What Level 2 Actually Requires
Level 2 means something. Before anything else in this article, that needs to be clear.
When you hold a Level 2 certification, the program trusts you to run events with real consequences for players: invites to exclusive events. That trust is not given freely. You earn it through exams, event experience, and a recommendation from a peer who has evaluated your work against a documented rubric. The certification committee reviews every checklist by hand.
That is the right place to start. What follows argues that more judges should be working toward L2. That argument only works if the certification is worth something. It is.
The problem is not that judges think too highly of L2. The problem is that many judges have the wrong picture of what it requires. That wrong picture stops qualified people from certifying. Four versions of that wrong picture show up again and again.
"I am already doing it."
Some L1 judges are already head judging ProQuests and Road to Nationals events. They manage decklists, run deck checks, make rulings, handle player disputes, and close events. They are doing the job. They have not certified because they assume L2 is for a different kind of judge: someone more experienced, more traveled, more senior.
That assumption is worth looking at directly.
The Level 2 policy exam is designed to test the skills expected of a Head Judge of a 32-player ProQuest or Road to Nationals. The certification is not describing a judge who does more than run these events. It is describing a judge who runs them well.
If that is you, the gap between your practice and your certification is not a skills gap. It is a paperwork gap. The path exists. You have not walked it yet.
"L2 is too advanced for me."
Other judges look at L2 and see something far away. They imagine it requires the fluency of a judge working Callings, or years of experience at major events they have not yet attended.
Read the mandatory criteria in the recommendation rubric. A successful L2 candidate can:
- Deliver a professional, timely judge call: step in, listen, give an unbiased ruling with confidence and diplomacy.
- Complete a deck check of an 80-card Classic Constructed deck in under ten minutes, including a full card-by-card comparison against the decklist and a check for marked cards.
- Uphold a welcoming and fair event.
- Communicate clearly at both a friendly and technical level.
- Manage the customer service side of running a tournament.
All five are required.
The important criteria, of which a candidate needs three out of five, include: conducting a basic investigation into player actions; managing the opening and closing of an event; understanding how to balance equity, education, and mission when applying the PPG; operating GEM to run a tournament independently; and knowing how to find answers using the resources available on the floor. Three of five.
The optional criteria cover mentoring, community contributions, store relationships, and prior leadership of judge teams. These describe exceptional candidates. They are not requirements.
The Level 2 rules exam is genuinely hard. The program says so, and it is true. Questions deal with complex card interactions and edge cases that require deep knowledge of the Comprehensive Rules. That should not be minimized.
But passing the exam and being ready to be an L2 are two related questions, not one. The exam tests rules knowledge, which is learnable. The recommendation tests event competence, which active judges build every time they work a competitive event. Being nervous about L2A is understandable. Letting that stop you from starting is a different decision.
"I prefer playing."
Some judges do not pursue L2 because they still want to play in events. The thinking goes: the more serious you are as a judge, the less you play. L2 is for the judges who have given that up.
This is not how it works.
Being an L2 judge does not stop you from playing. It does not ask you to judge more events than you already do. The certification recognizes the level of competence you have reached. It does not tell you how often to use it, or what you do on the weekends when you are not judging.
An L2 judge can play in Armory events every week. An L2 judge can choose to certify and judge only a few events a year. What changes is what the program can trust you to run when you do judge. If a PQ or RTN needs a Head Judge and you are the most qualified person available, you are the one who makes that event possible for your community. That is a position worth being in, regardless of how often you choose to be in it.
"It's not for me."
Some judges are comfortable at L1. They judge locally, they do it well, and they do not see what L2 adds to their situation. They are not looking to travel to large events. L2 feels like a commitment they did not sign up for.
That calculation is about to change, and it has nothing to do with travel.
Why This Matters Now
ProQuests and Road to Nationals will require a Level 2 Head Judge. This is confirmed and coming. Communities and judges need to prepare now, while there is still time to build the pipeline.
The consequences are direct. If you are currently head judging PQs and RTNs as an L1, that will not remain an option. If your local community relies on you for those events, the path forward runs through L2.
Battlegrounds already require an L2 Head Judge, with the expectation that Floor Judges will be L2 as well. These are not Premier events. They are local competitive events, and they are growing in number.
36 Callings are scheduled in 2026. Working a Calling requires L2. That is a large number of events drawing from the same pool of qualified judges. Without more L2 judges, burnout for those currently certified becomes a real risk, and staffing events in a sustainable way becomes harder.
And as a special gift, if you certify for L2 in 2026, you will receive an exclusive Popped Collar Polo promo and an extra judge booster!
The infrastructure to support more judges reaching L2 is being built now, across all three georegions, because the demand is coming before the supply is ready. If you are an L1 judge who has been active at the competitive level, the question is not whether L2 is relevant to your goals. It is whether you want to keep running the events you are currently running.
What Stands Between You and L2
The full requirements are here. In brief:
30 days as L1. That clock starts when you are certified.
Two tier 2 or higher events in the last 720 days. Road to Nationals, ProQuest, Battle Hardened, National Championship, Calling, Pro Tour, and World Championship all qualify, including side events. Working as a floor judge is enough; you do not need to have been the head judge. One of these events can even be a Skirmish.
L2A: the Level 2 rules exam. 20 questions, 85% to pass, 24-hour time limit, 90-day cooldown on retakes. Open book: you may use all official documents and personal notes. You may not ask other judges.
L2B: the Level 2 policy exam. Same format, same pass mark. Covers the TRP, PPG, and Judge Code of Conduct at Competitive REL level. Also open book.
A recommendation from a certified L2 judge who has observed your work and evaluated it against the rubric. This recommendation expires one year after it is written. The advice is to pass your exams first, then request the recommendation. Start building that relationship early, not at the end of the process.
A Level 2 checklist submission on JudgeHub. Reviewed manually by the certification committee. Allow up to seven days.
If you have been judging PQs and RTNs for the past four months, you are likely already close on the time and event requirements. The exams, especially L2A, require real preparation. Read the study guide. Find a mentor through JudgeHub or your Judge Community Representative. Start.
The Bar is Real. So is the Path.
Level 2 carries weight because the events it covers carry weight. The judges who earn it have been tested on rules and policy, observed at competitive events, and recommended by a peer who evaluated their work. The certification committee reviewed their application and made a deliberate decision.
That is a real standard. And for many L1 judges reading this, it is within reach right now.
Start.
Featured image by Joseph Qiu.
