Chaos & Confetti

One of my favorite (and most stressful) parts of being a Disney Lorcana player is when Set Championships roll around.  Every three to four months, game stores host Ravensburger sponsored store championships, with prizes including play mats, special cards, sealed product, and big bragging rights. Across the eight different stores in my area, our local community puts in their best efforts, and it’s not unusual for out-of-towners to show up in hopes of arriving as conquering heroes in their own right. 

I love being able to play in a more competitive environment, despite the heightened anxiety of really wanting to do well. Thankfully, I believe that so far, I’ve proven myself to be a pretty decent player.  I regularly make top cuts.  I’ve taken home a few championship mats. Best of all (in a slightly twisted and prideful way), plenty of my opponents hate seeing themselves paired with me during a round because they fear they’ll have a slim chance of winning. If they only knew how little confidence I had in my own abilities. 

Best of all, I love seeing different parts of our Lorcana community gathering at store after store.  There is a sense of togetherness through the month as we see each other more often, discuss decks and strategy, and recount tales of woe and success. We may be foes but in some ways we are brothers-at-arms as we compete in the war for championship mats.  

However, like with any competition there also comes the potential for unpleasantness.  Mistakes happen.  Misunderstandings of rules, cards, and intentions occur.  Cheaters press their luck and try to sneak out unfair advantages. Even if everyone is on their best behavior and no complicated rules questions pop up, there must still be a sense of order and structure to an event. That is where judges come in.

Lorcana set Championships are required to have judges. These are the people who handle disputes, clarify rules, watch over events and games, keep time, and move the tournament forward. Judges are important because they act as an impartial 3rd party to handle issues, and act as a tool for players who may be worried about trying to resolve an issue by themselves. When in doubt, it’s usually best to call a judge.  

Where do these special guardians of order and fairness come from?  Sometimes knowledgeable store employees take on the role, and other times, members of the community step up (we’re still waiting on an official judge program).  Stores will call on local players who they know are trustworthy and knowledgeable about the game. In compensation, community members who become judges often get sealed product or other nice things to make their commitment of time worth it.

All of that is preamble to say that for the first time, I acted as a judge for a local store in my area.

CALL TO DUTY

I’ve been asked to judge before, but have passed on the opportunity because I was more interested in actually competing in events. During this round of set champs though, someone who would normally judge at a store wanted to play in their championship because of their limited opportunities to play elsewhere. Since they see my wife more often, there was an exchange about me possibly judging in their place.  My wife said I would probably be open to judging, just let me know if I was needed.  I was never officially asked and heard nothing further, despite seeing that person several times over a few weeks, so I just assumed I wouldn’t be needed.  No big deal. 

Then, came a Saturday where I decided to compete at one of my local stores. Before long (four hours later), I found myself in the top four. It was about this time that I was asked if I would still be good to judge the other set championship, the one that would be starting in about two hours.  Uh oh.  

Thankfully(?),I got knocked out in the top four and had time to drive across town to the other store. Sorry to my son who I thought I would see before bed time.  As the seven o’clock start time neared, players arrived and I readied myself to be an Official (unofficial) Lorcana Judge!

MY JUDGING EXPERIENCE

Since this was a late night competition, taking place after another local championship, attendance ended up a bit lower than normal: 11 players.  Every player was local and most were people I know pretty well. That made my judging duties a little easier.

If anyone has ever taken part in proctoring standardized state testing for a school, I had flashbacks to those experiences. Using school lingo, I “aggressively monitored” players during their games.  All that means is that I closely watched games, maintained movement around the room, and didn’t allow myself to be distracted by things like my phone. Most importantly, I watched for troublesome behavior while making sure not to help players.  

It’s an interesting way to watch Lorcana. Since I tried to stay moving, I got snapshots of games, seeing a turn or two here and there. Despite the title of judge, I had to keep all my opinions to myself, as I watched players make decisions. You want to see everyone do their best, but you can’t say anything as you watch players make choices that may bite them: playing out all their characters right before a “Be Prepared” wipes the board, or seeing them letting a character die instead of giving it more willpower by attaching it to a Hidden Cove that was already in play. 

Questionable plays only increased as we ventured deeper into the night, and everyone became a bit more tired. I kind of wished I was playing instead of judging because my sleep schedule is so messed up that I have no problem being awake around midnight.

It was also interesting how many players wanted to show me their hands because they felt the need to show someone how good or bad they were. I did my best to keep up my poker face, never giving away what private information I was seeing.

I’m happy to say that we had no issues with cheating or poor sportsmanship.  In fact, outside of keeping time and helping move things along, I only had to answer three actual rules questions.

Does Diablo – Devoted Herald still get to draw if it’s banished by Let the Storm Rage On?  Yes

What happens if a shifted character gets put into the inkwell by Hades – Infernal Schemer?  Both cards go into the inkwell and the player gets two exerted ink.

If We Don’t Talk About Bruno is played on and targets Iago – Giant Spectral Parrot, does he end up in the players hand or discard? Bruno finishes resolving putting Iago into the players hand keeping it safe before the vanish keyword can resolve.

I had no problem answering any of the questions and play continued quickly and smoothly.

After about five or six hours at the second game store, I finally finished up my judging duties and handed out the prizing for the top two finalists.  With my job done, I thanked the game store employees who had to stay way later than usual and hit the ol’ dusty trail.

WRAP UP

Judging was an interesting experience and I’d be willing to do it again. I will admit though that I definitely prefer being on the active player side of things. What can I say? I love the highs and lows of competition.

Oh, and for anyone interested, I received one free pack of Lorcana for each player who competed. Not too bad, and I even opened a few legendary cards.