WOTC Breaks Ties With The Judge Academy

A few days ago, Wizards of the Coast announced that as of October 13, 2023, they will be breaking ties with the Judge Academy. And didn't say much else. That said, this a somewhat strange piece of news, considering they just announced some high-level competitive events for Standard. Today, I'll be breaking down what the Judge Academy is/was, possible explanations for the split, and where it leaves MTG. Let's jump in.

Wizards Of The Coast Breaks Ties With The Judge Academy

Wizards of the Coast released an article a few days ago (which you can read here) and said that, as of October 13, they will no longer be working with the Judge Academy. And pretty much left it at that with this paragraph:

For those who may not know, the Judges Academy is/was a standalone entity that offered people interested in being judges for MTG events a path to do so. You could go online, pay a fee (based on which level judge you were), and they'd test you online and basically certify you once you were done.

Wizards' role in this equation was to print "judge promos" and sell them to the academy, which was a nice incentive to be a judge outside of love for the game. And went a long way in making the fees you paid worth it. For the longest, this situation seemed to work as intended - MTG had judges for events of all levels, and those judges didn't get paid a salary; the promo cards were their reward.

So, what changed?

Why The Break-up?

We don't know for sure. Officially, Wizards/Hasbro didn't give a reason, and they probably won't. My guess - WOTC doesn't need the academy anymore. To paint a clear picture here, let's start at the beginning. Back in the game's early days, people were judges because they loved the game and helped stores run events.

The judges might not have gotten anything if the store or event was tiny. Slightly bigger events/stores would pay their judges as they saw fit. WOTC wasn't paying judges anything for their services, but they printed foil "Judge Promo" cards to give to people who judged at more significant events.

And these proms were incredible! And often very expensive. Take a look at a few of the crazier things they gave out:

For most of the game's history, this was the structure for the judges and the compensation they received. However, judges started to realize the grey area in which they existed and began suing Wizards to be recognized as employees of the company and everything that comes along with that - Mainly, paychecks and benefits.

To the best of my knowledge, this really started to take off while paper Magic was at an all-time low (due to the pandemic), and there was a massive push toward casual commander play and MTG Arena, neither of which needed judges. So, they pulled the plug on the whole thing to take the heat off of themselves. With no pro-tour, they didn't need judges.

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This brash solution led many higher-level judges to approach Wizards with a more diplomatic solution that would allow them to keep their judging status and community intact - Insert the Judges Academy as we know it today. They'd be separately owned and not operated by WOTC, solving the legal issues. And they'd handle all the steps to create judges for a fee paid by those who wanted to be certified.

In return, WOTC would sell them the Judge promos. First, this solved Wizards issues, but secondly, it gave people huge incentives to join the program and pay the fees. And I'm sure Wizards didn't mind selling some cards. Fast forward to a few months ago, and the Judge Academy was in the news with people upset about the recent batches of promos. Here's a recent batch:

Don't get me wrong, these are some good-looking lands, but basics are a far cry from the promos of before. And you couldn't even get a complete set... The Island was reserved for the upper echelon of judges, such as high-level event organizers. Word has it that memberships were already on the decline, but these basics led to a significant drop in the number of renewing members, and then shortly after, we got this announcement.

Wizards of the Coast likely did whatever they were obligated to do and then decided to cut the academy loose. After all, they'd already decided they didn't need judges. Beyond this, perhaps they think the cards they printed as promos would be better in actual MTG packs.

So, where does this leave us?

What Happens Without The Judge Academy?

This is the question people are asking. Judges are an essential part of high-level competitive Magic. Furthermore, the company just announced a lineup of large Standard tournaments in 2024, including a heavily covered pro-tour. So, what will they do? Well, they'll contract a select few judges for these particular events and leave it at that. Here's what they had to say on the matter:

Before I close things out, there's one more thing I want to mention. A handful of people just signed up with the program just before Wizards bailed. Those people are left wondering what will happen to the money they just paid if there are no future promos. And as of now, the academy has made no comment I can find. So, unfortunately, it's looking like those people are out of luck, which sucks.

Conclusion

So, there you have it: WOTC breaks ties with the Judge Academy. Once upon a time, the academy talked about branching out of just MTG and into other games, but it never happened. That said, I can't imagine a world where they stay in business without the promos coming down the line from Papa Hasbro. Honestly, they were barely in business with them.

For those who just want to judge because they love the game, they'll probably still have their chance at LGSs and smaller events where they'll probably be compensated like they were back in the day - With whatever they're willing to do it for and whatever the store can afford.

I'm not really surprised by this news at all. What are your thoughts? Comment and let me know.