EMTs have medical kits. Construction workers have tool boxes. Batman has that fabulous utility belt, and judges have tools that improve their jobs as well. While you can head off to your event with nothing but a judge shirt, black pants, and an optimistic smile to get you through the day, packing a few essential items with you on each judging excursion will make your job a lot easier. Whether you’re a head judge for a Shonen Jump Championship or a floor judge at a small Regional tournament, there are certain items you should not leave at home, and here they are! Take a look at these suggested items to pack along for your next event.

All Documents

You’d think it would be obvious, but it isn’t. Print out a copy of the Tournament Policies, the Penalty Guidelines, the Gameplay FAQs, and all of the individual card FAQs. Put them in a nice binder and have them ready to consult. If you can memorize every card ruling, I salute you. I can’t, so I bring the printout.

This also helps because there will always be a player who refuses to believe you unless you show it in print. Especially the ones who insist that “on the website it says the card does work that way.” It’s also helpful for other judges or the TO to use for reference if issues arise about penalties or policies. Be sure you check the documents online before any given event, as something may have changed and you might not have gotten the email. If there’s any venue or event information on the TO’s website, print that out as well. You never know when it might come in handy, and if it does, everyone will love you.

The Right Shoes

These are at the top of the list because they’re that important. Seriously, don’t mess around with your feet—they have to last the rest of your life. While you can judge in your everyday athletic shoes, you’ll fare better if you’re wearing a relaxed-fit walking shoe. Think hip-hop. Slightly loose-fitting (your feet will swell from the stress of standing all day), low-sided, flexible-soled shoes that breathe well and offer solid footbed support are a good choice when you’re judging, especially if you’re doing one of those brutal 14-hour shifts on a concrete floor at a convention. Talk to other judges or people who spend a lot of time on their feet, and get some recommendations if you aren’t sure what to choose. A good drugstore-variety gel massage insole can help a lot, too. One last thing: if you have foot or back problems and you do a lot of judging, then you should seriously consider finding some orthopedic insoles. They can alleviate a lot of pain.

Food

Some tournament venues don’t offer food, and finding someone to run off to get food and drinks for you is often difficult, especially if you’re relatively new to the judging scene. In an ideal world, there would be a judge-only catering service at each event, offering crudites, fresh-squeezed lemonade, and other delectable delights—but alas, we do not live in such enlightened times. Many TOs will order in some pizza or send someone on a burger run, but you’re going to be hungry more often than such food is available.

Other venues might sell food, but the nutritional value of corn chips decked out in fluorescent nacho “cheese” is debatable. Besides, the use of on-site food vendors will generally require you to leave the tournament area, wait for food to be prepared, hand over $8 for that desiccated hot dog and “large” soft drink, and then actually sit down and eat it. That’s possible if you’re on your lunch break, you aren’t particularly picky, the food doesn’t take long to make, and you aren’t in line behind 30 other people. But what if you get hungry between rounds? Or what if there is no lunch break or food vendor? You can’t eat booster wrappers and you definitely can’t start bumming food off of the competitors. What can you do?

Well, you can bring some cereal or snack bars. These are inexpensive, come in a wide variety of flavors, and they’re individually wrapped in small portions, so you can bolt them down between rounds without holding up the event. If a TO has put you in a hotel, check the lobby in the morning and see if there are any cereal bars on the continental breakfast counters, and if there are, scoop up three or four. Maintaining your blood sugar level is important, and you should do it by eating something more nutritious than a bag of candy. Many judges also like beef jerky; it’s a good counter for the sweeter snack bars and the protein will help keep you full. Who wants to be a grumpy, hungry jerk all day? Hopefully not you!

Water

Sure, caffeine can be your buddy. He can perk you up when you need some perking and help you keep going when you’re at your limit. Alas, you should never count him among your more reliable friends. That chemical high is inevitably followed by a greater low, and too much isn’t good for you. Before you start chugging soda or energy drinks to get yourself going at 9 am during the judge meeting, you should understand that somewhere between two to four hours after you’ve pumped yourself full of all that delicious liquid energy, it’s going to come back to smack you down. Caffeine is a diuretic, which means the more you ingest, the more dehydrated you become (and the more often you’ll need to take a bathroom break.)

Instead, you should depend on water. Water is your real friend. Caffeine is the guy who gets the party going, then comes back after it’s over to knock you over the head and steal your wallet. Don’t get your wallet stolen—drink water instead. TOs should provide water on-site for judges, but you never know when the supply may run out, especially when the players find out about it. Bring some of your own.

It’s fine to drink some caffeinated beverages when you’re judging, but depending on what you’re drinking, you’ll likely be ingesting anywhere between 45 to 60 milligrams of caffeine per drink. That adds up fast, and it can turn into one big drop in energy that might result in poor decisions, bad memory, and headaches. If you need an energy boost in later rounds, proceed with caution. Some food and water are probably a better decision than one more Mega-Ultra-Gulp.

