The Yu-Gi-Oh! judge program is full of judges who have put in their time at smaller, local-level events, and who work hard to get to larger Regionals and Shonen Jump Championship events to stretch their judging skills. Once they get there, they may find that there are some judging duties at these larger events that might be unfamiliar. One of these duties is table judging.
Larger events, such as Regionals and Shonen Jump tournaments usually install at least one table judge per match during the Top 8 playoffs, to ensure fair and accurate gameplay. The table judge is responsible for watching the match, keeping track of life points, and generally doing his or her best to ensure that nothing goes wrong. Table judging calls for a specialized set of skills and an understanding of what is expected, so if you’ve never been instructed in it or had the opportunity to observe it in action, you might feel that you’re at a loss if you’re suddenly plopped onto table judge duty. Never fear! In this week’s article, I’m going to explain the process and offer some guidelines that will help make table judging easier and more efficient for you.
Let’s go over the table judge’s general duties. In the Top 8 playoff, each match will get its own table judge, which is why table judging is usually reserved for larger events where there’s enough staff to go around. The table judge is responsible to observe the game closely and stop play if an error is made, so alertness is key! Table judges shouldn’t sit there passively and wait for the players to ask a question, but instead they must actively observe each move that is made and know whether or not it is legal. If there is a problem, the table judge must stop play and correct the game. The table judge is responsible for bringing problems that require a penalty to the attention of the head judge, and presenting player appeals to the head judge when needed. Table judges are responsible for keeping an accurate paper record of life points for both players, to serve as the final arbiter in case of a life point dispute. The presence of a table judge helps ensure that each duel was played out correctly, and as long as the table judge is paying attention, sorting out disputes as to what actually happened during a duel becomes much easier.
As you can see, there’s a lot of responsibility in table judging. Fortunately, there are some basic things that you can do to sharpen your skills to make the job more manageable. Some are commonsense and obvious, but others you might not have thought of, so let’s start at the beginning and work our way through!
Know the Game
Obviously, you need to know how the game works. Know the phases, understand the mechanics, and be aware of what players can and cannot do, so that you can correct a bad play. You’ll also find your job is easier if you’ve got a good working knowledge of current metagames, so you’ll know what cards to expect to see and how they work. Knowing ATK and DEF of commonly used monsters helps too, when keeping track of life points. I confess that remembering which monster has what ATK value is often my weak spot. After all these years, and all these cards, I do blank out on them sometimes and have to double-check. Do make sure that you double-check if you’re confronted with a card you’ve forgotten or one that you’re unfamiliar with. If you’ve got a brilliant card memory and have a brain that’s full of card effects and statistics, you will find that to be a huge asset when you’re table judging. But if you do need to verify an effect or statistic, do so quickly so as not to interfere with the duel.
Prepare in Advance
If you’re table judging, you’re probably going to be involved in the deck checks. When you’re doing the deck check, note any cards that you’re unfamiliar with, or that you know can cause some rulings questions. Take a few moments to review those cards and rulings, so you’ll be ready to deal with them when they hit the table. Look them up in a rulings document or ask the head judge if there’s something you aren’t sure about. It saves time and improves the quality of your judging. Don’t forget to include the side deck and the fusion deck, and foresee any problems that could arise between the two decks that are slated to go against each other. Five extra minutes spent here can make for a much smoother match.
Discuss Any Concerns with the Head Judge
It’s acceptable to discuss the match you will judge with the head judge, provided that he or she isn’t busy doing something important. If you feel you would do better with another matchup, perhaps a deck type you’re very familiar with, let the head judge know. You also might want to request a different matchup if you’re particularly good friends with or on the same team as one of the players, just to avoid any charge of partiality. If you honestly believe that you’re not able to do the job well, like if you’re sick or have developed a very bad headache during the day, you should talk to the head judge and see what can be done. Bear in mind that depending on the staffing, often you’ll just have to do your best, but if there is another judge available, there’s no shame in stepping aside and letting someone else take over. The important thing here is that the match is accurately judged, not so much that you earn a reputation for heroics (or bungled table judging).
The head judge is the ultimate authority, though, and his or her decisions are final. If you want to offer some input on the process, remember to do so with respect. The head judge should listen to you if you have a valid point of view to express, but there may be other factors that need to be dealt with as well. Don’t expect that you’ll get to dictate where and what jobs you do at an event.
