Jared Sylva is a Level 3 judge with the Grand Prix Head Judge role and is the Organized Play Department Manager for StarCityGames.com. Jared lives in Roanoke VA.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Jared Sylva when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep90
First Set
Revised
Favorite Set
Onslaught (because of Morph)
Favorite Card
Wirewood Savage
What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?
The mental challenge and the game of optimizing resources.
Early Challenge
Jared got too fixated on an idea and tried to build decks around mechanics or specific cards, even if it wasn't good.
Most Negative Moment
Having to Disqualify someone for offering to roll a die for the win when the player had NO idea that was illegal. The rules are very clear and have to be enforced and it was hard to DQ this player.
Proudest Magic Moment
Seeing many friends advance in the judge community, specifically Jason Reedy when he was recognized for being on his way to becoming a Level 3 judge after running side events like a boss.
Deepest Thing You've Learned About Yourself
Knowing that he has a reputation for arrogance, Jared recognizes that some people like him as a leader and others don't. He's learned how to be a leader to those assigned to follow him, as supposed to those who choose to follow him.
Improvement Suggestions
Making Magic: The Gathering accessible to all kinds of people is a huge focus and Jared puts out a call to the whole community to make it an equally enjoyable experience for all ages, races, genders and sexual orientations. It's up to all of us.
Magic Resource
Magic: The Gathering website - list of Regional Coordinators who can put you in touch with someone local to you if you want to become a judge.
Judge.Wizards.com - Judge practice exams
Connect With Jared Sylva
Twitter: @JaredSylva
Check Out Magic Story
Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.
Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com