Judge’s Tower: Playing with Layers, Pt. 1

Chris CornejoUncategorized

Hey everyone! Today, we’re going to dive into a section of the rules that causes a lot of headaches for players and judges alike: layers! Yes, layers – a word that fills people with a cursory knowledge of the Magic rules with an undue amount of dread. There’s a lot to layers, but the concept isn’t as daunting as it …

Judge’s Tower: Paying Dues, Pt. 2

Chris CornejoUncategorized

Hello again! Last time we climbed the Tower, we went over how a card like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben works in a variety of situations. When I set out to write that article, I was thinking I was going to be able to cover more ground, but as I realized how often I get Judge calls about how Thalia works, …

Judge’s Tower: Paying Dues, Pt. 1

Chris CornejoUncategorized

Like any other game or hobby, Magic requires that you pay some dues before you can really get the most out of it. There’s a decently high barrier to entry, as even learning the basic rules of the game can seem daunting when you’re just starting out. But once you’ve put in the time and effort required to really dig into …

What is REL?

Frank ChafeUncategorized

Many of us play Magic: The Gathering at our local game stores. Some of us may even go to the occasional Friday Night Magic (FNM) to test our newest decks. There’s a world of tournaments outside of FNM, however, and today, I’d like to talk to you about some of these events and what you can expect from them. You …

Vanguard: Then and Now

Adam KleshUncategorized

In October 1997, I received my monthly issue of the Duelist magazine.  This was a time before the internet was a thing, and all the news, strategy, card lists, and articles about Magic were only available in monthly publications. Obviously, I was super stoked to read the new issue, and as I was unwrapping my prize, a giant card fell …

Judge’s Tower: Red Moon Rising

Chris CornejoUncategorized

Hey all, welcome back to Judge’s Tower! Enough of you liked the last one of these I wrote, so as promised (or threatened, depending on your point of view), today we’re going to deal with one the bigger “rules headache” cards out there – Blood Moon! At first glance, Blood Moon seems innocuous enough. Just four simple words of Oracle …

The Importance of Calling a Judge

Frank ChafeUncategorized

Welcome to The Judge Corner, a column designed to explain some things in that happen in the Magic Judge world and show how those things are important to you, the players. We’ll cover new mechanics, changes to rules and policy, why and how judges do deck checks, and other relevant things to help improve your play and your interactions with judges …

Judge’s Tower: Serenity Now

Chris CornejoUncategorized

Hello, and welcome to the Judge’s Tower! Judge’s Tower is a Magic format for self-deprecating people (more info about which can be found here: http://judgetower.pdxmtg.com/), the point of which is that everything you do must be done absolutely correctly within the rules; the only way to lose is the get something wrong. I’m Chris, a Level 2 judge at Mox Boarding …