Get Ready for the Long Haul
Before the match starts, you should go use the bathroom, get yourself a drink or a quick snack, or whatever else you may need to do. You need to be able to sit there as long as your match goes on, and eliminating as many sources of personal discomfort that you can will help you keep your mind on the game. Top 8 matches often go over the normal 40 minutes, so you’ll need to keep that in mind when you’re getting yourself ready to judge.
Introduce Yourself and Explain Your Presence to the Players
Before the match begins, the players will have time to shuffle their decks and get ready to start. You should introduce yourself at this point, and make sure you know which player is which. Some players get nervous when a table judge is watching them, especially if they’re unfamiliar with the concept, and introducing yourself can help them relax. Explain what you’ll be doing during the match: tell them you’ll be watching the game and will halt play if you see an error or need clarification on an unclear action, that you will answer any rulings questions they have, and that you will be keeping track of their life points. Remind the players that they should keep track of their life points as well, and that in case of a dispute, your record will be the default. Make sure both players understand that they need to make their moves clearly so that both the table judge and the opponent know exactly what is going on. Explaining all this ahead of time will make your job much easier. Experienced players should know all of this already, but it doesn’t hurt to review it.
Keep Accurate Time
The head judge will announce the beginning of the match, and you should have either a watch to track it with or a clear view of an approved clock. Make sure you’re paying attention! Top 8 rounds usually go longer than 40 minutes, so you need to know exactly how much time the players have. Make sure the players know how much time they have, too. Keep track of time extensions! Players will become frustrated, and rightfully so, if you aren’t really sure how much time is left in the round, especially when matches go to time. Always note down any extension that has been added, and factor it in when a player asks how much time is left.
Stay Focused on Your Job!
If you’re table judging the Top 8 at the end of an event, it can be incredibly hard to be alert and at your best, especially when you’ve been on your feet all day without a lot of food and rest breaks. Hopefully you made smart food and drink choices during the day, because a sugar and caffeine crash isn’t going to help your table judging! Stay focused on the game. If you find your attention begins to wander, it helps to silently recite in your head each phase and move. This will help keep you from “phasing out” and missing something crucial. It’s easy to lose focus on the game if you aren’t mentally involved in each move the players make, and you might find that you end up missing something, like a player making an accidental extra summon, or activating a trap card her or she set that turn—even in the Top 8 with experienced players, it’s been known to happen. Players will turn to you as the final voice on who did what, so you need to be aware of everything that happens in the game. Don’t get distracted by other matches, or spectators. Keep your eyes and mind where they belong!
Also, remember that you need to observe the duel as a judge. It’s easy to get sidetracked if you start thinking about what play decisions you would make in a player’s place. If you can observe either player’s hand or draws, make sure your face doesn’t inadvertently provide any cues about the contents! Make sure your face and body language remains neutral, when players are deciding what actions to take, because you want to avoid any suggestion of coaching. Sometimes you’re going to sit there and watch someone lose a match through a bungled play, but as long as there’s no rulings error in how the cards were played, remember you can’t interfere. Players may ask you rules questions before they play their cards, but be careful how you answer. You must only provide the rules info, and not give any hints as to strategy or tactics.
Keep Accurate Records
If you are a good note taker, and the pace of play is slow enough, then you’ll find jotting down few notes as to what happened during a turn will often come in handy. If that’s too much to manage (remember, your eyes need to be on the game, and not on your paper!) then settle for noting the reasons for life point changes on your life point tally. You’ll be surprised at how much easier it will be to settle life point disputes when you’ve got a record of why the life point changes happened. Players often forget to note down things like costs, or life point gains. Make sure you’re always paying attention to any change in life points.
Don’t be afraid to stop the duel to double-check your life point totals with each of the players to make sure you’re all in agreement, especially after a complicated change. You don’t want to inadvertently cost someone the duel through a life point error! If mental math isn’t your strong suit, you can use a calculator for subtraction purposes, but make sure you’re writing each change down on paper. Many table judges like to verify life point totals in between turns that changes have happened, just to make sure everyone knows exactly what’s going on.
Manage the Players
You’ll often see a pair of experienced players use a kind of “shorthand,” where they just show a card to their opponent, and each player then assumes that a set of actions have followed. It makes for flashy play for any spectators, but it’s very hard on table judges who haven’t gotten a good look at the card, and it opens up the possibility for a misplay because players aren’t following through on all the necessary actions. This isn’t an acceptable play style for a sanctioned event, and if you get players who do this, inform them they need to complete their moves. You’ll find that most players will be accommodating, and if you have problems, the head judge will be happy to explain about the penalties for misplays. These should generate a sense of cooperation in almost any player.