A Notepad and Pen

Whether you need to take down contact information for new friends, jot down a ruling you want to double-check, or quickly make note of a revolutionary deck idea you had while walking the floor, your own notepad is good to have. Don’t try and scribble your thoughts out on the back of a damp, crumpled score sheet. That’s just gross.

Painkiller

Judging can be a real pain. Whether it’s in your head, your knees, your feet, or wherever, pain is rarely a performance-booster. Bring a supply of your favorite over-the-counter pain medication, because eventually you’re going to want it. Headaches (or any aches) suck, and not having them is good. It’s an especially good idea for a head judge to have this around for their floor judges and other less-prepared staff members. You want everyone on the team to be in good shape and at top performance, even if it means they’re mooching your analgesics.

Deodorant:

Big events last a long time, and you’ll be working under conditions of extreme temperatures and heavy crowds. Regardless of how clean and fresh you were when you arrived, you’ll feel better if you have access to deodorant. You can get inexpensive travel-sized deodorants of virtually every brand, and they’re exactly the right size to throw into your bag. There is also a variety of refreshing wipes on the market, and while most of them are for your face, they’ll revitalize any part of you that is hot or sweaty. A bit of a wash will do wonders for your morale.

Breath Mints

Someday you may have a throat infection, or perhaps you’ll throw caution to the winds and partake of an onion-covered chili cheese dog. Spare your coworkers and tournament competitors from your momentary halitosis, and throw back a mint or two.

While we’re on the subject, please don’t choose gum. Nine out of ten people chewing gum look like vapid cows, and if you’re judging, then you need to look knowledgeable. And snapping your gum! That’s the third most enraging sound in all of the history of confectionery. Do you know why they call it “snapping”? I’ll tell you why. Because “snapping” is what one of your fellow overstressed judges will eventually do, and the next thing you know your gum will actually be up your nose, and what will you look like then? Leave the gum at home!

Lip Balm

Okay, I’m a lip balm addict, so I’m biased. Me suffering lip balm withdrawal is scarier than you might think, so I make sure I’ve always got my favorite kind on hand. If the air is dry or you tend to suffer from chapped or dry lips, bring something to take care of it. Eliminate the lesser torments and the day looks that much brighter.

Tissues

These have many uses. They provide a disposable shield between your fingers and those seriously icky pieces of gamer garbage, they offer comfort for the afflicted who are going into round 5 with a 0-4 record, and you can use them to blow your nose when you’ve been shipped to a brand new state full of things you never knew you were allergic to. They come in handy little pocket packs, and when you want one, you’ll be glad they are there.

Hand Cleansing Gel:

It’s a dirty job, and someone has to do it. You’ll be interacting with players and their cards, and picking up garbage they leave behind. Frequent hand-washing is a good health habit, especially in overcrowded environments and during cold and flu seasons. You won’t have the chance to use soap and water as often as you should, so bring along some hand-cleansing gel. I have one of those “gel in a lanyard” things that attaches to my belt loop, so I will remember to constantly use it.

Another, Not-Judge Shirt

If your event runs longer than six hours (and most do) your judge shirt is going to be less than fresh by the time you’re finished. In addition, if there’s a judges’ dinner or draft immediately after the tournament, you might not have time to run off and change. Do yourself a favor and pack a t-shirt—something that you can roll up and stick in your bag. Plus, if you’re headed to the bar afterwards (21 and older only, please, thank you) Upper Deck does not want you partying in your judge shirt. An extra shirt can also come in handy if the venue is cold. Layering is always a smart idea.

Contact Lens Case and Accoutrements

If you wear them, bring the case and some solution. If you have to take them out, you’ll be glad you’ve got the necessary equipment. Events are long, especially if you have to travel long distances to get to them. Wandering about blinded by dried out or watery eyes isn’t going to improve your usefulness. Put your glasses in a case and bring those, too—I learned this the hard way.

Something to Keep It In

Finally, you’ll need something to hold your supplies. A modestly sized backpack is your best bet. Don’t bring Behemoth, The King of All Suitcases crammed full of the above plus all your cards, decks, trade binders, and whatnots. TOs are usually low on space. If you bring in a duffel bag that’s big enough to hold the bodies of a half-dozen attendees, you’ll inconvenience the judge team as a whole . . . unless the staff finds they need to dispose of some bodies—then I daresay you’ll end up being the hero. However, that hasn’t happened yet in my experience, so you’re best off with the little bag. Besides, you never know if someone will realize you’ve got $600 of cards, an MP3 player, and three gaming systems in there, and decide to help themselves. I’ve known it to happen, so don’t bring a lot of expensive and bulky items.

That’s the basic list! Depending on how much grooming and other maintenance you require, you can add to it. I’ve usually got face powder and lipstick stashed away as well, but I will understand if most other judges don’t consider those sorts of things important enough to bring.

Veteran experience allows you to gain many valuable pieces of information, and this list of judge survival aids above has been cultivated from a lot of “Aw, man, I wish I had some _____” and “Hey! Does anyone have any ______?” experiences. Profit from your fellow judges’ learning opportunities, and get a jump on your contemporaries by packing lightly and well. The utility belt is strictly optional.