's a short list, compiled from my own experience:
* don't sweat the small stuff
* be confident when talking to the players (even if you're not feeling it)
* be decisive, esp. when performing an investigation
* Read The Card! (i.e., before answering a rules question) - it might not say exactly what you remembered…

d:^D

You may also enjoy this:

http://judgecast.com/?p=491

Hello Gregory!

Great to hear that you are going to raise your judging to another level!

Some relevant documents can be found at WPN website:

Khans of Tarkir Limited Decklist

Grand Prix Trial Rules (this is a must-read, there is info directly impacting the event like required number of rounds)

Also be sure that you are familiar with Magic Tournament Rules and Infraction Procedure Guide.

I don't generally post the “me too” messages, but I want to reemphasize Scott's RTFC tip. Even if you're sure you know what the card does, worst case it gives you a few more seconds to quietly contemplate the answer.

At my first GP Mike McCliment once suggested to me saying “One moment I need to review the IPG,” when giving a penalty. Even if you know the answer, it again gives you a bit more time to think about any questions you might not have asked or angles you hadn't considered.

Both are kind of polite ways of saying “Please be quiet while I think” :)

You should also have a look at GP Ottawa Trials fact sheet at:
http://archive.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=mtg/event/grandprix/ottawa14/trials

Normally the generic one Milan posted gives you what you need, but I think
it's better to look at the particular one for the GP that the GPT you will
be judging feeds.
You can find the Trials fact sheet for any GP at:
http://archive.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=grandprix/welcome

Here's my practical advice:

1. Have the TO snag some ziplock quart baggies before the event. Stuff six packs, a pen and a reg sheet in each. Tell the players that after they register, they should put the contents of the packs, sorted by Color > Name back into the baggie, along with the reg sheet, for the pass. You haven't known sadness until you've seen players executing a pass spill the contents of both their pools on the floor while passing to each other.

2. Focus on beginning-of-round deckchecks - that's where most shenanigans will happen, as players “fix” poor choices they made when building. When you check decks, don't bother checking the pools against the lists unless you suspect foul play - it takes a long time to check them, and, because it's not a D/DLP to be missing sideboard cards, it's largely pointless for routine checks.

3. Print more reg sheets than you need - I like to go into the build with ten spares, so my sheets for the draft are already printed, and so players who screw up can pull from the spares. You don't want to make players wait while you print more reg sheets.

4. When you collect sheets, if you have time, verify that the player's name is on it and that they registered lands. It's good customer service to notice that they registered a 23-card deck with no lands and suggest that they play some lands, rather than coming back to issue a D/DLP later. Every player you correct now saves you work later and improves their event experience.

On Fri, Sep 26, 2014 at 4:15 PM, John Brian McCarthy <
forum-12851-d665@apps.magicjudges.org> wrote:

> 2. Focus on beginning-of-round deckchecks - that's where most shenanigans
> will happen, as players “fix” poor choices they made when building. When
> you check decks, don't bother checking the pools against the lists unless
> you suspect foul play - it takes a long time to check them, and, because
> it's not a D/DLP to be missing sideboard cards, it's largely pointless for
> routine checks.


But do at least 1 midround, if you don't players start to think that is a
safe attack vector.

Also check the front and back few cards of the sideboard against the pool,
chances are good that is where the player is keeping the cards they are
siding in and out. Then a quick flick through for any sideboard cards that
look awesome. That method only takes 20seconds and will catch all the
issues you want to catch.


–
Gareth Pye
Level 2 Judge, Melbourne, Australia
Australian MTG Forum: mtgau.com
gareth@cerberos.id.au - www.rockpaperdynamite.wordpress.com
“Dear God, I would like to file a bug report”

One thing i would suggest is prepare ahead of time your Head Judge announcements for the beginning of the event. This is the first impression some of the players may have of you and can go a long way to making them feel comfortable with the person running the event if they sound good right from the start

A week or so before - write yourself down a list of everything you want to say/inform the players of before the event starts. Leave yourself a fill in blank on the sheet for number of players and rounds. Add your own personal flair to it if you want - if you're a punner like Adam Zakreski or Chris Lansdell - throw a couple in there. And most importantly practice it! Read it aloud a few times so the day of the event you have an idea of what youre going to say and when.

I know it sounds like a gimmie but this is something that ive seen many judges overlook.

Originally posted by John Brian McCarthy:

I like to go into the build with ten spares, so my sheets for the draft are already printed, and so players who screw up can pull from the spares.

I'm going to disagree, slightly. I prefer to have deck reg sheets that the players couldn't bring themselves - whether that means “doctoring” an original before making copies, using an odd color of paper, or some other means.

That prevents the cheat of bringing a pre-registered (and really good) deck, and then swapping in your own deck reg sheet for the one you're handed.

And, if you have modified deck reg sheets, you have to guard them carefully, so players can NOT “pull from the spares”, they have to get a judge involved.

(Having ~10 extra is a great idea!)

d:^D

Shameless self-plug. Hopefully it helps!

How to Head Judge a GPT

Originally posted by Scott Marshall:

John Brian McCarthy
I like to go into the build with ten spares, so my sheets for the draft are already printed, and so players who screw up can pull from the spares.

