Ancestral Recall is back !

Today we continue our cycle on investigations with a third piece based on a seminar from John Alderfer. To put it simply, this article explains the process of an investigation, from the discovery to the finalization.

This time, we are clearly in the Head Judge role, who tries to keep the tournament as “clean” as possible, while leaving nobody aside or make anyone feel hurt/betrayed.

From the beginning of the investigation to its conclusion, with multiple techniques to try and discover the truth, today’s piece gives tips and advices to go through an investigation as a Head Judge.

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/dli/2009/09/16/handling-investigations/

Enjoy this last piece of the cycle and see you next month ;)

(This episode can be found in the Learning Sphere section of the Blog here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/learning/ancestral-recall/july-2018-investigations/episode-3/ )

Edited Charles-Henri Turpin (July 24, 2018 06:56:29 PM)

Hello everyone !

For this cycle of Ancestral Recall, I focused on something very important to me: the atmosphere in MTG tournaments.

Many pieces have been written this days about what makes a tournament welcoming and what can make it painful. Some triggered more reactions than others, which proves it is a complicated subject on which everyone will not easily agree.

Before getting deeper into the subject, I suggest to begin with an article from CJ Shrader, talking about announcements at the beginning of tournaments:

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/articles/2014/06/24/head-judge-o-pun-ing-announcements/

To make everyone comfortable and clearly explain how things will go is a very good starting point for a successful tournament :)

This piece shows, with many examples, the important things to say during these announcements and how to prepare your speech.

Have a great summer, as always a good read, and see you next week ! ;)

(This episode can be found in the Learning Sphere section of the Blog here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/learning/ancestral-recall/august-2018-tournament-atmoshpere/episode-1/ )

Ancestral recall is back !

Hello !

Today in our Ancestral Recall’s cycle about how to give a good atmosphere to a tournament, I would like to share two pieces with you which are from Channel Fireball and not the judge blog. I had one from the blog last year but the link is apparently dead so I can’t show it to you anymore :’(

The first one was written by Brian DeMars last year and focus on players’ language and the recurring expressions/jokes that should be definitely banned from tournaments.

https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/a-critique-of-gamer-language/

The second one has been written only two weeks ago by Jessica Estephan. She tells the tale of her MTG story, from her local game store to her GP victory’s aftermath. And there is a lot to learn from her experience about what women face when they try and go for a competitive MTG environment.

https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/oh-youre-the-girl-that-won-a-gp/

Wizards is trying more and more to focus on inclusivity in their tournaments and the fact that any participant must be able to have a great time there. If it is simple to spot a clearly toxic behaviour, or an inclusive behaviour, some behaviours are more in a grey area where it may be difficult to judge. As judges, we have to educate our local community, encourage inclusive behaviours and prevent problematic attitudes.

I hope those articles will be useful to you. I’ll see you for next week’s episode where we will talk about the Previews ! :D

(This episode can be found in the Learning Sphere section of the Blog here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/learning/ancestral-recall/august-2018-tournament-atmoshpere/episode-2/ )

Hey everyone !

This week, Ancestral Recall presents a piece summing up how to throw good Previews! It is written by Jack Doyle and presents the major goals of a successful Preview as well as some solutions to potentially difficult situations:

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/regular/fostering-positive-atmospheres-at-the-fate-reforged-prereleases/

Guilds of ravnica is still some weeks away but nothing beats the atmosphere of a well managed Preview tournament. In those, new players can discover Magic the best way possible and others can take a break from demanding PPTQs and just have fun for a day or two :)

I hope you’re all doing alright and that this piece will be usefull to you. I’ll see you in september for another cycle! ;)

(This episode can be found in the Learning Sphere section of the Blog here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/learning/ancestral-recall/august-2018-tournament-atmoshpere/episode-3/ )

Hello !

For october the new Ancestral Recall’s cycle will be focused on mentoring !

