This week, Studio X (the folks who make Magic: The Gathering) announced that they were forming a union with the Communications Workers of America. Join Bryan, Charles, and Marcos as we welcome former GP Head Judge, previous JudgeCast guest, and current member of the Wizards Rules Team Eric Levine to talk about the new union, its goals, and what comes next. We discuss what unionizing means for the people who work on Magic, what the team hopes to accomplish, and why having a voice in the workplace matters. Magic has enjoyed many many successful years, and we support those that make the game we love. https://youtu.be/IPO_kDCaoV0 You can read the Studio X employees’ announcement and learn more about their goals here:https://unitedwizardsofthecoast.com/studiox-letter Want to show your support? You can sign the petition here:https://actionnetwork.org/forms/uwotcpetition/ Also, on October 10th, Eric will be on a Wizards of the Coast fundraising stream for Trans Lifeline participating in a trivia battle game show over at twitch.tv/magic between 10am 5pm PST Oh, and Wizards announced God Packs and have a Judge Program announcement at MagicCon Atlanta Social Media LinksJoin JudgeCast on our Discord server! https://discord.gg/hQd48guKFRJudgeCast: BlueSky – @Judgecast.bsky.social / Twitter: @JudgeCastBryan: BlueSky – @Bprill.bluesky.socialCharles: BlueSky – @MTGDad.bsky.socialMarcos: BlueSky – @MJ6Music.bsky.social / Twitter @MJ6Music CreditsEditor & Intro VFX: Marcos Sanchez @MJ6MusicIntro & Outro Music: “Seed” by Carbon Leaf. Used with permission. @carbonleafofficial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxDb4ydae50

Join Bryan, Charles, and Marcos as we try to figure out what’s what in this tipsy turvy world that our Empowered Jace has created, as we cover all the new mechanics in this set. And…Heartwood Tokens. Also, we Prepared to revisit some returning mechanics, all of which are flashbacks from some of the greatest mechanics of all time. We also ponder Jace’s choices in creating this alternate universe, and how fixing things that are wrong results in creating acid spewing boar robots. Show Notes Reality Fracture Release Notes: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/reality-fracture-release-notes https://youtu.be/sO-_ROPYW3s Social Media Links Join JudgeCast on our Discord server! https://discord.gg/hQd48guKFR JudgeCast: BlueSky – @Judgecast.bsky.social / Twitter: @JudgeCast Bryan: BlueSky – @Bprill.bluesky.social Charles: BlueSky – @MTGDad.bsky.social Marcos: BlueSky – @MJ6Music.bsky.social / Twitter @MJ6Music Credits Editor & Intro VFX: Marcos Sanchez @MJ6Music Intro & Outro Music: “Seed” by Carbon Leaf. Used with permission. @carbonleafofficial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxDb4ydae50

Just sit right back, and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful…uh…section of the IPG. Join Bryan, Charles, Marcos, the Professor and Mary Ann as we tackle the parts of Unsporting Conduct not covered in the previous episode. Improperly Determining a Winner, Bribery and Wagering, Stalling, and Cheating are all serious infractions that often get exaggerated and confounded in online discourse around the penalties. In this episode we talk about what each penalty is, what it is not, and how to recognize it. You might be surprised at some of the tests judges have to use to determine if something is or is not a more serious infraction. https://youtu.be/CDmOTZ16kxA Social Media Links Join JudgeCast on our Discord server! https://discord.gg/hQd48guKFR JudgeCast: BlueSky – @Judgecast.bsky.social / Twitter: @JudgeCast Bryan: BlueSky – @Bprill.bluesky.social Charles: BlueSky – @MTGDad.bsky.social Marcos: BlueSky – @MJ6Music.bsky.social / Twitter @MJ6Music Credits Editor & Intro VFX: Marcos Sanchez @MJ6Music Intro & Outro Music: “Seed” by Carbon Leaf. Used with permission. @carbonleafofficial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxDb4ydae50

