Team Compendium recommends these resources for judges.

Pokémon TCG Judge Essentials

You can’t be fair and correct without having, knowing and using these resources. There’s more to judging than being fair and correct, but unless you’re basing your rulings off these documents, you’re making stuff up.

Pokemon TCG Rulebook

Many rulings questions are only answered in the rulebook. Many fundamental principles, from which other rulings are derived are only found in the rulebook. Rule books are no longer printed and put into theme decks, but are found online.

Play! Pokémon Penalty Guidelines

Every penalty should be supported from these guidelines. Fact: you cannot be consistent as a Judge unless you know how to use these guidelines. Tip: study up before events, so they’ll be quickly useful on your event clipboard and during judge meetings.

The Penalty Guidelines are currently part of the Tournament Rules Handbook.

Rulings Compendium

This is your reference to the comprehensive set of OFFICIAL rulings for the TCG. You’re on the Compendium right now!

Pokémon TCG Judge Growth

There is no substitute for working under a great judge for challenging and growing your judging skills. However, these judging resources will help you grow and can also give you perspective on what your Judge mentor is sharing with you.

Pokémon TCG Judge Manual

A big picture of judging from attitude to techniques. Begun in 2008 by Premiere Tournament Organizers in response to a challenge by Mike Liesik, this document is a repository of judging techniques and attitudes from many different masters. Read it to learn from people who have been there before in order to develop yourself or recruit, challenge and train your judge team.

Ask The Rules Team

Can’t find it in the Compendium? Something came up at the last event and your want to cross-check your card or gameplay ruling? Ask the Rules Team forum is the place to get a speedy answer from the guys who work with Play! Pokemon week in and week out to publish the rules.

Judges’ Chambers

A forum to ask questions about penalties and tips on judge technique from judges who have judged and head judged at Regionals and above.

Play! Pokemon Professor Forums

These are good forums for general questions about helping at events. Pay especial attention to answers given by POP staff and experienced judges and organizers.

Pokémon TCG Judge Tools

This section covers some tools that make the mechanics of judging easier.

What to carry

Take these with you:

  • Pens
  • Clipboard for reference materials, notes and penalty sheets
  • Watch or stopwatch with countdown timer (to back up the score table)
  • Kleenex pocket pack (for JRs tears and spills)
  • Digital resources as available, e.g. the Compendium.
Deck Checker’s Checklist and Legal Card Lists

The official Play! Pokémon Deck Checker’s Checklist should be reviewed if you’re going to be helping with deck checks. Additionally, the PokéGym compiles legal card lists for the Standard format and for the Expanded format which are useful to determine what cards are legal.

Clipboard Penalty Sheet

The Clipboard Penalty Sheet has checkboxes for the categories from the Penalty Guidelines; it not only makes it easier to quickly record the penalty for the Head Judge, but helps you think clearly about which penalty has been earned. Please note that the current version of the Clipboard Penalty Sheet is a bit outdated, so penalty checkboxes may not align with the current guidelines.