The Clix Gentleman 001: Manners Begin at Home

Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Clix Gentleman.

I'm not here to teach you how to win or what meta strategies are currently dominating the tournament scene. I'm only going to peripherally mention the figures at all, really. I'm here to deal with something far more important that applies to every single event you'll ever go to.

Etiquette. How to be a considerate player, not just a good one. Manners maketh the man.

So, let us begin with those crucial steps that come before you ever travel to the tournament. The pre-tournament preparation.

Now, I'm only going to briefly cover this. Don't smell. I hate to focus on it because it's such a stereotype but, it's a stereotype for a reason. Make sure your clothes are clean. Bring gum or mints if it's going to be a long day. Drink lots and lots of water (not soda, not energy drinks, water). And, especially with everything going on now, wash your hands.

Now onto the real meat and potatoes.

Know your team.

Whether it's a casual weekly event or Worlds, know what your figures do. Have any appropriate errata printed out (or otherwise noted) and any weird rulings with you. Do not expect your opponent to know what your figures do.

This may all seem simple, but I've played at every level of play. I constantly run into players who are obsessed with what my figures do (or they think they do) but do not actually know what their own do. Which then wastes time while I have to correct them or we have to call over a judge.

You cannot possibly know what teams you are going to face in a day. You can prepare, you can guess, you can have a feeling. But at the end of the day, there's only one team you can be absolutely sure you are going to see the day of a tournament.

Yours.

So know what it does, inside and out. If it's a larger swarm team, prepare to play quickly. Some teams can't be rushed, but you should have a general idea of how you want things to progress and make that happen. Slow play can get you far in a tournament, but it can't win you a world championship. And slow play also gets you a reputation. And is certainly not becoming of a proper Clix Gentleman.

Try to know how you're going to pack your team up. Some of us use boxes, some have fancy carrying trays, some simply use booster boxes. It doesn't matter how you carry your team, but be prepared to fairly quickly pack up and move. Everyone at a tournament is trying to make the most of their day and get the most Heroclix play in. The whole tournament can't wait because you didn't think about how you were going to put your team back in the box.

Which brings us to another point: travel light. With retaliation still in the game and sideline elements growing, teams are larger than ever. There are more pieces to pack and moving pieces to consider. So if you don't need something for your team or yourself (we'll excuse gum and mints) leave it at home or leave it in the car. Trades are great and everyone is happy to make them. But you don't need to bring your entire collection to...well, anything really.

And I think that's it for this week. If you have anything you'd like me to cover in the future like pet peeves that you wish people wouldn't do at tournaments or things you wish people more often, feel free to shoot me an e-mail at joenexus36@gmail.com

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and I hope you enjoy the site at large. And remember, wash your hands and be kind.