Ten Rules That Will Help You Play With Confidence At Tournaments
by Comictown Phoenix
at dfranks@infinet.com
 
 I am a long-time CCG player who consistently competes with a group 
of approximately twenty players at my local store (Comictown III in 
Columbus, OH). I have won two major tournaments (Andcon '96 and '98, 
L5R Open Format), have participated in major tournaments at Origins 
four years and running, and have won multiple tournaments at the 
store in which I play. I have recently seen a few posts here at the 
PoJo on how to "psyche" your opponent out and how to conduct yourself 
at tournaments. I thought given my experience, now would be an appropriate 
time to write an article on how to prepare for and play in a tournament 
environment. I apologize for the length of this article and it may be 
best to print it for easier viewing.
 
 Over my years of tournament play, I have found that tournaments can be 
stressful and overwhelming experiences to the uninitiated, however I have 
also discovered that there are ways to prepare for and conduct yourself 
during a tournament that will dramatically increase your level of play 
and chances of winning. I have broken these methods down into ten simple, 
easy-to-remember rules. The first three rules cover tournament preparation, 
while the last seven instruct you on actual tournament play.
 
Rule No.1 Know the rules of your game. It is important that you know 
how a standard turn in your game is resolved. You need to know the specific 
order in which things are done. You need to know how the timing on all the 
cards work. If this requires you to have a rulebook with you during the 
tournament, then so be it, there is nothing wrong with that. Frequently, 
you will run across people who will not know all the rules or will not know 
how to play their turn correctly because they are use to playing with friends 
and using "house rules". It is up to you to insure that your opponent is 
taking his turn the correct way.
 
Rule No.2 Familiarize yourself with the FAQ. Even in a game as simple as 
Pokemon there are questions about the timing and the abilities of some cards. 
Before any tournament you should try to get a hold of a copy of the most recent
 FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) and read these in your spare time. Pay particular 
attention to the rulings that pertain to the cards that are in your deck, something 
in your deck may work better or worse (or not at all) than you originally thought. 
It is also a good idea to have a copy of this for any judges who will be ruling at 
the event. (Good judges bring their own. Sometimes they'll let you scan through it 
before the tournament during set-up.)
 
Rule No.3 Know your own deck. This is the single most important pre-tournament rule 
to follow and one of the easiest ways for you to prepare for a tournament. In the 
week leading up to the event, play your tournament deck at every opportunity (or 
until your friend is tired of playing against it). More importantly, when you are 
by yourself, shuffle your deck and then deal out your cards as you would when you 
are about to play a game. By doing this repeatedly you will quickly familiarize 
yourself with the cards in your deck, and you will have a good idea of what your 
typical starting hand will look like. The more you do this, the more automatic it 
will be for you during the tournament when you will most likely be nervous.
 
Rule No.4 Treat your opponent with respect. If you only remember one rule from 
this article, make it this one. The incivility in CCGs is growing to unacceptable 
levels, especially at tournaments.  If you cannot play in a tournament without 
being rude, insulting people, and/or using excessive profanity then you should 
not participate. When you treat people badly, not only do you make yourself look 
bad, but you also discourage people from playing the card game you enjoy and 
decrease it's overall appeal and popularity. When I sit down with my opponent, I 
introduce myself and then ask them their name. I ask them how they are doing and 
if they play often. This helps alleviate some of the tension of the tournament 
environment and allows you and your opponent to be more comfortable. You also 
gain the added benefit, that whenever there is a dispute you can amicably resolve 
it by merely talking it out. If you cannot agree then call a judge, there is nothing 
wrong with that. Please remember to play with maturity and good sportsmanship.
 
Rule No.5 Watch your opponent during his turn. The reason for this is not because 
you believe that they will cheat, but because they may unintentionally make a mistake. 
The sooner a mistake is caught, the easier it is to correct. You may also gain some 
beneficial insight on how that person plays. Some of the things you want to watch for 
are: Is he taking his turn in the right order? Is he doing everything correctly? Is he 
taking his poison damage every turn? If someone takes their turn so fast that you cannot 
tell what they are doing, then politely ask them to slow down. I have never had anyone 
refuse but, if someone does, then call for the judge and state that you are unclear as 
to what your opponent just did and that they refuse to explain it. You are entitled to 
insure that all of his plays were legal.
 
