WotC Unveils First Step Towards Reviving Tournament Judge Program

Last updated on July 23, 2025

Rules Lawyer | Illustration by Sean Murray

Judge not lest ye be the judge… that's how it goes, right? Well, looks like ye might have a chance to actually be the judge given one of Wizards of the Coast's latest job openings.

That job posting has big potential for the future of tournament Magic, and comes as a bit of a surprise after WotC cut ties with the Judge program back in 2023. Perhaps this is a good sign that WotC's planning to focus more on high-stakes tournament Magic, and that a revamp of the Judge program is coming our way.

The Job Opening

Judge's Familiar | Illustration by Jack Wang

Job select in Final Fantasy, and now this?

The job posting for a Magic Judge Program Manager went live on Hasbro's mothership website this Monday. Within the listing, Hasbro (who owns Wizards of the Coast) cites that they're looking to hire someone who can “build, own and evolve the vision, structure, and execution of the Magic: The Gathering Judge Program globally.”

As of 2025, there really isn't a strong MTG Judge Program, though second-hand programs and communities are still able to train and certify tournament judges.

Wizards of the Coast previously had a partnership with Judge Academy, the main hub for recruiting and certifying judges, but WotC ended their partnership in 2023, which left tournament organizers without a central means of finding judges for organized play. It's not that judges were impossible to find, rather that WotC's split with Judge Academy marked a move away from direct organized play support. It also meant some of the incentives for judging events evaporated overnight (Judge Promos, for example, were no longer being created for those running tournaments).

The Future of the Judge Program

Gavel of the Righteous | Illustration by Milivoj Ceran

This job listing is a promising move to see from WotC. It hints not only at trying to renew the direct relationship between WotC and MTG judges, but also at an increased emphasis on organized play, which many MTG players believe has been on a downward slope since around 2020.

The job opening also seems to suggest that WotC wants to be more directly involved in whatever new Judge Program arises from this. This isn't confirmation of a renewed partnership with Judge Academy or anything like that, but seems to suggest they want to build something new with a direct pulse on how it'll operate.

“Work with internal team members and third-party organizations to ensure operational excellence in judge deployment and performance at events.” This line also seems promising for judge organizations that already exist. Those “third-party organizations” could very well be programs like Judge Academy or Judge Foundry, though this could also be referring to tournament organizers at local game stores or large-scale Magic tournaments like MagicCons.

Requirements

Tempting Contract | Illustration by Tomas Duchek

Is this something you should try to throw your hat in the ring for? Sure, if you're passionate about Magic and meet the criteria you're working for. Do you know what happens when Opalescence and Humility hit the board at the same time? Do you have experience in event planning or organizational program planning? If yes, and you don't mind moving out to Renton, Washington where the coffee's hot and the tea's unsweet, then the job application's right here.

Even if you're not trying to be the next Wizard of the Coast, this is good news for Magic players. It shows initiative for the competitive tournament scene, it has the potential to help locally owned game stores, and it hopefully ends up directly supporting MTG judges everywhere. They're incredibly hard-working people who uphold the integrity of tournament Magic, and direct support from WotC has been absent for the last couple years.