Hello, and welcome to the UDE Judge Program!

Whether you’re a brand-new volunteer or a returning judge, this website offers you some insight into the UDE Judge Program.

One of the most common questions we receive is, “What is the UDE Judge Program?” The UDE Judge Program is a method for UDE Organized Play to ensure that each tournament is run in a fair, consistent, and enjoyable manner. Why is this so important? We think players appreciate knowing that their favorite games are supported by the company that makes them. To achieve this, the UDE Judge Program offers opportunities for volunteers to officially test and certify their skills.

The UDE Judge Program is unique and customizable. It allows individuals to excel in specializations that best suit them. For example, a judge who is an expert in World of Warcraft Trading Card Game rules can take the WoW TCG rules test and become certified in that specialization. Along with the Player Management specialization, that judge can continue to advance in WoW TCG Rules Knowledge certification to become a judge qualified to officiate professional-level tournaments, such as Nationals and Worlds. Another judge may be more interested in sampling each of the games that UDE offers, so he or she may decide to take only the first certification for each of the Rules Knowledge specializations. Another individual who is interested in running tournaments at a local store may be interested in taking the Tournament Organizer and the Scorekeeping test to advance his or her certifications.

The system allows judges to choose on which games, and in which specific areas of tournament organization, they wish to focus. Currently the program offers the following specializations. You can access them by clicking the “Certification” button on the right.

• Vs. System rules
• World of Warcraft TCG rules
• Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG rules
• Player Management
• Tournament Organization
• Scorekeeping

Each of these certifications is available worldwide, with the introductory certifications available online. We offer tests for certifications 1 and 2 in several languages. Testing for certifications 3 and higher are offered only in English.

The next most common question we receive is, “How do I become a judge?” The road to becoming a judge begins with certification. Initial certification for each specialization is available online. You are permitted to refer to any outside documents or online resources while taking the online test. Once you submit an online test, we will grade it and verify your information in our database. If you score high enough, you will be officially certified. You will be able to check your certifications by clicking the “Judge History” link on the right.

Congratulations, you have taken the first step to becoming a judge. Your next goal should be to keep score at, organize, or judge a local tournament. Also, you should regularly review judge forums (click the “Forums” link on the right). In addition to gaining first-hand experience at tournament, you can ask other, more experienced, judges for help or read about how they would handle a particularly difficult situation via a forum post.

Here are some more tips:

• You can find tournament locations near you by clicking the “Tournament Locator” link on the left.
• You may be certified for multiple UDE games.
• You may officiate at more than one store or tournament location, although you should always check with the tournament organizer and the store owner to see if they need your help.
• You cannot play in and judge the same tournament. You are, however, allowed to play in other tournaments that you are not officially judging.
• You are allowed to organize and judge the same tournament. If your tournaments are particularly large, you may want to avoid doubling up in these roles.

Once you gain some experience with local tournaments, you can test for higher certifications. Certifications 2 and higher require an in-person interview. They are available only at higher-level events, such as Shonen Jumps and Darkmoon Faires, and through judges with a certification 3 or higher. For more information about higher-level testing, and testing in general, you can refer to the Testing FAQ. You can find it by following the “FAQ” link on the right.

Another common question we receive is, “What’s required of me, and what do I get?” Let’s go over the requirements. Each certification has an age requirement. The link to each test shows that requirement. While there is no monetary cost associated with certification, we do expect a very basic level of commitment from our volunteers. Each certification has different maintenance requirements associated with it, varying in difficulty based on the judge level. For initial certifications, you must judge a sanctioned tournament once per year. For more in-depth requirements, check out the Player Management and Rules Knowledge Certification Guide. You can find it by following the “FAQ” link on the right.

Now to address the “What do I get?” question. Certified judges get a judge card (which is mailed out during yearly judge mailings), and posting access to the judge message boards (allowing communication to other judges worldwide). We are also implementing a rewards program called the “Volunteer Point Store.” In this rewards program, we will keep track of each judge’s activities in sanctioned and uploaded tournaments. Periodically, we will issue Volunteer Points to these accounts, based on judging and organizing activity, to spend on items. But most importantly, you’ll receive the satisfaction of knowing that you contribute to the growth of Organized Play of your favorite games.

As you can see, the UDE Judge Program offers many exciting opportunities for judges. If you are a new judge—welcome, we hope that you find this information useful in your decision to join us. If you are a returning judge—welcome back, I hope this article rekindles your desire to be a part of to our Organized Play programs. Our Organized Play programs continue to grow because of great contributions by our dedicated volunteers. Thank you!

Alex Charsky

Judge Manager

Upper Deck Entertainment

Alex Charsky started off in the TCG industry as a judge volunteer in 2000. In 2003, he was offered a job with Organized Play at UDE. He is now a manager for the UDE Judge Program.