Speedy or sloppy players can be managed more easily if you provide a sort of narration of the game. This can range from an announcement of what has been played, to game phases, and asking a player, “Do you wish to activate an effect?” and asking the opponent “Do you wish to respond?” Use your discretion, as this can throw some players off their game. However, it can be a good way to deal with players who just can’t seem to comply with your requests to make clearer moves, or when you have a player you feel is trying to rush or overwhelm an opponent by being too fast or too vague. It also works well if you’ve got a couple of players who are looking to penalize each other out of a win, because it reduces the chances for an accidental misplay or a deliberate attempt to set up an opponent for a misplay.
You will encounter slow play, and you will encounter stalling. It’s your job as the table judge to lean on players that are taking too long and remind them they need to make a decision. When players use their side decks, inform them of the time they have to complete their choices and shuffling, and hold them to it. Be calm and non-confrontational, but make it clear that the players must adhere to the tournament guidelines. Announcements like “You need to make a decision now,” or “You have one minute left to side deck,” will help keep the game moving along.
If players do use their side decks, have each one count out his or her side deck under your eye and the opponent’s eye, to ensure there are fifteen cards there. It doesn’t take long, and it avoids accusations and problems later on. Remember that players are not responsible to tell their opponent how many cards they side decked, or if they side decked, or if they intend to side deck. They only need to prove that there are fifteen cards in the side deck before the duel begins.
Manage a Focused Environment for the Players
If you find that spectators are becoming a problem, stop play, inform the spectators they need to step back, and call over the head judge. The head judge will deal with managing the crowd, so you can get back to the duel. Let the head judge know about the issue, and ask him or her to keep the crowds back. Always stop play if you need to remove your attention from the game, however briefly.
Verify Gameplay
You need to clearly understand each action in the duel, so if something passes by too quickly or if your attention was fixed elsewhere (checking the clock, adding or subtracting life points), it’s a good idea to double-check what happened. Be polite but firm, and ask, “Sorry to interrupt, I need to verify what just happened.” Ask whatever questions you need to as quickly and efficiently as possible, and add a time extension if you feel one is necessary. If you need to remind the players to slow down or complete their moves, do so—but remember, you need to be paying attention. If you have to ask for clarification too often due to your own inattention, it doesn’t make you look good as a table judge. If you need to remove your attention from the game for whatever reason (dealing with an interruption, getting the head judge, or something else), stop play and add a time extension.
Deal with Media
If you are table judging at a Shonen Jump Championship, then you may have a reporter at your table as well. Having been the table judge as well as the reporter (not simultaneously, I assure you), I’ll tell you that a good table judge makes the reporter’s job a lot easier. Keeping the players under control to ensure their play is clear and announcing the life point totals at regular intervals will be a big help to the reporter. Occasionally the reporter may break into the game to ask a question about what just happened, so be prepared for that. All of the Metagame.com reporters should know better than to interrupt at a crucial moment, so don’t worry about them messing up the pace of the duel.
You’ll really want to pay careful attention when you’re table judging a match with coverage. While no table judge wants his or her match to get hopelessly screwed up, it’s even worse if it makes it into print! You don’t want a feature match to be completed and then realize someone cheated by mistake, or a horrible misplay occurred and no one caught it. Although it can be hard, since the reporters are sometimes in the way, don’t get distracted by the reporter or the photographer, and for goodness sakes, don’t slouch or sit there with your mouth open! You might end up in one of the pictures, and what will the world think of you then?
Make no mistake—table judging is hard! It’s one of the most intense, focused jobs a judge can do and it can be exhausting, especially if the Top 8 playoffs come at the end of a long day. It takes practice and experience to become a strong, reliable table judge, and it’s a valuable skill for any judge to add to their repertoire. How do you get better at it? Like anything else, you need to practice! You can table judge your friends’ matches, or if there’s enough staff at smaller, local events, see if your TO would mind if you table judge the finals. If the extent of your judging has been smaller, local-level or League type tournaments, you might not have had much experience with table judging. However, Organized Play has stepped up to the point where there are Regionals and Shonen Jump events all over the place, so judges need to be prepared to do all that’s required of them. Good luck!