Welcome back to DeathJester’s Dojo! This week I’ll be talking about another favorite topic of mine: Test-playing. This is one the most important physical aspects of this game. There are a few reasons why players make the mistake of not test playing at all:

 

1. They’re lazy.
2. They are “too good” to test.
3. They are intimidated by the testing process.
4. They claim they do not have enough time.
5. They claim they cannot find a testing partner.
6. They claim they are not good enough so why bother?

 

Those are the top reasons why players don’t test.

 

Understanding test-playing

 

Testing is a relatively simple process that can be broken down into seven simple yet intricate steps. The methodology is different between each testing group. The process is the same throughout: 1) Find a testing partner or group 2) Gather information 3) Determine the best cards/decks from the information 4) Apply testing method 5) Analyze & discuss results 6) Draw conclusions 7) Re-build and test again. Seven easy steps to tournament success; are you telling me you can’t follow 7 steps?

 

Step 1: How do I find a testing partner or group?

 

You can’t test without a testing partner or group. I prefer group testing since more raw material and creative ideas can be tossed into the air to be tested and digested than just playing with two people. Still, it CAN be done with two people if you absolutely cannot get together with at least two more people.

 

Assembling a group of testing partners is simple. Find the best players available in your area first and ask them if they would like to get together for a testing session. You can meet with your group in person or online. In person, choose a spot where your group can get together and play some YGO for the amount of time you choose to allot for it (1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, who cares?). You can do this ANYWHERE. You can go to your local card shop, bookstore, library, Denny’s restaurant, Burger King, McDonalds, on top of your car, at home, at a friend’s house, in a garden club, or even at the pool (double sleeve for this please).

 

The internet is a wonderful thing if you absolutely, without a doubt, CANNOT meet in person. I understand that sometimes your YGO buddy or buddies might live in Malaysia, Germany, France, or something. That’s OK. There’s nothing disheartening about that at all. You live 3000+ miles away that’s all. Online communication makes it easier for us to accomplish productive things even from a long distance. Think about it: I have never met Bill (Owner of Pojo.com) in person once in my entire life. Does that give me an excuse not to send any articles to post up? NO. You can use Instant Messaging, E-Mail, Forums, Chat Rooms, Video Meetings, Conference Calls, and whatever method you can think of to setup a meeting via long distance.

 

The magical power of Yugioh Virtual Desktop

 

There are three ways that I know of to duel from long distance: Text Dueling (done via Chat, IM, Text Messaging), Phone Dueling, and Yugioh Virtual Desktop (YVD). From my experience, text dueling requires a bit of trust and is a bit more time-consuming than I care to mention. If the guy on the other end is cheating then it defeats the purpose of testing altogether. Avoid players who cheat & find some honest YGO players. If you are good & fast at text dueling and that’s what you prefer, then by all means go ahead.

 

Yes, it IS possible to play YGO over the phone. I have done it once, and my friends have done it as well. It’s a lot like text dueling, but you don’t have the handy dandy IM/Chat window to keep track of the duel’s progress from.

 

Personally, I prefer YVD. YVD, to me, is the greatest thing to ever happen to YGO since the Ban List. This easy-to-use tool makes test-playing SO much easier and convenient for the time conscious YGO player. In real life, obtaining the cards needed for testing or proxying cards takes more time than necessary. I’ve found that by the time I’m done finding all the cards and proxied the rest of them I don’t even feel like playing. YVD takes this process and slashes the total time by at least 90%. The ultra-useful search function allows you to search for ANY card, from ANY set, and from ANY format (TCG or OCG) with a plethora of parameters. You find EXACTLY what you need and put it in your decks in 30 seconds or less. Deck building with this tool becomes a painless process that brings you from no deck to complete deck and side-deck in 10 minutes or less. I love that. Those 10 minutes saved me from 30 minutes or more of finding the cards, getting the sleeves, building the deck, proxying what I don’t have, and finally getting around to playing.

