This thread will have the pairings for each round, as well as important notes for all players. All players are responsible for checking this thread at the start of every round; ignorance of the contents of this thread is not an excuse for not following any instructions found herein.
You can "Watch" this thread in order to receive notifications whenever a post is made here, but failing to receive a notification is no excuse for knowing when the round begins or ends. The calendar is posted in several places, including in the first round pairings post.
Do not post in this thread. Any results posted in this thread will not be honored, and all questions ignored.
Welcome, friends, both old and new. I am PMJ. I am the organizer of this tournament. If you have any questions, your first course of action should be to help yourself by reading this thread, because I promise you most of what you want to know can be found here. If the answer isn't here, it's in the news story. If it's not there, then you may ask me; be warned, however, that if the answer to your question can be found in one of the aforementioned locations, I will direct you there rather than answer your question directly. I may also choose to ask you a question in reply to help you find the answer yourself.
Basically, don't be lazy.
Again - read this entire post, especially if you're new. You'd be surprised what you can learn by taking the time to help yourself.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Every month I get questions that could be answered by reading the news story. Since no one listens to me, I've compiled a tl;dr version in this post. You should still read the news story, since this FAQ does not aim to answer every question, but it should answer the more common ones. If you ask me a question that is found in the FAQ, I will get upset, and you won't like my response.
To ensure you are apprised of all relevant updates, please make sure to "Watch" this thread. You will (should) receive notifications every time a post is made. Alternatively, you can "Follow" me personally so you can be notified every time I post (I think that's how it works?).
That said, not receiving a notification is no excuse for not manually checking this thread at the start of every round.
1. When and where can I submit my list?
When: I accept submissions any time after the first round starts. Where: in a new private message to me.
2. Is a private message the same thing as a conversation?
Yes.
3. Am I allowed to re-submit my list once I send it to you?
As long as you haven't done your match, yes. If you tell me you want to change your mind, I will ignore your submitted list and it will be as if you sent me nothing, so please don't forget to re-submit.
4. Am I allowed to switch card art (i.e. switching to a full art Professor Sycamore instead of a regular art)?
Yes.
5. I sent you my deck, but you didn't approve it.
Give it time. As long as you have submitted before the end of the round, you will be approved with no penalty, even if I approve it after the round is over. That said, if you submit incorrectly, you will get a warning if the deadline has passed, so read the rest of this post to figure out how to submit properly so this does not happen. Please do not post on my wall or send me additional PMs saying that you sent me your list in. I know you sent it. I got your PM. Just be patient, please.
6. Where do I post results?
Do not submit your results privately. Post them in this thread, nowhere else. Posting results anywhere else will not count, so please pay attention where you're posting.
7. Do I still need to post in the thread if my opponent doesn't show up?
If your match is decided by me, you do not need to post the results.
8. How long do I need to be a premium member in order to be eligible for premium-level prizes?
Your subscription must be active for the duration of the entire tournament.
9. My opponent dropped/forfeited the round. What do I do?
Post in the thread stating same. If your opponent drops and you don't post saying so, you will get a loss for the round. If they post in the thread saying they drop, you do not need to post about it.
10. What does "overflow" mean? Do I need to send you my list?
Overflow means you submitted a proper registration post, but were unable to play due to the player limit being reached. If you are on this list, you will have priority access in next month's tournament as long as either you mention it in your signup post, or I happen to notice you were on the list. You will not be playing in this month's tournament, so you do not need to send me your list.
11. I don't see myself on the pairings list. Why not?
There is an odd number of players. If you aren't dropped and aren't on the current round's pairing list, you have a bye and do not need to do anything for this round. Enjoy your break.
12. I won prizes! What do I need to do?
You wait. Either I, Machamp the Champion, or Camoclone will contact you at some point after your role in the tournament has ended with more information.
Got any suggestions for new questions? Drop me a line (don't post in this thread).
Bookmark this link. I typically enter scores after a round has ended in order to minimize attempts at influencing decisions to ID, since standings are updated in real time as I enter them into Challonge and gives players information they wouldn't otherwise have at an actual tournament. When you check your scores, please make sure the standings are correct; let me know immediately if they are not.
TOURNAMENT TIMETABLE
Here are all the deadlines for every round. I will post each round's deadline in the main thread as well as in each individual round's post in the pairings thread. If you aren't sure when the round ends, check! It's right here!
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.
You can submit your list to me any time before the deadline. You do not have to do your match first. If the deadline approaches and you and your opponent still haven't fought yet, I would suggest sending me your list so you can get it approved. If I don't approve your list by the deadline, it's okay as long as I receive it before the deadline. Outlined below is the very simple way that I accept lists. This is the only way I will accept your list. It's not hard to do, so the only way you can muck it up is if you haven't read this post.
