A judge in the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game is a tournament official charged with enforcing the rules of the game and those of the DCI. While judges need not be certified, they may choose to attempt a series of tests and certified judges are ranked from level 1 (local-level) to level 5 (professional-level). The level E (Emeritus) was created for several veteran level 5 judges who built central parts of the judge program but stopped active judging. There are fewer than 2000 judges worldwide and Wizards of the Coast pays for some judges to travel to international events in order to provide training and improvement. Judges of level 2 (area-level) and higher may administer level 1 exams, and there are about 400 of these people worldwide.
A lower level of rules knowledge is that of Rules Advisor, which qualification can be attained online.
Based purely upon anecdotal evidence, standard compensation for a certified level 1 judge is 1 booster box for a "full day", roughly 8 hours.
| Level | Judges |
|---|---|
| E - Emeritus judge | 4 |
| 5 - Professional judge | 4 |
| 4 - International judge | 12 |
| 3 - Regional judge | 74 |
| 2 - Area judge | 349 |
| 1 - Local judge | 1546 |
as of March, 2011