My first padawan just got his L1 last week-end and I am so proud of him! This totally deserves a whole cycle ;P

Let’s do things in the right order: today’s piece is about the L1 or more specifically, the L1’s interview:

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/articles/2015/04/21/a-guide-to-l1-post-test-interviews/

Written by Josh Feingold, it does a checklist in the most simple and clear manner of all the points to discuss during this interview. It also reveals a few traps you should be careful to not fall into and finally gives a precious help for what comes after the interview.

To sum it up, simple and clear, this piece is a must read for anybody about to certify a new L1 =)

Have a good read and see you next week ! ;)

(This episode can be found in the Learning Sphere section of the Blog here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/learning/ancestral-recall/september-2018-mentoring/episode-1/ )

Hello !

This week, in our Ancestral Recall’s cycle about mentoring, we are going from level 1 to level 2 with a second piece from Josh Feingold, this time about the mandatory recommendation to get the L2.

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/articles/2016/03/30/writing-l2-recommendations/

Again, simple and effective ! “You don’t know what to say in your recommendation ? This !”. Josh decrypt point by point the L2’s requirements and help the reviewers to find the axis on which focus their review.

On his way to do that, he also set aside a few potential fears and explains why this recommendation is important and how it can help the judge in question to become better once this step is done.

The piece also specify that the recommendation “will help the examinator to know the candidate better”, and if you recommend someone, it means you have faith in this person, so you would want to put every chances on his/her side :)

Have a good read and a good week ! ;)

(This episode can be found in the Learning Sphere section of the Blog here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/learning/ancestral-recall/september-2018-mentoring/episode-2/ )

Edited Charles-Henri Turpin (Sept. 11, 2018 08:02:37 PM)

Hello everyone,

I am sorry to say that today's episode has to be canceled. I had prepared something about le L2 tester certification, and I just got the news that it was not a thing anymore.

The good news is that now, any L2 can certify a new L2. You can read about the “why” and the current situation here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/coordinators/2018/07/29/changes-to-the-level-2-tester-certification/

Next week, I will try to find another old but still awesome piece about mentoring, and next month the new cycle will start !

I will use this occasion to thank you all for your support in this project. I know that you are many to follow Ancestral Recall, and I am very happy that you like it !

Take care and see you next week ! =)

Hi there !

This week for the last episode of this Ancestral Recall’s cycle about mentoring, we are talking about self reviews. The last episodes covered level 1 and 2, now it is time for the level 3 to shine.

The self review is part of the process to reach L3 and many people can struggle with it. This short piece in two parts (which link to some other articles), written by George Gavrilita and Aruna Prem Bianzino, gives us a simple but efficient methodology do be able to go through this self review with ease.

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/road-to-l3/2017/01/07/self-reviews-asking-the-right-questions/

I hope this will help you if you are on your road to level 3. As it is said in the article, this methodology can also be used outside of the judge sphere :)

Have a good read and see you next month for another cycle ! ;)

(This episode can be found in the Learning Sphere section of the Blog here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/learning/ancestral-recall/september-2018-mentoring/episode-3/ )

Edited Charles-Henri Turpin (Sept. 25, 2018 07:17:15 PM)

Ancestral Recall is back !

This month, I would like to talk about something very important in judging, in any profession really, or even in life in general -> you are going to make mistakes.

This is one of the first thing they told me when I became a judge: “You are going to make mistakes, it is not that bad. You have to accept it and move forward.”. This is one of the most important and precious advice that has been given to me in my judge life.

I made mistakes. Stupid mistakes, due to unfocus. But I also made mistakes when I thought I was doing the right thing. Thanks to my colleagues’ support and this advice, I have been able to take lessons from those mistakes and grow stronger, instead of being depressed.

The first real mistake I made for example, was to trust a card’s text in a Legacy tournament. From one set to another, the text of Sylvan Library goes from a activated ability to a triggered ability, and when the opponent is using Pithing Needle… it changes a lot of things.

