Dealing with an Annoying Opponent

[ToughDogs]

I haven't been to a whole lot of big tournaments but I watch a few of them on youtube. I often see players constantly shuffling their hands NON STOP, searching through their discard piles and their opponents discard piles over and over and over, and just generally being obnoxious with their cards and the length of their turns. I find this to be incredibly distracting and irritating. I realize I'm probably being to much of a stick in the mud on this subject but I would really like some advice on this. Is it frowned upon to ask your opponent to stop shuffling so much? Or is it possible to ask a judge for some sort of help. I do not ever see the point to shuffling your cards, especially the ones that are already in your hand. Please feel free to post your comments below.

 

[TheLunaticHypno]

I see where you are coming from, but if they are a bit suspicious they could think you are cheating by asking them to stop shuffling. When someone like this is my opponent (which doesn't happen too often) I usually just plow through through the match. It even gives me the motivation to beat them even more. They are just trying to play the best that they can. But if someone is being OVERLY obnoxious, almost on purpose just ask them not to be such a douche nozzle

 

[Serperior]

I like to shuffle the cards in my hand sometimes just because it gives my hands something to do cuz you're nervous. I know in games like YGO, when you can respond to card activations this is generally common, but in Pokémon...it's kinda pointless lol. Sometimes when I pass my turn I just set my cards on the table and wait for my opponent's turn to end because you can't do anything lol.

 

[Micajah]

Sometimes I and many other people shuffle our hands around, simply to give them something to do. It is very effective. And the discard pile thing, it so they can check, "How many of these cards have You/I used?"

 

[Asclepius24]

I very much appreciate your avatar

I'm with you on the hand shuffling. I think for many players it's a nerves thing. What bothers me the most isn't the shuffling as much as the players who seem to go out of their way to "snap" their cards while doing it. I'd be bothered even if I were playing next to a player doing that.

I think it would be reasonable to ask politely if they would stop if it's really bothering you, but there isn't anything in the rules that says they can't shuffle their hand. It would be more of a friendly, Spirit of the Game type of request than anything else.

The discard pile searching is to see how many copies of certain cards have been played and is an important part of high-level play. I often use my opponent's turn to search through discard piles to help keep the game moving along. If someone is searching excessively and taking up a lot of time doing so it becomes a stalling/gamesmanship issue and that is a rules issue worth calling a judge to handle. But generally searching is something to get used to your opponents doing and to learn how to do effectively yourself

 

[Elbow]

Is it annoying for an opponent to check discard piles once/twice? I really don't think so unless if it in intentionally stalling. Mid/Late game, each card counts, and making sure you know what is in your own and your opponent's discard pile is crucial to what you plan to do. For example, if I am playing Seismitoad, I have to make sure I am knowing my opponent's count of Team Flare Grunts/Xerosic game 1 so that in Game 2/3 I am more careful about discarding resources and such. I think that yea, hand shuffling can be annoying, but recognizing that if a player is doing that he's either nervous or thinking about the next turn and not yours is a good thing. Searching discard should not be seen as annoying as it is important to knowing how to play down a hand.

 

[Camoclone]

I shuffle my cards because it helps me think. When I was new to the game I didn't do it. A good friend of mine (who is an extremely talented player) did it religiously and somehow it shaved off onto me. I now do it constantly. It seems to be common for TCGs so you should probably get used to it.

Checking the discard pile / hand sizes / deck sizes is something that is very important for high level play. Try not to see it as annoying. What you should find annoying is when it takes an excessive amount of time or when they are using it to stall. If you suspect that they are stalling or not keep up the pace of play it is your responsibility to deal with it no matter how uneasy that may make you. Ask them politely to speed up the first time. The second time they do it call a judge.