PokeBeach’s December 2017 PTCGO Tournament, Sponsored by TCGplayer.com!

Welcome to PokeBeach’s December 2017 PTCGO Tournament!

Up to 96 players will duke it out to determine who is the best TCG player on PokeBeach!

Our tournaments are completely free to play in and the prizes are shipped directly to you by TCGPlayer.com (there’s absolutely no catch), but premium members get larger prizes!

As usual, these prizes come courtesy of TCGplayer.com in partnership with PokeBeach! Be sure to check them out for the best prices on Pokemon cards!

Prizes

What is a Skill-Based Win?

Five premium members who don’t make Top 16 are eligible to win additional prizes for playing an unusual or creative deck. The winners will be chosen by PokeBeach’s premium article writers after the tournament is over.

The Top 32 players will also win Prize Wall points, which you can save or exchange for additional products on TCGplayer! This means you’ll get even more booster packs and products!

• 1st Place: 12 Prize Wall points (If a premium member: 24 points)
• 2nd Place: 6 points (Premium: 12 points)
• Top 4: 3 points each (Premium: 6 points)
• Top 8: 2 points each (Premium: 4 points)
• Top 32: 1 point each

(For certain international winners, TCGplayer reserves the right to substitute prizes for equally valued prizes or gift cards based on the player’s location.) (If you sign up as a premium member, you must remain one for the full duration of the tournament to receive the extra prizes. Otherwise, you will receive the regular amount. Also, if you sign up for this tournament and play at least one round, you cannot request a subscription refund.) (The Pokémon Company International is not a sponsor or endorser of PokeBeach’s tournaments, contests, or prizes, nor does the company or its affiliates have any formal association with PokeBeach. Our activities are by fans, for fans, and are not sanctioned or approved by TPCi.)

Tournament Details

• Registration is open until this Sunday, December 3rd.
• We will be accepting up to 96 players on a first-come, first-serve basis. Premium members, as well as those on last month’s overflow list, have priority registration and are guaranteed a spot in the tournament. (If you were on the overflow list, mention this when you sign up.)
• All matches must be conducted on Pokémon TCG Online (PTCGO). You can download the software from Pokemon.com.
• The tournament format is as follows:
  • All decks must follow the Standard format (BREAKthrough to Crimson Invasion). Unless otherwise noted on this bullet point, if a set or promo product is not legal on the first day of round one, it is not legal for the entirety of the tournament.
  • This is a seven-round Swiss tournament with a Top 8 cut. This means you play every round, win or lose, and you are paired against players with a similar record.
  • You will have four days to complete each round. Don’t Sewaddle… I mean, dawdle!
  • Each round is best-of-three games, meaning whoever wins two out of the three games wins the match. Budget 30 minutes to an hour to complete each round. See the round schedule below to make sure you are available to play each round of the tournament.
  • During a match, the loser of the previous game chooses whether they want to go first or second. Communicate with your opponent and let them know which you choose before the coin flip occurs.
  • Intentional draws are allowed. You and your opponent may agree that you want to tie for the round instead of playing it out.
  • You must use the exact same deck list for all rounds, just like in a real tournament.
• Your tournament organizer (TO) for this event is PMJ. If you have any tournament-related queries, feel free to send him a PM.
• Prior to the end of the first round of the tournament, you must submit your deck list to PMJ via PM. Please do not send your list until round 1 starts. Failure to submit an approved deck list by the end of the first round will result in a warning and a match loss, regardless of the actual outcome of your match. (If neither player submits on time, you will get a tie instead, but you will still get a warning.) Failure to get your list approved by the end of the second round will result in you being dropped from the tournament.
• You can only participate in this tournament if you’re in a North American time zone or can commit to its schedule. If you’re in a completely incompatible time zone than most other players, you shouldn’t register, as it’s unlikely you will find time to meet.

Tournament Timetable

Below is the timetable for the tournament. Barring circumstances beyond our control–such as PTCGO going down for an extended period of time–this schedule is set in stone. Do not expect delays in advancing the tournament.