So: Gatherer first ! ;)

But this is driving us away from today’s piece. I would like to talk today about the “Imposter Syndrome”. Almost every judge I have been able to talk to suffered from it one moment or another in their judge life. It is a feeling that tells you that “X is way better than you”, that “you don’t deserve your responsibilities”, “you are going to disappoint everyone”, “you’re not a real judge”, “you just got lucky once and now it’s over” etc.

I myself suffered from it before passing my L2 exam, and even if I feel better today, I know that those thoughts are just waiting at the corner =P

Casey Hanford wrote something about this. He explains the syndrome, how to recognize it and how to fight it or help somebody fight it.

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/bearz/imposter-syndrome-and-judging/

I will leave you with those final words: believe in you. You worked hard to become a judge, whatever your actual level is. And every tournament, every compliment, approved GP’s application, comment on an article you wrote, or review (either it is a good or a bad one), is just another proof that people around you reckognize you as a judge and want to help you grow on this path :)

(As I am writting this, the blog has got technical problems so it will not be available there for now. I will do what's needed as soon as the blog is back online)

(This episode can be found in the Learning Sphere section of the Blog here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/learning/ancestral-recall/october-2018-mistakes-can-be-made/episode-1/ )

Edited Charles-Henri Turpin (Oct. 2, 2018 07:32:50 PM)

Hello !

New Ancestral Recall in our cycle about how to learn from our mistakes and move away from the state of “OMG!! I’m screwed! I messed up! I’m so lame! Help me! Please! I don’t deserve to be a judge, Death has to come for me the shame is unbearable!” (anyway, you got the point).

Originally, this episode was about a piece from David de la Iglesia titled “So you screwed up - A 4 steps guide to falling forward”.

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/dli/2015/07/28/so-you-screwed-up-a-four-step-guide-to-failing-forward/

It presents a process of four steps for each mistake to makes us stronger!

- Accept the responsibility of the mistake
- Apologize
- Get feedback about what happened
- Find forgiveness

Four steps that look easy at first but are not always easy to go through.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find it on the blog again :/ (it must have been moved or deleted. If anyone knows, please tell me).

However, I found another great article, this time from Paul “bearz” Baranay soberly titled “Exemplary Failure”:

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/bearz/exemplary-failure/

In here, using a recognition that he read, Paul tells us about the difficult aspects of being a judge. It is not always smiley and funny to judge. It is a lot of responsibilities, and sometimes it can be stressful. And how can you become more confident ? How can you be sure you are going to be able to handle everything ? As Paul says, the answer is not just “become a better judge”, “just don’t fail”, or as one might hear sometimes “toughen up !”. The answer is often in people. People that can lift you up, that make you WANT to become better, people that lead you by their example.

Like Paul when he wrote this article, I made a mistake. I thought the piece from David de la Iglesia would be available on the D-day and today I failed. But it allowed me to find another great article, and I am glad for it. Reading it, I pictured the judge community as a spartan army. You are not alone. We are strong because we have got people beside us turned toward the same goal, aiming for the same direction and supporting each other.

When someone comes to you because of a mistake they did, looking for your support, for your help, for your feedback to become better, always reach out. Because it takes courage to come to someone and ask for help, admitting we did something wrong. Because you have been there already or will be some day and you will need someone, and because a soldier in a spartan phalanx is only as strong as the soldier beside them. So let’s support each other ;)

THIS.IS.JUDGING !

I hope you liked this episode and see you next week! =)

PS: If you now feel an urge to shout, shake hands or hug someone, feeling ready to overcome any obstacles from now on: that’s perfectly normal and awesome, keep it up!

(This episode can be found in the Learning Sphere section of the Blog here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/learning/ancestral-recall/october-2018-mistakes-can-be-made/episode-2/ )

Edited Charles-Henri Turpin (Oct. 9, 2018 07:51:12 PM)

Ancestral Recall Time !