Rule No.6 Play the cards not the player. Experienced players know that this is the 
number one rule when you are playing against someone new. The key here is to watch 
the cards on the table and not how the player is acting. Never underestimate your 
opponent. If there is a Machop on the table with two energies on it, then you need 
to assume your opponent has a Machoke and another energy in his hand. Just because 
he hasn't laid them doesn't mean he doesn't have it. You have to know what the cards 
on the table are capable of and play against them accordingly. There are those out 
there who would attempt to use psychological tricks in the place of solid playing 
skills in order to win. By just watching the cards and insuring that all of his plays 
are legal you can negate  this attempt to take your focus away from the game.
 
Rule No.7 Keep yourself informed through out the game. During the game you will most 
likely have to make some tough decisions. You can make these decisions more easily 
when you have useful information that will help you decide. You can get this information 
from a variety of sources including by: looking through your opponent's discard pile, 
the cards your opponent has in play, the amount of prizes he has left, and asking him 
how many cards he has in hand (they have to tell you at any DCI tournament, it's a 
floor rule, and almost all judges enforce this even at non-DCI tournaments). This 
information you will tell you a lot of things. What kind of deck he is playing, what 
cards might be in his hand, and what are the chances of him drawing a card he really needs. 
At the same time look at your position in the same way. What do you need to win the game? 
What are your chances of drawing it? During close games, an informed decision could make 
the difference between winning and losing.
 
Rule No.8 Take your time during your turn. Even if your play is obvious, stop and look at 
your hand (it's changed since last turn), analyze all the information in front of you 
before you make a play. Most likely, what you originally intended to do is still going 
to your best course of action, but sometimes you will draw something or your opponent 
will do something unexpected that will make you change your plans. On the flip side of 
this, do not stall or waste time unnecessarily, take a reasonable amount of time to 
comfortably come to a decision. A warning as well, some opponents will attempt to hurry 
you through your turn in the hopes that you will make a mistake. They do this by 
continually asking if your done, constantly fiddling, tapping their fingers on the 
table, and drawing before you are done with your turn. Do not let them rush you, it's 
your turn, take your time, and if they begin to take their turn before you are done, 
inform them that they need to wait until you say your done.  
 
Rule No.9 Play every game to the very end. During a tournament, never concede because 
the game looks hopeless. Locked under a Mewtwo deck? Do you know your key cards are 
stuck in your prizes and you will never see them? Don't concede, instead, play your 
turns more quickly to speed up the game, but at least make your opponent beat you. 
You never know when your opponent may make a mistake and give you an opportunity to 
win, but he definitely won't make one if you don't even make him play.
 
Rule No.10 Play every tournament to the very end. You've set aside the time in your 
schedule, you've paid your money to play, and so has everyone else. This is where 
you are going to gain valuable experience that will help you play better in the next 
tournament. This is where you are going to have players bringing their best decks to 
compete and play. There are three main types of tournaments: single-elimination, 
double-elimination, and Swiss. In single and double elimination tournaments if you 
are knocked out early, use the opportunity to go around to other players who are 
also out and ask if they are interested in playing a game. You will always find 
someone who is willing to play, and the longer you stick around the more players 
who will become available. In Swiss-style tournaments you will play a certain number 
of rounds (typically five or six), in which you play one opponent each round. The 
players with similar records are then matched up for the next round and ultimately, 
after all the rounds are completed, the players with the top records compete in a 
finals round. Unfortunately, what often happens, is that players who have lost two 
or three rounds drop the tournament because they know they will have no chance at 
the finals. What I've noticed is that it's always seems to be the same people who 
lose two rounds and leave. These players fail to realize that they are going to 
gain some great experience by playing others with similar records and seeing the 
tournament through to the end. On top of playing every tournament to the end I 
would highly suggest you watch the final match. You will learn a lot by watching 
the people who are winning. Some things to think about are: How do they play? 
Are they quiet and reflective? Or are they fast and assertive? What kind of deck 
types are they using? What makes that deck so strong? Do they have any habits or 
mannerisms that positively affect their game that you can start doing yourself?
 
 If you utilize the rules above, you can dramatically improve your game-playing 
skills and in short order you will be the one winning the tournaments. Then everyone 
will be looking at you and your deck designs. Good luck and see you at Origins.