 

As much as I love this tool, it does have its disadvantages. YVD does not give you genuine player interaction. You completely miss out on that face-to-face psychology of the game. YVD enhances your ability to read the field, and make optimal plays based on the information you are given by the cards. This is just as essential as actually playing face-to-face and reading the opponent’s actions and body language.

 

I find that a steady regimen of both real-world playing and VD can get your skills up to top notch relatively quickly and keep them there. Don’t become overly dependent on either one. Don’t pay attention to the rumors about the “bad shuffling algorithm” or “how easy it is to cheat on YVD”. I haven’t had a problem with the shuffling in YVD. I’m sure it’s the same or near-the-same probabilities of a real world situation. My friend Paul, a university professor and statistician, can actually put the algorithm to the test if you REALLY want him to do it; preferably I like to give the software the benefit of the doubt and use it for what it is made for. If you get a bad hand, deal with it. Stop whining and play.

 

It’s not too good to cheat…

 

Don’t give me B.S. about how easy it is to cheat with YVD. First of all, if you’re cheating at a card game there is something seriously wrong with you and you ruin the game for everyone else. If you wind up playing against a cheater via YVD or real-life, don’t ever waste your time again with that bozo. There are TONS of ways to spot cheaters and you have to be pretty naïve not to spot the warning signs.

 

I know there are hot debates on whether or not many of our SJC Top 8ers are cheaters. If you CAN cheat your way through 3 SJC Top8 finishes then more power to you man. Honestly, I don’t believe that Robert Morgan cheats, if he does then that means he duped 30 or more players who are too innocent or too dumb to spot the red flags. I like to give our SJC Top8ers the benefit of the doubt. Cheating your way through 9-10 rounds of Swiss requires more effort than actually playing an honest game of YGO. In my opinion, I think they are expending more effort than they need to be for some they can accomplish with the simple act of playing an honest game. I’ve seen cheaters in action too; it’s really hard to cheat in YGO. It’s very easy to label a successful player as a cheater when they win too much. “What do they have that I don’t have?” or “They play the same garbage that everyone else plays; why do they win and I don’t?” It’s simple, you don’t WANT it as badly as they do nor are you willing to do what you NEED to do to achieve it (which doesn’t include cheating by the way). Instead of paying attention to the latest gossip, how about getting up to their level? From there you can play the “cheaters” and prevent them from “cheating” YOU.

 

How to prevent YVD from handicapping you…

 

Fear not, there are techniques you can apply to circumvent the handicaps. My close friend Kay, who is probably one of the best female YGO players in the world, gave me two easy-to-use and uncanny techniques to improve your “reading the opponent’s actions” skills.

 

First, make it an exercise to try and guess what someone is going to say before they say it by listening closely and reading their body language. You can do this with complete strangers or the players you meet at any tournament you go to. This technique requires you to be a social person. If you’re not very social, you should try to be. More opportunities present themselves to you when you are more active and social with people. You can usually pick up a “vibe” that tells you a little about them and what they will say. I’ll write an article on this later on.  

 

Second method; try to guess what people are looking at behind you. This is a useful little technique that you can use to develop your ability to read people reactions to various outside stimuli. It’s very fun and easy to do. Put it this way, if a person you walked by had a strange look on his face. You discover that what he was looking at was a purple & yellow elephant with giant roller blades on and a beard. Imagine what kind of look you would have on your face if you saw that. Remember that expression and look for it. You can create this kind of reaction from your opponent by playing cards, decks, or moves that are not typical. Catch your opponent off-guard and it becomes easy to wreck their strategy. Use this and apply it. It works.

 

In conclusion

 

Part 2 of this article will cover everything else you need to know about testing. I taught you Step 1 with various techniques to utilize it. Step 2-7 will be monstrous. Be sure to visit pojo.com next week and read my next article. You’ll love it.

 

Until next time…remember to play hard, think about your moves, and most importantly…have fun!