One last piece in our cycle on how to overcome our mistakes. This time again it is from David de la Iglesia. The article is focused on feedback and takes its time to explain how to proceed.

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/articles/2014/09/23/the-feedback-process/

Split in different steps, the article is quite long and detail everything about the process while explaining why some behaviour are good while others are to be avoided.

It ends on this beautiful sentence: “Remember: we give feedback because we care“.

Only two Ancestral Recall’s cycle to finish the year ! Next month, we will talk about communication problems.

Have a good read and see you in November ;)

(This episode can be found in the Learning Sphere section of the Blog here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/learning/ancestral-recall/october-2018-mistakes-can-be-made/episode-3/ )

Hello everyone !

In November, we are going to have a look at communication problems, and the first piece of the series is from Kevin Deprez.

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/whatsupdocs/2015/09/30/miscommunication-you-need-to-make-a-decision/

As the title says, this article focuses on the aftermath of a miscommunication. You answer a judge call and you have to make a decision.
Spoiler alert: backups are not always the correct answer :)

With an example, Kevin leads us through his thoughts to reach the most enlighten decision possible.

I’ll leave you to this very detailed article and will see you next week for another episode ! ;)

(This episode can be found in the Learning Sphere section of the Blog here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/learning/ancestral-recall/november-2018-communication-problems/episode-1/ )

Edited Charles-Henri Turpin (Nov. 6, 2018 02:58:14 PM)

Ancestral Recall time !

This week for our cycle on communication problems, the piece from Nathaniel Lawrence talks about a tricky subject : tournament shortcuts.

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/articles/2015/03/06/shortcut-it-out/

Starting with reminding us what exactly are those shortcuts, Nathaniel then brings us into every corners of their usage and sums up the problems we can encounter.

Quite often, a players discussion going south has its source at a wrongly used or not well known shortcut. The judges have to know them perfectly to be able to restore the truth and bring back calm and understanding as quickly as possible :)

See you next week for another episode ! ;)

(This episode can be found in the Learning Sphere section of the Blog here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/learning/ancestral-recall/november-2018-communication-problems/episode-2/ )

Ancestral Recall time !

This week for our cycle on communication problems, the piece from Nathaniel Lawrence talks about a tricky subject : tournament shortcuts.

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/articles/2015/03/06/shortcut-it-out/

Starting with reminding us what exactly are those shortcuts, Nathaniel then brings us into every corners of their usage and sums up the problems we can encounter.

Quite often, a players discussion going south has its source at a wrongly used or not well known shortcut. The judges have to know them perfectly to be able to restore the truth and bring back calm and understanding as quickly as possible :)

See you next week for another episode ! ;)

(This episode can be found in the Learning Sphere section of the Blog here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/learning/ancestral-recall/november-2018-communication-problems/episode-2/ )

Hey everyone!

Today in our cycle about communication problems, I bring you something about the legendary: Out of Order Sequencing!

What? What do you mean “it’s not legendary”? I hear you in the back! So… the FAMOUS OoOS is a rule allowing to say “this has not been done in the right order, but it would have done exactly the same thing so it does not matter”.

And now you’re gonna say “well… it looks like a blurry rule”, and I will… well… ok you’re right, it doesn’t look that precise from this angle. Luckily, here comes Donato Del Giudice to explain everything:

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/whatsupdocs/2016/11/07/out-of-order-sequencing/

This piece is just awesome. Not only its tone is great but 80% of it is a panel of real life examples and guided reflexion on “Is it OOoS? Is it a attempt to cheat? Is it just a mistake?”.

I hope you will have as great a time as me while reading it and that you will become (if you are not already - yes, I heard you too in the 3rd row ;) ) pros od OOoS!

Have a good read and see you next month! :)

(This episode can be found in the Learning Sphere section of the Blog here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/learning/ancestral-recall/november-2018-communication-problems/episode-3/ )

Edited Charles-Henri Turpin (Nov. 20, 2018 07:56:15 PM)