I'm going to disagree, slightly. I prefer to have deck reg sheets that the players couldn't bring themselves - whether that means “doctoring” an original before making copies, using an odd color of paper, or some other means.

That prevents the cheat of bringing a pre-registered (and really good) deck, and then swapping in your own deck reg sheet for the one you're handed.

And, if you have modified deck reg sheets, you have to guard them carefully, so players can NOT “pull from the spares”, they have to get a judge involved.

(Having ~10 extra is a great idea!)

d:^D

Just a thought here Scott, how could they properly doctor a deck reg sheet when part of the sheet is another person registering the pool? o_O

This might be a thing for major events (we're expecting 20 but I have a bad feeling it'll be closer to 40 because of the prizes =_='') but I don't quite see it being possible unless they know how it'd be passed prior to the actual event, and/or paying off the registering player to sign it again… otherwise, if they say someone else registered a simple check to see that everyone registered a pool would show that there's something fishy going on.

The cheater shows up, looks around the room, sees anyone whose name he knows, writes it on his prepared deck list under “registered by”. Sure, it's easily investigated - IF you decide his pool is too good, and decide to investigate. Or maybe his pool is just a bit better than average.

And yes, this works much better when it's 1000 players, than when it's 20 or 40. But even with 40 players, you're not likely to expend the effort to verify the names in the Registered By slot… again, unless you already suspect something.

d:^D

Edited Scott Marshall (Oct. 27, 2014 10:36:59 PM)

Hi, Gregory and awesome responders,

I'm in a similar situation. My store is Core-level, so we can't hold a GPT, but with the upcoming GP in Baltimore, I've been allowed to organize and head judge the store's first large, competitive-REL tournament, a sealed event that strives to re-create the organization and structure of a GP to encourage players who have never been to a large tournament to attend.

First, to Gregory:

Originally posted by Cj Shrader:

You may also enjoy this:

http://judgecast.com/?p=491

^ is an excellent resource. Not just that episode, but Judgecast as a whole. I regularly re-listen to episodes that are relevant to whatever's going on— I recently issued my first disqualification, and listening to “What To Suspend When You're Suspended” on the drive home was enormously helpful and enlightening.

Also, DO sweat the small stuff— but do it now. This may not work for you, I'm only speaking from my experience, but whenever I've run an event, I've obsessed over it a LOT beforehand. It helps me make sure I have all my ducks in a row. My big sealed event is on November 22nd, just under a month away, and even now, my mind is swirling with details. I've found (and hopefully this holds true for my event in November, as it's the most complex tournament I've ever run) that being this obsessive this early actually helps calm the nerves on the day of the event. I know I've gone over every little detail, so there's nothing to worry about. All I have to do is execute well, and I'm golden.

Second, to everyone else:

Soon, I'll be pre-registering a few sealed pools for those players who show up late, as well as opening, registering and marking the top 8 draft pools. I'm curious; what is the exact procedure for these things? I realize that pre-opening and marking the top 8 draft packs may be a bit overkill, but as I explained, I want my event to closely mirror a Grand Prix, to demystify the whole “big tournament scene” for my players.

My main question is… what do I do with the foils in the packs? I know (or, I think I know) that top 8 draft pools don't have foils. Do I just replace any foils I open with a random common? Should I try to match the color of the card I'm removing? If the foil is common, do I track down a non-foil version of it to swap in?

John Brian McCarthy
…ziploc bags…

Holy bajeebus. That's a fantastic idea. Thank you, Swami.

Glad I could be helpful on the Ziploc bag suggestion! They've saved me an unbounded amount of time as I avoid pool spills making an already long process longer. On that topic:

Originally posted by David Wright:

Soon, I'll be pre-registering a few sealed pools for those players who show up late, as well as opening, registering and marking the top 8 draft pools. I'm curious; what is the exact procedure for these things? I realize that pre-opening and marking the top 8 draft packs may be a bit overkill, but as I explained, I want my event to closely mirror a Grand Prix, to demystify the whole “big tournament scene” for my players.

My main question is… what do I do with the foils in the packs? I know (or, I think I know) that top 8 draft pools don't have foils. Do I just replace any foils I open with a random common? Should I try to match the color of the card I'm removing? If the foil is common, do I track down a non-foil version of it to swap in?

I would recommend against doing this. It's cool that you want to replicate the GP process, and I really admire your dedication to your players to do the boring work of stamping product. But, realistically, I think there are better ways to spend your time to give the best possible play experience, like reviewing the IPG and participating in projects like Knowledge Pool and Personal Tutor to give them the same quality judge experience they're likely to experience at GP Baltimore.

If you really want to let them experience a draft without foils, ask the TO for a pack, crack it, and ask that, if the players open a foil, they take it out and put it in their bag, let you know, and issue them a random common from your pack. Then ask that they stay in the area while building so you can keep an eye on them. That'll be close enough to the real experience without all the work of stamping product.

If players ask me to, I will call drafts at GPTs, so they can get the experience of timed picks before they hit a Day Two (spoiler alert: most of them won't.). But be aware: it's a really tiring experience where you can't let your concentration waver or you'll miss the five second warning and tell players the wrong number of cards to count out. I wouldn't ever recommend doing this without an app to help, and if you choose not to do this, I think that's almost certainly fine.