• Registration: Thursday 11/30/17 to Sunday 12/3/17
• Round 1: Monday 12/4/17 to Thursday 12/7/17
• Turn in your deck list to PMJ by: Thursday 12/7/17
• Round 2: Friday 12/8/17 to Monday 12/11/17
• Round 3: Tuesday 12/12/17 12/9/17 to Friday 12/15/17
• Round 4: Saturday 12/16/17 to Tuesday 12/19/17
• Round 5: Wednesday 12/20/17 to Saturday 12/23/17
• Round 6: Sunday 12/24/17 to Thursday 12/28/17
• Round 7: Friday 12/29/17 to Monday 1/1/18
• Top 8: Tuesday 1/2/18 to Friday 1/5/18*
• Top 4: Within 3 days of Top 8 completing*
• Finals: Within 3 days of Top 4 completing*

Round 6 is extended for one day to accommodate for Christmas.

* Top 4 matches and the finals may be completed as soon as the previous top cut matches are reported.

This information will also be posted in the pairings thread at the start of the first round.

Each round ends exactly at 11:59 PM EST. Your match results must be posted by that time, as explained in the next section. The round ends at that time regardless of whether or not pairings for the next round have been posted; if your result is not posted at that time, and no exceptions have been given by the TO, your match is void.

Pairings Thread, Round Procedures, Contacting Opponent

• Pairings Thread: All information, including pairings, the timetable for the tournament, and how to properly submit your deck list, will be posted in the pairings thread, which is located in PokeBeach’s PTCG Competitive Play forum. Remember to bookmark and subscribe to that thread (as seen on the right) so you receive e-mail notifications when a new pairings post is made. Failure to receive an e-mail alert, however, will not be taken as an excuse for not checking the thread regularly. The timetable for the tournament is available to you, so please plan accordingly and make sure you check the thread.
• Contacting your opponent via PM: Each round, an image showing the round’s pairings will be added to the pairings thread. Find your PokeBeach username on this list and immediately contact your opponent via PM and arrange a time to battle. Make sure your account settings let you send and receive PMs, as all communication must be done through PokeBeach PMs. Tell your opponent exactly when you can set aside time to play. This is important! Every PM you send without this information just increases the time it takes to set up a match.
• Trouble scheduling matches:
  • If 24 hours pass without a reply from your opponent (whether it is the initial contact or not), add PMJ to your conversation by selecting “Invite More” underneath the conversation participants. (This option will not appear if you did not start the conversation.) He will monitor the conversation to ensure an effort to complete the match is being made. If you can’t add him to the conversation because you didn’t start it, take screenshots of the conversation and send them in a separate PM as attachments.
  • Add PMJ to your conversation if you have any problems at all with regards to scheduling a match. Remember that if you do not inform the TO of your problems before the round ends, you both will get a warning.
  • If your opponent still has not responded within 48 hours of your last message, you may either take the win for the round or play the match out as normal. If you do play the match, however, you must accept the result.
  • Your ability to receive private messages is on by default when you sign up for the forums. You must leave it on in order to receive messages from the TO, PokeBeach staff, and your opponent for each round. If a player reports that they are unable to send you a private message, and this is verified by the TO, you will receive a warning and a match loss.
• Trouble completing matches:
  • If your opponent is more than 15 minutes late to a scheduled match, you may choose to take the win for the round. (Add PMJ to your conversation or screenshot it to verify.) Otherwise, you may forgive your opponent’s transgression and play the match out as scheduled.
  • If a player is disconnected during a game, they will lose that specific game. If the disconnected player manages to re-establish their connection to you within 15 minutes, the match will continue with the game loss. If the match still has games to be played and the disconnected player cannot re-establish their connection, you may choose to reschedule the remaining games or take a win for that match.
  • If a match is not reported or completed, a winner will be decided based on activity. If the TO feels that both players made an effort in good faith to schedule a time, then a tie will be granted. If the TO feels that neither player put in a reasonable effort, both players will receive a warning in addition to a tie for the round. Ties are awarded at the TO’s sole discretion and the TO’s decision is final in all cases.
• Reporting matches: Matches must be reported upon completion. An acceptable report must include who won the match and how many games each player won. Both players are responsible for seeing that the result of a match is reported; failure to do so will result in a tie for the round and warnings for both players. If there is a chance your match will go past deadline for the round, you need to inform the TO before the round ends, or your match will be for nothing! You may be given a 15-minute extension to complete your match.
• Recording matches: Streaming or otherwise recording your tournament matches is allowed only with your opponent’s permission.

