Road to Alcoy - Interview with David de la Iglesia - Judge Level 3 @ Maná Infinito

[PeAcH]

We have published @ Maná Infinito an interview in Spanish with the HJ of the Spanish Legacy National:


¿Desde cuándo arbitras? ¿Eras jugador antes que árbitro? ¿cómo te introdujiste en esto del judging?
Háblanos un poco de tu trayectoria como árbitro. ¿En qué eventos has estado arbitrando? ¿cuál es tu mejor recuerdo?

Me certifiqué en el Nacional de 2008 en Ciudad Real, antes de arbitrar jugaba PTQs y GPs, y cuando me fui aburriendo más de la parte competitiva me interesé más por el Legacy, llegando a ganar el Campeonato de España de Legacy de 2007. Hasta tengo un trofeo y todo!

http://manainfinito.com/entrevistas/road-alcoy-entrevista-david-de-la-iglesia-judge-level-3

[Chubu!]

Would anyone like an English translation? I'd be happy to post one in the next few days, if people are interested.

[atropos]

Would anyone like an English translation? I'd be happy to post one in the next few days, if people are interested.

I'd be interested if you have the time. Thanks for the offer!

[stealth]

I'd be interested if you have the time. Thanks for the offer!

same here

[boneclub24]

I, too, would appreciate a translated version :)

[Chubu!]

Solid. I'll do my best to get to it in the next few days.

[Chubu!]

I'm about two thirds of the way through translating; about two pages worth in English. What's the best way to post the translation on here? The cut-and-paste-raw-text-to-the-thread method seems a bit ungainly.

[cdr]

Maybe ask PeAcH if Maná Infinito would post it?

Otherwise copy/paste :)

[Chubu!]

Road to Alcoy - Interview with David de la Iglesia - Level 3 Judge

When did you become a judge? Were you a player before you became a judge? How did you become involved in judging?
Let’s talk a bit about your career as a judge. In which events have you been a judge? What is your fondest memory [as a judge]?

I certified in the 2008 Nationals in Ciudad Real. Before becoming a judge, I played in PTQs and GPs. When I found myself getting bored of the competitive circuit I became more interested in Legacy, to the point of winning the 2007 National Legacy Championship of Spain. I even got a trophy and everything!

I became interested in judging thanks to Raül Rabionet, Level 3 Judge from Barcelona, whom I met at a PTQ in Barcelona and who offered to begin to teach me how to judge é[events]. I went 0-0-2 in that PTQ, the truth being that playing [Magic] was no longer as fun for me as it once had been. Raül is without a doubt one of the people who has helped me the most not just as a judge, but in life in general; people like him are what make it worth the effort and dedication of so many hours [that it takes] to be a judge.

I have had the fortune and the privilege of judging 23 GPs and 7 Pro Tours. In what remains of this year I will be at GPs in Milan, Amsterdam, and San Diego, in the StarCityGames Open in Las Vegas and, with a bit of luck, at Worlds in San Francisco. Additionally, I will be at Eternal Weekend in Alcobendas.

All of these tournaments may seem barbaric, but if you think that’s a lot, ask Carlos Ho about how many tournaments he has been in. Carlos has been, to me, a never-ending source of knowledge and inspiration over the years, and I want to invite everyone to read his blog at perroviajante.com in which he speaks not only of his travels, but also of other themes of interest, such as gastronomy and frequent flyer programs.

I have many great memories of all of these tournaments; I remember especially fondly the trip to PT Kyoto with Jorge Alarcón a.k.a. Dragonprince and Daniel Mencía a.k.a. Chubasco (and his girlfriend Ana.) Without a doubt, the best aspect of Magic is the friendships; if it weren’t for the people, I would have laid it down a long time ago.

Do you still play Magic? Which formats? What do you play other than Magic? What do you do when you’re not judging?

I still play [Magic]. A lot of multiplayer Commander with other judges when I travel to tournaments. Although I have a decent Legacy [card] pool, the truth is that I rarely have time to play in tournaments. I quite enjoy some tabletop games such as Dominion or Settlers of Catan, but again, I rarely have time for those, either.

When I am not judging, I dedicate myself to doing things for the judging program. Judging tournaments is an important part of being a high-level judge, but there is much more that occurs behind the scenes, as well. There is a community of judges to manage, projects to coordinate, much to read, write, and translate, and in general just a ton of emails. A ton.

Oh, and to pay for the mortgage and my travels I work for as a camera operator [video operator?] for Telemadrid. :P

What do you think of the current state of the Legacy format? What of WotC’s reserved list policy and its effect on the prices of format staples? (Duals, Wasteland, FoW)

Legacy is [I]The Format. In my opinion, the majority of constructed formats are thoroughly insipid; Legacy is where you can play true Magic. Some think differently, but as far as I see it Legacy is the most open and most complete format. There is a lot of hype surrounding Modern, and we’ll have to wait and see how [the format] evolves. I’m just saying that I don’t like [the idea of] banning cards; I want to play with the cards I choose. Mental Misstep banned? WTF

I am completely against the Reserved List. I have discussed this topic with people at Wizards, and although I understand I cannot share. I would be thrilled if my duals were worth 10-20€ each if it meant that everyone who wanted could have access to a reasonable Legacy card pool. The ideal would be that [Wizards] would print Snow Duals or some alternative style [of dual land,] in order to maintain the idea of exclusivity of the original duals.

