Tips and Advice
Tournament Preparation
Attending a big tournament can sometimes be a stressful event, as every player wants to do well and win prizes. However, it doesn’t need to be over stressful and you can help yourself by being organised and preparing for the event in advance. Here is our handy guide to beating the stress of a tournament and making sure you have everything you need to have a fun day playing cards!
Decks
The most important thing you need to have ready is your deck. Whether you are playing Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, WOW or VS System it’s a good idea to get this ready plenty of time in advance, as this is your key to victory or disappointment. When preparing your deck it’s usually a good idea to test it against your friends and play several times to ensure the cards work well together and that you have good synergy throughout the deck. This way you can see which cards are most useful and if there are some that are not needed - in which case they can be replaced with something else. Sometimes it can be important top take extra cards with you just in case you want to make any last-minute changes although it can often be advantageous to make a deck decision and stick with it. If you have enough cards it can also be a good idea to build two or three decks to take with you. This can be good as when you arrive at the venue you can sometimes get a better feel for what deck will serve you best by judging the other players currently entered in the tournament. No matter which deck you decide to play the most important thing is to have fun and play fair. For more help on building a deck, please check out features pages!
Deck Lists
When attending a big event you are sometimes required to hand in a deck list featuring all the cards in your deck. This can help Tournament Organisers to check your deck contains only tournament legal cards as well as making sure you have the right amount of cards in your deck. It is often a good idea to prepare this list way in advance of the tournament for two reasons. Firstly if you are prepared you can use the time before the tournament to play some practice games with friends rather than having to sit and write out your list. Secondly it prevents other players from reading your list, as you are writing and scoping for ideas to what you may be playing. This does happen quite frequently so being prepared in advance can really help you. Make sure when writing your deck list you include the number of copies of the card, the name of the card and the cat no or expansion details. This will make the tournament organiser’s job much easier when checking it over.
Substitutes
When preparing for a big tournament it can often be beneficial to take along extra cards to make last minute adjustments to your deck. For this we would suggest you keep a small deck box with a few good deck cards like Spells and Traps for Yu-Gi-Oh! Or different trainer or stadium cards for your Pokemon Deck. Remember once the tournament has started you cannot make any further changes so try to arrive early and have a few practice games before submitting your deck list for the event. Also remember if you make any last minute changes to change your deck list before handing it in to the head judge or tournament organiser! Playing an illegal deck or one that does not match your deck list can result in disqualification from the tournament! Also remember when playing Yu-Gi-Oh! that all changes made from the side deck during a match must be changed back before the start of the next duel!
Trading
Trading cards is an important part of attending big tournaments, as there are always lots of other people around to trade with. It is best to write a list of the cards you need and also remember not to put cards in your folder that you do not want to trade. As a rule it is best to do your trading inside the event in the designated trading area where there are plenty of people around. Be very careful of your folder as after all it contains your valuable swaps and sometimes thieves do operate at big tournaments. Remember the golden rule, if you do not want to trade, then just say no and walk away.
Essentials
When attending a large event you should always ensure you have all the things you may need throughout the day. Yu-Gi-Oh! Players should always have pen and paper for keeping scores or a calculator if the tournament organiser allows them. Pokemon players should always take with them a coin or randomiser for coin tosses and dice or counters for damage markers. It is not up to the tournament organiser to supply these, so always make sure your are prepared. Put these in your bag the night before the tournament so you do not forget them or leave anything behind.
Food & Drink
A day out at a tournament can be a very long day as you have to travel to the venue and this can sometimes be miles away from the nearest shop. As a rule it is a very good idea to bring with you a packed lunch and a drink flask to ensure you are able to eat during the day to keep your brain working and concentrating on the game rather than how hungry you are feeling. Again you should get this ready the night before and leave it in the fridge to stay fresh.
Money
Whenever possible you should always take some cash with you to the event, as you never know when you may need it. You may need to buy some snacks or drinks at the venue or the shop may have an amazing new deck box or sleeves you want to buy. There are often good shops at big tournaments with loads of TCG goodies that can be hard to find anywhere else.
All Charged Up!
If you have a long journey by bus or train then it can be a good idea to take some entertainment with you in the shape of a Walkman, iPod, PSP. DS or GBA. If this is the case you should always make sure you charge the batteries fully before you go, to ensure that it will work (This also applies to your mobile phone)! There’s nothing worse than starting a multiplayer game of Mario Kart with your friends and having your batteries die. Please remember when you are not using these items during the day at the event to place them into your bag and keep this close to you at all times.
All Mapped Out
When travelling to a big tournament it is advisable to ensure you know exactly where you are going and what time the event starts. This way you can plan your route, by bus, train or car and ensure you have enough time to reach the venue. Remember if you arrive late you may miss the first round of the tournament and this can make it nearly impossible to win. If you can try to arrive early and you’ll then have time to swap or trade and have a few practice games before the main event. Remember to write down the address of the venue and keep this in you bag so you can ask for directions if you get lost. It is also advisable to make a note of the Tournament Organisers phone number so you can call and ask for directions!
Better Safe Than Sorry
The most important thing when attending tournaments is to have a nice sturdy bag to carry all your equipment and cards. There are plenty of special backpacks available for card players that have sturdy zips and plenty of pockets for your gear. Remember to put things back in your bag after use and keep it near you at all times. It is also a good idea to write your name on your deck box or on the inside and these can be easily left behind after a game and hard to track down. Remember your deck is your key to victory, so look after it all the time! Have fun and enjoy playing the game!