Penalties

• Warnings: Warnings are handed out for misconduct; a player will be dropped from the tournament if they receive two warnings over the span of one tournament. Warnings do not carry over between tournaments, but they are saved as part of a player’s permanent record. Warnings can be given out for several reasons, including, but not limited to: failure to complete or report a match, failing to submit an approved deck list on time, or missing a scheduled match. Warnings for other offenses may be handed out by the TO at their discretion.
• Colluding: We want to maintain a fair and enjoyable tournament for all of our members. Any malicious or unsportsmanlike actions will result in an immediate drop from the tournament and a permanent ban from all PokeBeach tournaments, as determined by the TO. If you suspect another member of cheating or doing anything to else disrupt this tournament, report it to PMJ immediately.
• Dropping: If you would like to drop from the tournament, simply PM PMJ or post in the tournament thread stating your intent to do so. If you drop from a tournament this way, you will not suffer any penalty. However, if you continually sign up for tournaments only to drop them, you may be penalized.
• Bans: Players can be banned from participating in two ways:
  • The first is by being dropped from accumulating two warnings in the same tournament. A player who is forcefully dropped from the tournament in this way will be banned from competing in the next two tournaments (premium members excluded). This ban is a part of a player’s permanent record, and a player may be banned for an extended period of time, or possibly permanently, for accumulating too many bans. Any banned player can have their ban cut in half by making 50 quality non-tournament posts on the forums during the first month following the month they were banned. That averages to less than two posts per day — easily doable! We want to see you around the community, and PokeBeach has something for everyone, no matter what aspect of Pokemon you’re involved in. Getting involved is easier than you might think, so give it a try!
  • The second way, which only applies to those of you who played in the previous tournament, is by failing to post three times outside the tournament thread over the course of the month. Anyone who falls into this category, or members who the TO reasonably believes are trying to cheat the system, will not have their signups honored (premium members excluded). This ban is not kept as a part of a player’s permanent record and, if banned because of this, you may freely sign up for next month’s tournament.

A PokeBeach Premium Membership is More than Just Articles!

A PokeBeach premium membership grants you…

• Full access to PokeBeach’s premium articles (at least fifteen new articles are published every month from the game’s top players).
• The ability to submit your deck lists to our writers for advice and consult them for metagame and deck discussions.
• More than double your prize earnings in our monthly tournaments.
• Priority registration in our monthly tournaments.
• Bonus prizes in our monthly tournaments, including promo products such as EX and GX Boxes and tins, plus bonus booster pack wins for playing with unusual decks.

Now’s the time to join the most rewarding Pokemon TCG article program out there from the Pokemon TCG’s most dedicated website!

Registering for the Tournament

By registering for this tournament, you agree that you have read this post and you agree to follow PokeBeach’s rules. To register, copy and paste these questions unedited into a post below and include your answers. Anyone who fails to follow this simple instruction will not have their signup honored (premium members excluded). Registrations submitted outside of this thread will also not be honored.

• Are you a PokeBeach premium member?
• What is your PTCGO screen name (the name you battle with, not the name you log in with)?
• What time zone do you live in? (If you don’t know what time zone you live in, use a World Clock to find out.)
• Did you play in November’s tournament?
• If allowed to play, do you promise to make at least three non-tournament forum posts before 12 AM EST on 12/24/17? (We want to see you around the community!)

Note that PokeBeach reserves the right to deny registration to any player at any time for any reason, and that PokeBeach reserves the right to drop a player from this tournament at any time and for any reason.

Thank you, and don’t forget to shop at TCGplayer.com for the best prices on Pokemon cards!