What role have you taken at CEL? What are its functions? How many people have been working over the course of the weekend and how have you organized yourselves?

At CEL 2011 I have had the privilege of being a head judge. This, as many of you well know already, means that I am responsible for the work of the other judges, for ensuring that all goes well, and for making sure that the tournament moves along smoothly, following the correct application [enforcement] of the rules. In order to achieve this, I rely on the help of the excellent judging staff, especially that of Jorge Requesens of Zárágózá and David Larrea of Barcelona as Team Leaders. A couple of machines, those two.

Throughout the weekend, more than 20 judges have worked. Undoubtedly, for the amount of work involved, we were few. The Nationals this year were an incredible success and the attendance has surpassed what any would have predicted.

What is your opinion on the vibe at the eternal [format] ]tournaments? Do you feel that there is a difference [in atmosphere] ]between the PT circuit and eternal events?

The vibe at eternal tournaments is without a doubt more casual and amicable than that which one encounters at a PT. Everything depends on the focus and expectations of the people participating in the tournament. At eternal tournaments, while people still want to win and snag a few duals, there is not the hyper-competitive spirit which prevails in professional tournaments. Being conscious of this difference, a judge has to adapt [accordingly]. In an eternal tournament, I try to maintain a calmer, more relaxed vibe, something you all can surely appreciate in the opening speech from CEL. ;)

What are your impressions with respect to this year’s CEL? If you could do it over again, what would you try and do better? Will there be a 2012 CEL? What are your plans for the future? Do you think that there can be a [regular] Legacy circuit in Spain? (UAL, CEL, etc...)

For me it has been a great event; having a tournament like this one within Magic Nationals was an idea proposed to Wizards a while back, and it has been great to be able to have this tournament. The eternal community deserves to be a part of Nationals in some for or another. Without a doubt, we have had to face many difficulties, mainly stemming from organizing Nationals at the same event. Without wanting to start controversy, I will tell you that, given the resources available, the organization did an amazing job. There are aspects which I agree could have been better, which I will try to correct in the coming year.

My personal bet is that there will be a 2012 CEL; my personal bet is that there will be a Legacy GP in the coming year in Spain, and in general my bet is one that is for the eternal community in general. I believe that there are many things that can be done [for the community], and a circuit of larger tournaments is something is already being contemplated. In my opinion, any initiative that is taken should include [the input of] the local leagues in the decision-making process.

Could you comment any on the RTFC symbols on your avatar on FdM? I once saw Niko wearing a T-shirt with the logo on it. :)

Hahaha, alright. Many judges worldwide have the same or a similar saying. RTFC originally meant “Read the Fucking Card,” or “Lee la puta carta” in Spanish. This comes from an unnecessarily high percentage of questions asked by players in tournaments that they could answer themselves, as if actually reading the cards were tech. For example: “Can I make my opponent gain two life by taking a counter off my Jitte?” “Umm... read the card, continue.” True story.

Later two politically correct versions came about, in order not to sound so hostile. We have “Read the Friendly Card” and also “Riccardo Tessitori Fan Club,” who is a Level 5 Italian Judge.

You see, being a judge is quite fun; I’ve almost never said that about salsa [dancing]!

Thanks so much for your time, David!

[Chubu!]

So... there it is. Pardon any errors in translation. Better yet, let me know and I will fix them. Some interesting comments. Hope y'all in-joy't!

[PeAcH]

@Chubu: a million thanks for the translation!!! Really much appreacited.

I have seen the PM (don´t know why I had my email notification for PMs turned off :( so was not able to see the PM).

BTW Manainfinito is a Spanish Website and we try just to publish content in Spanish (apart from an Interview we had from Annecy we could not translate on time to ES).

However I´m really superthankful for your efforts on this subject.

Do you like this kind of Non playing coverage for Big events?

We really find it interesting to highlight Organizers, Judges, traders, role on MTG too.

And it´s something which is usually out of the spotlight.

[Chubu!]

@Peach:

I dig the subject matter. Thanks much! As a former Legacy player gone casual, I can identify with much of what David talks about, in terms of the positive and negative aspects of competitive play. EDH and cube drafting are what I enjoy these days. It's fun to revisit cards that would likely never show up in a competitive format nowadays, but were nonetheless a blast to play in a more casual setting.

As a casual player, I also find it interesting to hear David's thoughts on the reserved list. I, too, would gladly take the hit monetary hit (i.e. drop in value) on some chase rares I still own, if it meant opening up the general card pool to more people. Proxies are fine for casual play, but I think that many would agree that there's something special about holding the actual card, art and all, in one's hand.

It would also save me money on glue sticks and printer ribbons. ;)