Going to My First Regionals

Redstart

Redstart

Bird Keeper
Advanced Member
Member
Hi everyone!

I'm really new to the competitive Pokemon scene, though I've been into the franchise since I was very little-- I got Red Version as my birthday present in 1st grade!

The only TCG tourneys I've attended thus far have been VERY small-scale; we're talking 20 people, tops. I'm in the area for New England Regionals this weekend though, and finally got up the courage to register for it. I'm very excited, but also very nervous-- so I decided to post looking for some advice! Here's a list of things I'm stressing about:

  1. My card-handling skills: I'm not a very skilled shuffler and I don't do that fancy thing with my cards that you see in all the streams when a player is about to play a certain card (say, an energy) and deliberates by holding the card out facing him/her. I also can't do that fancy hand-flip-through thing that everyone seems to do between their turns! It's very intimidating. Is there a way I can learn my way around this stuff in time for the tourney?
  2. My deck: Admittedly, I will be playing an unpopular deck involving a certain item-locking amphibian. I've gotten some verbal abuse when playing on PTCGO, and I'm concerned about this happening in real life as well. How do I deal with this?
  3. New to the community: I don't know anybody who will be playing at Regionals. I don't have a group of people to playtest with, et cetera, and I don't know how to break into that competitive "bubble"! Luckily I am bringing a friend from my school down with me, but does anyone have any advice for making connection with other players?
Thanks so much for reading, and good luck to everyone!
 
1) I find it annoying when someone keeps flipping through their hand. As long as you are trying to shuffle properly you'll be fine.
2) If you receive any kind of abuse like that, raise your hand and ask for a judge. They will deal with it. Generally I've found people are very good though.
3) Everyone is at the event to have fun. People are generally willing to talk if you just ask.
 
  1. Don't worry about "fancy" card play. As long as you can fairly randomly shuffle, know what your own cards do, know what is in your deck, and can therefore play relatively confidently, then you should be good. Personally, I find the hand flipping thing annoying as hell and a waste of time. If you feel that it's intimidating or distracting just politely ask your opponent if they can stop.
  2. There's a big difference between an anonymous user on PTCGO and an in-person interaction. There's also a code of conduct for events that should head off most of that. If your opponent starts to get aggressive and you feel uncomfortable, call a judge. It's why they're around.
  3. Try trading with people, ask for PTCGO usernames for your opponents, and try to have a casual conversation with your opponent after the game.
 
Yeah, I wouldn't learn how to do the hand shuffling trick, its tacky and annoying and makes me feel like my opponent is super on edge and uncomfortable with the battle. Presenting yourself as calm and collected goes a long way in playing 2-3 games with a person in a round.

I haven't had an experience during a large tournament where players get verbally frustrated with how the round is going. During small league gatherings and on PTGCO absolutely people can be poor sports, but there is a code of conduct and the judges are there to enforce it and help you.

Players love meeting new people at large events, just gotta talk with them during your matches or inbetween rounds. You can make friends very quickly and everyone there tends to be pretty sociable.
 
1. As long you don't drop your deck or take too slow you should be fine.
2. Unpopular vs. Disliked is very different. Unpopular would be Donphan right now, despite its amazing synergy with current format cards. Disliked is, well, your deck because it totally locks out items/tools. If you get verbal abuse about your deck definitely call a judge because you should never be criticized for what deck you play. Also, PTCGO is much different then real life because online people can say whatever without getting in trouble whereas in real life if they play you its for something actually important.
3. My first regionals was also NE regionals 2 years ago and I barely knew many people at all there. Don't be discouraged though; making friends is really still why I play the TCG. Here are some examples on how to make friends at an event: Ask people to play a game! Make trades! Challenge people in the VG! Wear a funny shirt/hat!
Also, when you play people ask where they are from. Usually, you'll find some people nearby where you live and you'll find more to talk about.
 
1. Just know a basic shuffle and pile shuffle before each match. If you don't feel comfortable shuffling your deck, ask your opponent if they can for you. Fancy stuff is silly, I shuffle terribly and it's fine, Elbow can attest to this lol.

2. PTCGO/online simulators are just vents for salty people who can't figure out a way to beat something. Most people in the real life community are very nice and have great sportsmanship anyways, even though some games can be decided by "hax". Don't be discouraged if others feel upset after a match; they lost, it isn't unreasonable. Just don't be the guy who rubs it in. There may be an instance where people will get mad at you, it happens every now and then, so if you feel disturbed just tell a judge. Play what you want to play, don't let the haters bring you down.