TOURNAMENT CHANGES FOR DECEMBER
- I am not recording PTCGO usernames this month. The main purpose of asking for it was to ensure you actually have an account; it's not information that I as the organizer need, and most of you guys end up asking anyway. Consider this month a trial, and if the tournament goes to hell I'll just start recording them again in January. Making this change should make starting the tournament a little easier for me now, as well.
- Because I am not recording PTCGO usernames, I no longer have a reason to include the player list in this thread, so I removed it.
- Responsibility for gathering info from the top 16 falls on me now and I am going to try getting ahold of you sooner. The question in the FAQ has been updated accordingly
- I have tried making the interview with the winner slightly more personable instead of literally the same questions every month (check out October's victory thread to see what I mean). - Serperior is going to do better than 5-2 and actually cut this month
HOW TO PROPERLY SUBMIT YOUR DECK LIST
Have PTCGO copy your deck list to the clipboard, paste it in a new conversation to me (even if you competed last month), and hit send.
This is the only way I will accept your deck list, so pay attention. Here's a new image to help you out if you don't know what I'm talking about:
In the deck manager, clicking dis will copy your deck list to the clipboard. The program will even tell you it's done.
Now, in the conversation to me, right click and Paste, or hit CTRL + V to paste the contents. Make sure PTCGO approves of your list before you send it - if it's legal for them, that's a good sign.
If your client is not in English, you can translate your cards if you want, but you don't have to.
PAIRINGS
Below is the image that contains the pairings for round one. All names on this image are PokeBeach usernames; look for your PokeBeach username on this image and contact your opponent immediately. Tell them exactly when you can play; this saves both of you time and makes you look good in case I need to hand down an activity ruling.
Round 1 ends Thursday, December 7, at 11:59 PM EST. You have until that time to send me your list and get it approved. Do not assume that just because you sent it means it was approved. Be sure to get confirmation before you relax.
Don't forget you all promised to make 3 posts! We love to see people contributing to our community and doing their part to help it grow. Three posts is easily doable. Please do it. Or else.
Do not post match results in this thread. They won't count. Post them in the main thread only. They will count there.
I've been hearing a lot of excuses lately. Here's how much I care about your excuses: not at all. Why don't I care? Because when you signed up to play in this tournament, you agreed that you read the news story, which contains literally everything you need to know: round dates, penalties, procedures, everything.
And because you agreed that you read it, that gives me carte blanche to not care at all about your problems when those problems stem from a lack of effort on your part to play the tournament you signed up for.
Here's the thing: I don't have to remind you guys when each round ends because--get this--the calendar for the entire tournament in the news story. It has been there since signups went up and it will be there until the heat death of the universe. The pairings thread lays out options to get notified whenever a new round begins, but also disclaims that no matter what, you are responsible for getting your matches done. That means it is your responsibility to get online as soon as possible when the round starts, message your opponent, and get the ball rolling.
If that doesn't happen, guess whose fault it is? Yours. Be proactive and prove you deserve a spot in our tournaments. We typically have 10-20 overflow every single month, so there is no shortage of people who would love to have a shot at the real, actual prizes that most of you pay nothing for a shot at winning.
I'm not your babysitter and neither is your opponent. If you really want to play in these tournaments, prove it. Otherwise, you can drop; I really could not care less. You're not entitled, you're not special, and you will not be catered to. If you want to win big, then be like the dozens of other competitors and the hundreds who came before you, put some effort in, and work for it.
It's a lot simpler than I'm making it sound. All you have to do is try a little. Mark the dates on your own calendar if you have to, if it helps you remember; like the news story says, the tournament dates are set in stone barring something on PTCGO's end that is preventing people from playing. And if a delay does come up, it will be posted in the both the main thread and the pairings thread (which you should have bookmarked and checking daily anyway). But don't expect delays unless they're scheduled into the tournament.
As always, I appreciate those of you who get things done on time. Every PM I don't have to send saying "you guys missed deadline, have a warning" just saves me more time.
Now then. I've delayed (lol) the start of this round long enough. If you have any questions or concerns, you can submit them to me privately. Don't post in this thread. Round 3 ends Friday, December 15, at 11:59 PM EST.
This is the first time in recent memory that I've had to tie up and warn so many folks for missing their matches this far into a tournament. Did I strike a nerve? Oh well...
Friendly reminder to not say anything about your opponent's deck when you post the results; stick to the essentials, please. Had to remove some stuff from a couple posts.
Round 4 ends Tuesday, December 19, at 11:59 PM EST.