The best part of Magic is The Gathering, the people. However, the people can often be the worst part as well. In tournaments, judges dont just deal with mistakes and miscommunication. We also deal with misbehaving, misanthropes, and miscreants. Join Bryan, Charles, and Marcos as we take a meander through the jerky parts of Unsporting Conduct. We talk about USC-Minor, Major, Aggressive Behavior, and Theft. We discuss how to recognize the infractions, what the penalties are, how to deal with them, and how to make sure that we provide players a safe environment to enjoy their favorite game, (or at least the game they have spent so much money on, they cant afford to start playing another) https://youtu.be/yNrbMzwUOXQ Social Media Links Join JudgeCast on our Discord server! https://discord.gg/hQd48guKFR JudgeCast: BlueSky – @Judgecast.bsky.social / Twitter: @JudgeCast Bryan: BlueSky – @Bprill.bluesky.social Charles: BlueSky – @MTGDad.bsky.social Marcos: BlueSky – @MJ6Music.bsky.social / Twitter @MJ6Music Credits Editor & Intro VFX: Marcos Sanchez @MJ6Music Intro & Outro Music: “Seed” by Carbon Leaf. Used with permission. @carbonleafofficial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxDb4ydae50

Join Bryan, Charles, and Marcos as we trek through the misty mountains to retrieve the release notes for the latest MTG set, The Hobbit. We delve too deep into the newest mechanics of Storied, and Recruit, as well as a new type of counter, the Hone counter. Then we talk about new cards, and they keep coming, like uninvited dwarves to a party. We’ve got something for everyone, even if you are a Sackville-Baggins. Well, Not Lotho. He knows what he did. (but if you didnt read the books, you might not know) https://youtu.be/X7kP6o5fNMk Social Media Links Join JudgeCast on our Discord server! https://discord.gg/hQd48guKFRJudgeCast: BlueSky – @Judgecast.bsky.social / Twitter: @JudgeCast Bryan: BlueSky – @Bprill.bluesky.social Charles: BlueSky – @MTGDad.bsky.social Marcos: BlueSky – @MJ6Music.bsky.social / Twitter @MJ6Music Credits Editor & Intro VFX: Marcos Sanchez @MJ6Music Intro & Outro Music: “Seed” by Carbon Leaf. Used with permission. @carbonleafofficial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxDb4ydae50

Whats better than playing Magic side by side with an elf? Playing Magic side by side with a friend. Yes, but what about second friend? Ok, enough of that, its not even the right IP. Join Bryan and Marcos as we talk to the Head Judge of Magic Spotlight Marvel Super Heroes Team Trios event, John Brian McCarthy. Sealed events can be a challenge, but Team Sealed events can be even challenginger. We talk about what makes team Trios different from regular events, and what preparation goes into ensuring they run smoothly. These are a fun and unique event that are rather rare at the LGS level, but you can learn a lot from the larger events and bring the fun home with you. https://youtu.be/hZD0Ek4v2Sw Show NotesIf you are looking for a professional photo in a judge uniform or want to see professional photos of judges from various games making the magic (lowercase) happen, check out John Brian’s website at: www.judgesatwork.com John Brian McCarthy’s Head Judge Event Briefing: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MaCSTFCgwGocE2YR2LqoSJQzHYDymFnEt9aKcJ52GYg/edit?usp=sharing

Join Bryan and Charles as we discuss Limited RCQs with Sam Philliber. Your LGS has just asked you to run a limited RCQ and you haven’t done one before. What should you expect? How do you do a “pool swap”? Do you need any special materials? What’s involved in running the top 8? Should I time the draft? With all the tips and tricks in this episode, you will be ready to pull off your RCQ without any [judge created] issues. https://youtu.be/KWooFoiOsdY Show Notes:Sam’s Article on Sealed RCQs – https://blogs.magicjudges.org/articles/2024/10/22/competitive-sealed-101/ Social Media LinksJoin JudgeCast on our Discord server! https://discord.gg/hQd48guKFRJudgeCast: BlueSky – @Judgecast.bsky.social / Twitter: @JudgeCastBryan: BlueSky – @Bprill.bluesky.socialCharles: BlueSky – @MTGDad.bsky.socialMarcos: BlueSky – @MJ6Music.bsky.social / Twitter @MJ6MusicCredits Editor & Intro VFX: Marcos Sanchez @MJ6MusicIntro & Outro Music: “Seed” by Carbon Leaf. Used with permission. @carbonleafofficial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxDb4ydae50

