



Written and Edited by:

Bailey Kehret, China Ross and Chad Leiske





Heading to your first event or tournament? Feeling nervous and unsure of what to do? Have no fear! WATASHI GA KITA!





Make a Checklist!





In order to prepare for an event, there are some steps that should be taken beforehand to ensure that the event goes as well as it can. The first of these is ensuring that you have everything that you would need on hand. It seems fairly obvious that you would bring all of your cards and things of the like, but as someone who has forgotten a trade binder or a deck before, it never hurts to make a checklist and double or even triple check that you have your items before leaving for the event. Make sure that you put food and water on that list if you know that the event is going to last long!





Try a Whiteboard to Advertise Trades!





If you plan on making some trades at the event, a good and effective practice is bringing a whiteboard and dry erase markers. Being able to write your wants or haves on the whiteboard and hold it up while walking around the event is a great way to bring attention to yourself. In addition, posting on a Facebook group, such as Van-Guardians, the night before the event is another great way to publicize your trades.





Maintain H Y G I E N E!





Even though this next topic is very obvious to most people and has already gotten a lot of attention, I would like to bring it up once again as it is a serious problem for some people. Showering before the event is HIGHLY recommended and everyone will thank you for it. Please, don’t be that one guy who perpetuates the stereotype of smelly men playing children’s card games.





Play the Game. No Really. Ya Gotta!





Going into the gameplay portion of the event, studying the meta and making sure you are playing a deck that you are comfortable with is important. By studying the meta, it can help you shape your deck selection to have a better chance of getting more favorable matchups. Regardless of how favorable the matchups you’re studying for may be, taking a deck that you are more comfortable with will always prove to be a better choice than picking the meta deck which you do not know how to play. Bringing a deck you have played a lot and personally enjoy will also make the games you play more enjoyable, obviously.





Respect Others and your Surroundings!





While at the actual event, it is important to exercise respect and courtesy. Meaning, do not leave your trash at the tables, respect the judges and other players, keep your visible salt to a minimum if possible. After opening the goodie bag that is given at the event, some players tend to leave the empty bags or empty Pocky wrappers at the tables. While at a venue, you should treat the location like it is your own house and pick up after yourself. At the end of the event, the staff has to go around picking up the trash that was left by any of the players. It’s only fair that we save time for the people that try their hardest to make sure that the event runs as smoothly as possible.





Don't just Sign Up for the Promo!





Signing up just for the free promo and leaving after is a major way in which tournaments can start off on the wrong foot. By leaving after grabbing a promo and badge, you give someone a round one bye, which makes their record worse than it would be by winning against an actual opponent. This seems like a very small detail, but at the cut for Top 8 it could make the difference between getting 8th and 9th place.





Respect your Opponent!





Before, during, and after games, it is important to show respect to your opponents, regardless of how much smack they were talking, you getting double crit at three damage, or having to G-Assist at Grade 0 and missing. At the end of the day, it is just a game and everyone is there to have fun, and you always have the next round! To the same extent, any salt that you may have should not be taken out on the judges recording your score either.





A Sad Truth.





As a final note, please keep an eye on your stuff. It’s a sad truth, but some people will take an unattended bag or deck if given the chance.





MOST IMPORTANTLY!





At the end of the day, everyone is there to have fun and meet some new people. Since these events only happen twice a year, enjoy yourself!



