I'm judging my first PPTQ this weekend and was looking for some general advice and recommended practices for a sealed PPTQ. I am a floor judge for the event, it is sealed and is HOD.

I have judged at Comp REL before, specifically, I HJ'd a MM2017 GPT during it's release week. I also have played dozens of sealed PPTQs in the past but have never floor judged one.

Any advice or recommended practices you've seen in the past or warnings about mistakes you've seen new floor judges make in the past would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

1. Watch a TON of Magic. If you're not otherwise occupied with deck checks or another call, always be aware of games going on. You might see an infraction you need to step in on; you might see a clever play that's legal but you'd never considered before.

2. Competitive is competitive. You've played in a bunch, so you've seen how those judges have handled situations. The biggest thing when making the transition from regular to competitive is that things are much more strict. Regular is largely “eh, do what makes the most sense.” Competitive has much less leeway involved. The IPG is pretty clear-cut for most situations you're going to run into.

3. Set a goal, and try to meet that goal. It doesn't matter what it is. Maybe it's “get my deck check time down a little because the last event I was kinda slow.” Maybe it's “have better table manner than the last event I worked.” It doesn't matter what it is, but try to identify something, whether that's something you've noticed in yourself already or just a general “I've never done this before, let me make it a focal,” and make that your target for the day.

4. Don't be set in your ways. This applies more for when you're working away from your home store, but not everybody does everything the same way. Is the shop doing something differently or not doing something you're used to? Roll with it, get a feel for how it plays into the event. If you feel your “known” way is better, bring it up! If you realize their way is better for one reason or another, cool! Internalize it and bring it back to other shops, so everybody can benefit.

5. If you make a mistake, that's okay, but own it. Maybe it hasn't come up before for you. Maybe you give a ruling that is just flat-out wrong, but it doesn't get appealed, and then it affects the outcome of the match. These things happen, to everybody. Confirm the right ruling with some other resource, relay it to the players (preferably when the game is over, since during the game is only gonna exacerbate the feel-bad of the situation), and end it there. Don't hate yourself for it (lord knows I did) – mistakes are human, and, for the time being, we have not yet been replaced by judgebots.

6. Have fun. A happy judge is a good judge.

Talk to your HJ and TO to set goals for yourself. Discuss with them on the tournament operations and logistics for the sealed event (distribution of product and top 8 draft comes to mind).

Read both the release notes for Amonkhet and Hours of Devastation (I am assuming the limited pptq is using these products) and the recent policy updates from Toby to familiarise yourself with the changes so you may explain them clearly to players to provide better customer service.

Link to policy updates

Lastly enjoy yourself, take breaks and keep yourself hydrated!

Are you familiar with the current Sealed registration process (commonly called the Sydney Swap)?

The toughest part of any limited event is getting it started; once you do the calls are usually more straightforward and you will get many Oracle text & simple interaction questions.

Carry some extra basic lands with you; often plays will ask for some to sideboard, and cutting down walking times is helpful.

- Get in touch with HJ, and ask him in which situations you should involve him. Usually this includes backups, Game Losses or worse, investigations.

- if a ruling of yours gets appealed, don't take it bad. That doesn't mean the player doesn't trust you: he is just asking you to double check with HJ.

- be friendly, and smile.

Edited Francesco Scialpi (July 13, 2017 08:01:36 AM)

When taking a rules question (which will happen more than normal because it's release weekend), remember to do the following:
1. Read the card(s), even if you know you know what they do. You have a moment, so use it to confirm you haven't missed anything.
2. Answer the question that was asked, rather than what you think the player actually really wants to know. (While it's not in the format, Spellskite is a prime offender when it comes to differences between what players ask, and what they actually want to know).
3. Give short, simple answers (where possible), so that you avoid accidentally coaching either player.

And if a player seems unsure, or confused, but doesn't seem to want to ask you again, or to ask for clarification, feel free to make the first move:
“I can see you're still unsure about something - what is it exactly that's still confusing? I can give you guys extra time for your match, so feel free to keep asking until you're satisfied”.

Originally posted by Mark Mc Govern:

2. Answer the question that was asked, rather than what you think the player actually really wants to know. (While it's not in the format, Spellskite is a prime offender when it comes to differences between what players ask, and what they actually want to know).

I'm not fond of that advice. On that topic, I'd rather advice the following things:
Answer the question you're sure the player is asking, and don't get lost in technical jargon.
If you're not sure what the player is asking, ask questions to clarify, while making sure your questions don't reveal strategical informations or suggest lines of play.

- Emilien