[Editor’s note: Every weekday until the PAX Unplugged System Open we’ll be featuring free X-Wing Content on TheHyperloops.com! We’re so excited we’ve just been writing non-stop behind the scenes to expand our X-Wing content to feature more weekly articles and a playtesting gauntlet page much like the one we’ve hosted for Destiny for some time. Please check us out all next week as we get ready for the 2019 System Open season!!

Also, we’ve launched a new Patreon Tier for X-Wing followers! For just a $1 pledge to support the site you get access to our X-Wing Discord channels! We appreciate your support!]

Good Morning challengers! Weather you are a competitive destiny player, X-winger, or maybe even Legionaire. You are are counting down the days till next weekend at Philly for PAX unplugged and so are we. I am looking forward to it because it is the first System open of the year. From what I have been reading, many of you will be going to this System open as your first major national tournament. So here are my ten tips to get you through long haul at any major tourney.

Pro Tip #1- PACK NOW. you don’t want to forget your stuff. It happens. There is no such thing as over packing. Take doubles of everything. I am talking both about your cards and your underwear. WE are pilots, not stormtroopers, its not cool to go commando. Feel free to bring a second deodorant and throw it in your X-wing case. You will thank me later . . . or if we happen to play each and you smell dove clean, I will be the one thanking you. B O is a no no at tournaments, do your part. This should be as important as your range ruler and dice. That’s where I keep mine.

Pro Tip #2 – Check for bathrooms and plan to go before each game. Firstly, the night before, I would suggest not sampling the local taco hell and think it will be alright the next morning. Know your limits. Eat appropriately. You wont have much time inbweeten games. Make sure you have a clear blatter before each round. There is nothing worse than interrupting a game to go pee pee or even holding it until the round is over. I have made the mistake. It breaks my concentration, its rude, its a gamble. Gambling that you wont have an accident is not worth it. If you think you may be cutting it close in the loo, make sure your buddies to know to text you incase pairings are up before you flush.

Pro Tip #3 – Pairings. Pay attention to your pairing. Sometimes, TO and judges make mistake. Always ask your opponenet if they won or lost. Simple rule of thumb, if you won last game, you should be with someone who also won. This is always the rule unless you got paired down (which can happen in your favor). Pay attention to your MOV when its posted. Make sure someone is adding up the math correctly. X-wing is all about math, on the playmat AND on the record keepers laptop. Its your responsibility to make sure they are pairing you right by checking your MOV. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to the main table T.O. to make sure you were listed as a win or a loss. They make mistakes. They are handling hundreds of papers and not getting paid for it. So make sure your pairing is correct.

Pro Tip #4 – Have deez nuts. I am not kidding. invest in a lunch box and bring some bag of nuts. Bring a back pack. Chips, nuts, Capri-Sun. A water bottle. I don’t care what you bring. Bring something. Something that wont turn into a cluster fuck in your bowels. as stated, do not sample the local Taco Hell the night prior. Be sensible. If you want to be the next top player that gets an invite to the Krayt invitational like the pros. Then you need to eat right. They aren’t chowing down on celery sticks. They are chewing on pure protein jerky and nuts and little to no sugar. Personally, I have a sugar free RedBull in between rounds. But that’s only because its embarrassing to be caught doing coke bumps in-between dials. For some reason its more acceptable to have 620mg of caffeine sitting on the table? Fine. I am also a big fan of Emerald nut bags that they sell at Walgreens.

Pro Tip #5 – Bring a list that wont rot your brain by the third round. If you are attending a major event like anything with more than 40 people. Chances are its 5 plus rounds. Do not bring a list that requires more brain power than you own. Own up to your own ability to tolerate your own shenanigans. If it means running something cookie cutter or mundane, so be it. I use to make consistent day 2 cuts over my friends by just running defenders or Palp Aces. It was boring to watch and even more so to play. However, you know what wasn’t boring? Winning. I did consistent damage, and had a consistent MOV and SOS showing through out the games. Because by round 7, it didn’t take much to remember my 4K was white, however, my opponents easily forgot the countess ability to K turn whenever she wants. Fly something that you find to be simple. Set the bar at your limits. Don’t push it, you will end up stressed.

