There are many situations in Sanguosha that require a player to perform a judgment. Some tool cards, like Lightning or Capture, trigger a judgment during the judgment phase. Others, like Eight Trigrams, may use a judgment when attacked. Additionally, many character abilities either require the player to perform a judgment themselves or force another player to do so. No matter the cause, the player who is performing the judgment is responsible for carrying out the full process described in the following steps.

Whenever a player is instructed to perform a judgment, they reveal the top card of the draw pile. This card is shown to all players. For most judgments, the actual function or name of the card is irrelevant—only the suit and number printed in the top-left corner are considered. Different cards and abilities will specify what suits, numbers, or colors cause the effect to succeed or fail. Some might look for a red suit, others for a specific range of numbers, or even a Spade only. Once the result is determined, the appropriate effect is applied based on whether the judgment was successful or not. Afterward, the revealed judgment card is placed into the discard pile.

Some characters have abilities that allow them to influence the outcome of judgments—this is commonly referred to as 'Judgment Tinkering.' These abilities can be extremely valuable, especially when supporting allies who are at risk of negative effects. There are several ways a character can tinker with a judgment, and the method depends on the specific ability.

Some characters, like Zhuge Liang, can manipulate the top cards of the deck during their turn, allowing them to set up favorable outcomes for upcoming judgments. This form of tinkering relies on preparation and foresight. Other characters, such as Sima Yi, can directly intervene when a judgment is revealed, replacing the drawn card with one from their hand. This gives them more immediate control over the outcome.

When multiple players in the game have tinkering abilities, the order in which they act becomes important. The opportunity to intervene follows the turn order, starting with the current turn player. Each tinkering character only gets one chance to influence the judgment, so the order of their position can be crucial.

You are Player A in a six-person game. You are playing Zhuge Liang, and both Sima Yi and Zhang Jiao are also in the game, as shown in the diagram. All three of you have abilities that allow you to tinker with judgments. It is currently Player B's turn. They play a Coerce, targeting Player E to attack Player C. E performs the attack, which causes C to trigger a judgment for their Eight Trigrams.

Here is the order in which players interact with the judgment:

C reveals the top card of the deck to perform their judgment. Because you are playing Zhuge Liang, you previously used "Astrology" to arrange the top cards of the deck, ensuring that a 5 of ♦️ was on top—successfully causing the judgment to succeed. Once the card is revealed, but before the result takes effect, all players are checked in turn order to see if they have judgment-related abilities.

First, B (the current turn player) is checked. Then C (the one performing the judgment), followed by D. Since D is Zhang Jiao, he can activate "Black Magic" to replace the 5♦️ with a 3♣️ from his hand. The 3♣️ is placed on the table as the new judgment card, and the 5♦️ is taken into Zhang Jiao’s hand.

However, the process isn't done yet. We must finish the full trip around the table. E is checked next, followed by F. Since F is Sima Yi, he can choose to use "Devil" to replace the current judgment card again—this time playing a 2♥️ from his hand. The 3♣️ is discarded, and the 2♥️ is placed face-up on the table.

Finally, you (Player A) are checked. Although you previously set up the deck using "Astrology", you do not have any further means of altering the judgment now. With each player given exactly one opportunity to interact, the 2♥️ remains as the final judgment card and is now resolved.

This example highlights an important rule: the opportunity to interact with a judgment always begins with the current turn player. Even though C is the one performing the judgment and E initiated the trigger through an attack, B goes first because it is their turn.

As a result, it is often advantageous to be later in the order of judgment tinkerers—you get the final say in how the judgment resolves. Conversely, you are most vulnerable to manipulation during your own turn, especially when facing early judgments such as Lightning. Even if you are a tinkerer yourself, you have no ability to respond once others have altered the judgment after your chance has passed.