Tips for a Successful National Tournament

Nationals is just over one week away, and there’s precious little time for all of the final preparations.  I constantly find myself caught off-guard by how close Nationals sneaks up on me, and this summer has gone particularly quickly due to work and having two previous Redemption tournaments within a month of nationals.  In addition, the latest set has been tournament legal for about a month, and there are a lot of things that have changed that time hasn’t sorted out yet.  Maybe this is your first Nationals, and you aren’t quite sure what to expect, or how to make the best of it.  I’ve been to seven National Tournaments, and developed a quick checklist so you can be fully prepared for Nationals.

1. Have your deck(s) ready.  By ready, I mean built, tested, sleeved, and if you have to transfer any cards between decks for different categories, write it down.  I may be the biggest offender of this, as I’ve gone to the last two tournaments with a completely untested and unbuilt deck, as well as convincing at least two people to switch their decks right before the 2012 National tournament, but I can’t stress this enough.  At MN States, I forgot to add Moses to my Judges/TGT deck.  It may not have made a huge difference at that tournament, but it could have been detrimental with just a few more rounds.  It can be silly mistakes like this that can cost you at the top tables.

2. Be confident.  Never count yourself out of the running.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone up against a great player and been extremely nervous about it, and end up making misplays because of it.  With a good deck, a strategic mind, and a bit of luck, you can beat anybody—I guarantee it.  Just last week at MW Regionals, a relatively new player dealt me my only loss of the tournament in the first round.  Now don’t go to the complete opposite end and be arrogant either.  Just have fun and take each round as it comes.

3. Be social.  My first National Tournament in 2005 is probably the least favorite of all of them because I did nothing but hangout with my local playgroup.  It’s natural to want to stay with the people you know, and nerds are often more introverted than most, but I guarantee you that being more outgoing is the way to go.  That said, also be respectful to others and don’t cling to people.  2006 was a much different year, as I knew very few people who traveled all the way to New York.  I was forced to meet new people who I had previously only encountered online, and people like Kirk Dennison and Ben Arp graciously put up with my middle school behavior.  I later reconnected with them in 2008 and Kirk to this day is one of my favorite people to see at a tournament.  So don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to people, ask their forum names, and get some of the legends to sign your Que card.  I’m not saying to complete ditch those you know, but do go out of your way to meet new people.

4. Take care of yourself.  Eat, sleep, and Once again, I break this rule all the time, and only got two and a half hours the night before MW Regionals.  The difference with Nationals is that it takes place over several days, and by the end of it you will be completely exhausted and it won’t be fun.  This past week I slept 13 hours the night after MW Regionals, and at 2011 I carried around a quilt and pillow and slept between rounds due to lack of sleep.  You need to take care of your body, and sleep and Perkins are a few necessary ways to do this.