Get ready for some serious Tips.

Pro Tip #6 – Bring a tested list. No excuse. Come with a list you have flown more than 10 times. If you think any of the final four players brought a list they came up with on the fly the morning before you are wrong.

Pro Tip #7 – Fake the smiles. I hate everyone. You can too. Its ok to do that. If you aren’t one of my five kids, I could not give a flying FCUK what you want to small talk about. However I fake it. I smile, joke around. I do a lot of nodding. I “fake” agree with people. Just be nice to people. I am not telling you to be a gregarious social butterfly and hit everyone up. I am saying just pass for not being a robot or someone that lives in his moms garage; even if you do. I am not even a fan of my team captain. But he is my boss so I keep writing articles for him and taking his silly badges at tourneys. You know why? Cause you cant do it alone. And your team mates should be respected along with all players at the tournaments. If you want to leave the house to interact with others, you need to learn to accept basic social behaviors.

Pro tip #8 – Do NOT fly casual. X-wing has become one of the world’s biggest, most recognizable, and best-loved miniatures games ever. It has endured through so many failed broken waves and even a new 2.0 revision for a reason . . . Because we love it. With that being said, Micheal Phelps’ coach doesn’t tell him to swim casual at the nationals so why should I?. With that being said, do not let your opponent fumble his butter fingers range ruler between ships. Do not let yourselves “eyeball Distances or arcs” over anything that is obviously questionable. Call a Tournament Official. They are there to help. Your opponent will appreciate you more if someone else makes the call that screws over their day. I know I would (not sarcastic). This isn’t a friendly game at the local game store. This is a System open, you are in the NBA of Miniature sports now.

Pro Tip #9 – Count each of the ships points and write down their threshold. Threshold is a fancy word for “half points”. This is a rule many forget. You can now lose if you didn’t lose any of your small base ships. Ships above 70 points are prime targets to bring down to thresholds. Because they are worth twice a normal ships. Keep tabs. Its perfectly alright to bring your opponent to thresholds and then run around. Its a strategy. Legal. Sun Tzu said so in his book.

Pro Tip #10 – Remember each round. “OMG how do you expect me to remember each round, Drawde?”. You may be thinking …. “Between the cheep florescent lights, the BO, the stress, and the social anxiety I can barely remember my bid?”. Well get it together, the only way to get better is to learn from ones mistakes. Keep a journal. Write a text about what happen in each round to your significant other. I don’t care. But try to keep an active memory of it because the only way you learn is from your losses and your wins. Its easier to remember the wins than the loses because of dopamine your brain is sending to your head each time you get excited for the win. Its not so easy when you lose so I suggest you caffeinated 20 minutes you take the plunge.

BREAKING META NEWS : Four phantoms at PS4 with Juke is a thing. This list is trolling around vassal. A lot of people think its no big deal. They are wrong, if one is not able to pop a phantom in the first engagement or manage to keep two out of the fight, then you are looking at 12 dice at your face if they accomplish a kill box. Its not a list I am crazy about but it is a list I fear. Remember to practice against swarms and gimmick folks. Its an easy list that can pop two quadjumpers or a fat Y-wing or any ship under Initiative 4. Keep that in mind.

I will see you at final table,

Drawde

Starting today, we’re adding a $1 role for X-Wing supporters. If you like our content and you want to support us you’ll have exclusive access to our Discord’s X-Wing Channels. We’re trying to grow our online community and while we prefer to keep our Discord exclusive we thought it would be good to make entry as cheap as possible for the time being.

Just so you can see the kinds of rewards we offer our Destiny supporters, if you are a member of our $10 tournament prep tier for two months you get this dope playmat OR instead you can receive a set of our OVERWRITE and POWER ACTION tokens (pictured below the mat).