If you’ve never played in a tournament, it can be intimidating. I was an avid Magic: The Gathering player for years before I even started playing Yu-Gi-Oh! and the other card games out there today. That said, even those who have been playing for years face challenges when participating in tournaments for the first time. So if you’re new to the scene or just looking to step up your game at future tournaments, here are 5 strategies you can use to make sure your next tournament is a success!
CCGs vary wildly in their gameplay, systems, and themes, but they all share some essential elements. For example, they all involve a collection and creation of cards, and most have a competitive component in which anticipation of drawing the card needed at just the right moment is one of the primary thrills of play.
1. Know Your Cards
Cards have a lot of information packed into them. The backs of most debit and credit cards, for example, display a payment network logo and often include additional essential features that help you avoid paying too much when purchasing the card.
Most trading card games also have rotations or ban lists prohibiting using older cards in official tournament play. This forces players to update their decks and creates a secondary market for cards that may have been useful in the past but are now useless or even blatantly illegal.
You can quickly get disqualified from a tournament if you don’t follow these rules. So always read the official tournament rules and any judicial rulings that have been made about gameplay before going to a tournament.
2. Know Your Opponents
The next step is to know your opponents. This is the most important part of any game, and it’s especially true for game card tournaments. You need to know:
- Their favorite cards
- Their playstyle (aggressive or defensive)
- Their deck’s strengths and weaknesses (does it have good recovery? Can it KO characters in one hit?)
- The metagame (which decks are popular at this event)
You need to know your opponents to deal with them effectively. This includes understanding the type and level of opposition they may use against you.
It’s also important to know your opponent’s playing style and tendencies. This will allow you to put them on a range of hands rather than guessing what specific cards they have in their hand.
This is particularly important when playing online, as you can’t physically see your opponent. However, you can still learn much about their tendencies by watching their bet sizing and how long they take to make decisions. Some players, like in board game sleeves, will try to fake these tells, so you must be observant and open to adjusting your strategy accordingly. This is especially true when playing ranked tournaments.
3. Build a Deck
A player’s most important decision before a tournament is what kind of deck to build. This is a complex decision with many different implications.
For example, the speed of a deck is an important consideration. If a deck has slow cards, its strategies may take a long time. On the other hand, fast decks have cards that enable them to get the ball rolling quickly.
Another important consideration is the number of cards that can be put into a deck. Some games limit players to 60 cards, and they cannot use side decks during the event. This means that every card must be carefully chosen to maximize a strategy. This is a challenging task for new players.
4. Test Your Deck
During the testing process, carefully consider what cards in your deck have the most impact. For example, if a particular card only sometimes shows up, it is probably not worth adding to your deck. Recording games with this data type can help you decide the best way to optimize your deck.
A key element of winning control is achieved through having a good amount of draw and search support in your deck. This means having many of the cards like Professor Oak’s Research, Steven’s Advice, and Copycat that let players draw several new cards in turn or having the cards like Dual Ball, Celio’s Network, and Lanette’s Net Search that give them the ability to find a specific card quickly.
5. Go to a Tournament
- Find a local tournament. If you want to get your feet wet, find a local tournament and go with some friends. This will give you an idea of how things work and how competitive the scene is in your area.
- Bring your own group of friends along with you for support, or try getting together with other players at the event who want to form teams together!
- Look for something close by–if possible, try not traveling too far from home when going on these adventures; travel costs money!
Aside from choosing a deck, knowing what supplies and accessories you’ll need for the tournament is essential. For example, many events require damage counters, a randomizer, and Poison and Burn markers. Deck boxes and card sleeves also help keep cards safe during the tournament.
Players will want to have an enjoyable tournament experience. Consider offering snacks, drinks, and prizes for your participants. This is especially important if they are traveling far to attend your event.
Players are often stressed at tournaments, so try to make them as fun as possible. Host skills competitions or other low-key activities to break the intensity of the rivalries and create a more enjoyable environment. Also, think about your ruleset and how it impacts your participants. For example, a best 3 out of 5 formats can lead to longer match wait times.
Conclusion
We hope these tips have helped you to get started with game card tournaments. If you have mastered all the strategies for playing in tournaments, don’t hesitate to prove them with high confidence. Don’t forget to always be passionate and cool-headed so that everything can be achieved.