Join Charles and Marcos as they drag Bryan, kicking and screaming, into a discussion around one of the newer tournament types: CEDH. Love it or hate it, players are willing to pay TOs to be asked ‘Did you pay the 1?” for seven hours. As a result, it’s a topic that judges should be somewhat aware of before their LGS TO says “I’m having a CEDH tournament in two weeks, are you available?”In this episode we talk about the different meanings of “CEDH”, the round structure, podding, penalties, how to deal with overly talkative players, and what special software or tools you might need to keep your event running smoothly. While we do predominately discuss CEDH within the convention setting, we also talk about CEDH at the local level. https://youtu.be/kyW7O17dieo Show Notes: MTA Multiplayer Tournament Addendum – https://mtgmta.notion.site/mtgmtaUK CEDH Document – https://cedh-uk.github.io/mtr-ipg/EU CEDH Document – https://www.cedheurope.com/rulesPastimes MTR Multiplayer doc – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pKRlowT4MssMllVFQVkOMAU_WcPvx22RourT1fy1GD0/edit?usp=drivesdkPastimes IPG Multiplayer doc – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j6kb1gkCqrUQPtgM06o_9PIfcjHkaXCo6z1Vm4amxfQ/edit?usp=drivesdk Social Media Links Join JudgeCast on our Discord server! https://discord.gg/hQd48guKFR JudgeCast: BlueSky – @Judgecast.bsky.social / Twitter: @JudgeCast Bryan: BlueSky – @Bprill.bluesky.social Charles: BlueSky – @MTGDad.bsky.social Marcos: BlueSky – @MJ6Music.bsky.social / Twitter @MJ6Music Credits Editor & Intro VFX: Marcos Sanchez @MJ6Music Intro & Outro Music: “Seed” by Carbon Leaf. Used with permission. @carbonleafofficial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxDb4ydae50

Join the canny Bryan and the credible Marcos as we discuss the new mechanics and cards from the most recent Magic: The Gathering Set, Marvel Super Heroes. We talk about Power-Up, Teamwork, doubleface cards and what the correct plural of “Spider-man” is.And, we even briefly discuss what to do at your prerelease if you get an influx of players that have never played Magic before and are really just there because they are Marvel fans. https://youtu.be/kpcH-uuBdw0 Missed Trigger Project Link: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/rules/mtg/standard-missed-triggers Annotated IPG Missed Trigger Link: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/rules/ipg2-1 Social Media Links Join JudgeCast on our Discord server! https://discord.gg/hQd48guKFR JudgeCast: BlueSky – @Judgecast.bsky.social / Twitter: @JudgeCast Bryan: BlueSky – @Bprill.bluesky.social Charles: BlueSky – @MTGDad.bsky.social Marcos: BlueSky – @MJ6Music.bsky.social / Twitter @MJ6Music Credits Editor & Intro VFX: Marcos Sanchez @MJ6Music Intro & Outro Music: “Seed” by Carbon Leaf. Used with permission. @carbonleafofficial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxDb4ydae50

Join Bryan, Charles, and Marcos as we take an incredibly deep dive into the concept of Missed Triggers. Triggers are common and often invisible. In this episode we discuss how to recognize when a trigger is missed, what an opponents obligations are when a trigger is missed, and what to do when you are called to a table for that missed trigger. We briefly touch on triggers at regular REL before spending the bulk of our time talking about Competitive REL. https://youtu.be/l93H2jJP7rU Missed Trigger Project Link: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/rules/mtg/standard-missed-triggers Annotated IPG Missed Trigger Link: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/rules/ipg2-1 Social Media Links Join JudgeCast on our Discord server! https://discord.gg/hQd48guKFR JudgeCast: BlueSky – @Judgecast.bsky.social / Twitter: @JudgeCast Bryan: BlueSky – @Bprill.bluesky.social Charles: BlueSky – @MTGDad.bsky.social Marcos: BlueSky – @MJ6Music.bsky.social / Twitter @MJ6Music Credits Editor & Intro VFX: Marcos Sanchez @MJ6Music Intro & Outro Music: “Seed” by Carbon Leaf. Used with permission. @carbonleafofficial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxDb4ydae50