3. This is honestly the easiest community to melt in to. Just be friendly, courteous, and enjoy your matches, and I'm sure you'll have a bunch of new friends by the end of the day. Talk to others about different strategies, stuff that peaks your interest in the new set, etc. At the end of the day, the thing that everyone can relate to is Pokemon and having fun! I wouldn't say there's a bubble, but a giant blob that envelops anyone who comes near it. The blob isn't malicious though, it's a very friendly blob.
That was a terrible comparison.

Hope this helps!
 
RogueChomp said:
1. Just know a basic shuffle and pile shuffle before each match. If you don't feel comfortable shuffling your deck, ask your opponent if they can for you. Fancy stuff is silly, I shuffle terribly and it's fine, Elbow can attest to this lol.
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err... I wouldn't do that unless you know them personally. I've seen opponents shuffle roughly or "accidentally" drop a card face up.[/QUOTE]
 
Ice said:
err... I wouldn't do that unless you know them personally. I've seen opponents shuffle roughly or "accidentally" drop a card face up.
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[/QUOTE]
Okay, I get that. I'm pretty sure you can ask a judge to, so do that instead I guess.
 
First of all, we should meet up if you want. I am attending the New England Regionals as well.

1) You honestly don't need to do the thing with the hand. I think people do it to help them think better. As long as your deck is being shuffled thoroughly, you will be good.
2) People will always be respectful of your deck. You could see some frustrated facial expressions, but in Pokemon, you shouldn't worry about verbal abuse.
3) The more tourneys you go to, the more people will talk to you and it is just a great community here in New England. If you want to test with me, I would be totally open to it. I love helping players. Hit me up on a private message if you want to test on PTCGO or want to meet up! :)
 
1. Fully randomize your deck. Before ever game of Pokemon TCG you play, shuffle your deck in piles of 7. Then riffle shuffle your deck 7 times, this is something you can simply youtube. dont try to be fancy, people wont praise you.
2. Toad is bae <3 I respect and both despise the deck, but people will only hate because they aren't smart enough to tech for it. Whos fault is it? your opponents. You get hate.
3. The more tournaments you go to, the more you will get used to. You will get to know the better the players the better you place in tournaments.
meet people, don't ignore people because they are a "scrub"

Also, NE regionals is always one of my favorite tournaments. This year I won't be going sadly, I remember two years ago I beat @Elbow at a regionals due to complete luck, NE to be exact. I'm from NYC and the NE crew (New Hampshire and MA) are my two favorite states. Just go and have fun! Socialize, and please make sure you're clean.
Nobody likes a smelly person.
 
  1. My card-handling skills: I'm not a very skilled shuffler and I don't do that fancy thing with my cards that you see in all the streams when a player is about to play a certain card (say, an energy) and deliberates by holding the card out facing him/her. I also can't do that fancy hand-flip-through thing that everyone seems to do between their turns! It's very intimidating. Is there a way I can learn my way around this stuff in time for the tourney?
Don't worry about it! You don't have to shuffle fancy or whatnot just to fit in. Practice and see what method of shuffling works best for you. If you're having a hard time riffle shuffling or bridge shuffling, just six pile your deck and put the stacks together. When I first started playing, I would simply take my deck, put it in two stacks, and push them into each other over and over. If you spend some time practicing in between rounds, you should be good to go in no time.
  1. My deck: Admittedly, I will be playing an unpopular deck involving a certain item-locking amphibian. I've gotten some verbal abuse when playing on PTCGO, and I'm concerned about this happening in real life as well. How do I deal with this?
Toad varients are probably going to be the most popular decks there believe it or not. People will likely not give you any crap in real life about it, because they're smart enough to know about the consequences (of which there are very few on PTCGO).
  1. New to the community: I don't know anybody who will be playing at Regionals. I don't have a group of people to playtest with, et cetera, and I don't know how to break into that competitive "bubble"! Luckily I am bringing a friend from my school down with me, but does anyone have any advice for making connection with other players?
Try to start a conversation with your opponent before rounds. Remain friendly with them, and ask them what their record is throughout the day. This way, they will know that you're actually interested in their progress throughout the tournament. Don't ask them so much that it becomes annoying, however. Once you're friends with a couple people, you'll sooner or later become friends with many more.

Any questions? Feel free to PM me and I'll answer any of them for you
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