Hey guys, Vulpix Yolk here. As you all know, Pokémon US Nationals is right around the corner. I'm sure all of you that are going to attend are very excited. I've been to Nationals the past two years that it has been at the Convention Center in Indianapolis, and top cut both times. I feel that I have a decent understanding of how Nationals works at this location. Unfortunately, I will not be attending Nationals this year. Since I can't attend, I figured that I'd try to give the PokéBeach community a couple tips so that they can have a good time and perform well at this year's Nationals. I hope that you find this tips useful.
Play Something You're Familiar With:
There are a lot of rounds at Nationals. You will be playing at least 9 games, with any luck more. You want to know how to play your deck. You should know your list and match ups inside out. Play something you are comfortable with. You don't want to be trying to learn how to play your deck in the middle of Swiss. The better you know your deck, the better you will perform.
Consistency is Key:
As mentioned above, there are a lot of rounds at Nationals. Usually 9 Swiss rounds, and a Top 128 Cut for Masters. The decks that win the tournament will be very consistent. The winners of the tournament will have played at least 20 games. A bad hand in any of those games can destroy your chances of winning, or making Top Cut. With this being said, try to recognize that your deck has bad match ups. Do not sacrifice consistency for various techs. Keep in mind that something like Heatmor is going to hurt you in every match up that isn't against Durant. One or two techs can be useful, but you don't want to lose multiple matches on dead hands because you over-teched for a deck you might see once.
Have Solid Match Ups Against the Most Popular Decks:
While you should play a deck that you are comfortable with, having a bad match up against a top-tiered popular deck is always a bad idea. Make sure that whatever deck you are playing can fair against the most popular decks in the format. For this year's US National Championships, it seems that Darkrai, Celebi and Eelektrik Variants are going to be the most popular decks. Make sure that you are playing a deck that has at least a 50 - 50 match up with the decks listed above. You will most likely see them several times throughout Swiss, and in Top Cut if you make it that far into the event.
Think Every Move Through:
I am still kicking myself for misplays that I made 2 years ago. It is easy to misplay at Nationals because of the levels of pressure that you will be experiencing. Try your best to think every move through. Look at every option you have. This should be a no-brainer; stay on top of your game. Focus, as a misplay against a good player can cost you the game.
Control Your Nerves:
This is something that can be very difficult for a lot of people. You rarely see great players get nervous. If you get nervous, you will rush yourself and play worse. Try to control your nerves, recognize that a round at Nationals is just a normal game of Pokémon. You can find a lot of good ways to control your nerves in this thread.
Don't Go Vendor Crazy:
The vendors at US Nationals are amazing. They have everything that you could ever want to purchase. I would recommend that you set up spending limits for yourself. You may not want to spend all of your money, or you may want it to last throughout the event. It is very easy to go through a lot of money at the vendors without noticing, so you have to be very cautious while spending your money. Try to control yourself so your money can last the whole 3 to 4 days you are there.
Don't Rely on the Vendors:
A lot of you reading this might not know exactly what you are playing yet. You might not have the cards for your deck yet. I would not recommend planning on buying cards for your deck from the vendors Thursday night. I can assure you that prices are going to be sky-high. It is nice to have a backup plan; try to borrow the cards from people that you know. If you do need to buy deck needs from the vendors, be prepared to pay 80 + dollars per Darkrai or Mewtwo. This being said, if you want legal cards that you won't be using in your tournament deck, buy them on Friday or Saturday. They will be cheaper by then. Keep in mind the vendors do run out of some items. This more a less pertains to booster packs however.
Selling:
You need to be cautious when selling your cards to the vendors. DO NOT destroy your collection by selling everything to the vendors. I've seen this happen many times before. People spend all of their money the first day or two, then sell their entire collection to the vendors, and blow the money they get on booster packs. Not a good idea! The vendor's buying prices are very low for the most part. It is not the vendor's fault if you accept a bad deal and sell your full art Tornadus EX for 5 dollars. Accepting a deal rests entirely on you.
Have a Plan When Selling:
Try to figure out what cards you want to sell to the vendors at Nationals. For instance, if you are sitting on 3 spare Mewtwo-EX, now would be the time to sell them because they are coming out in tins soon. Have a list of what you want to sell in your head. People pay top dollar for cards at Nationals. If you are going to sell to the vendors, do it as early as you can! From what I have seen, they offer the most money for cards at the end of pre-registration on Thursday. Last year, they were buying Yanmega Primes for 50 + dollars Thursday afternoon. On Friday morning, they were only offering around 30 dollars for Yanmegas. Sell early, and don't over sell!
Bring "Light" Food:
I've found that sometimes it is difficult to eat large meals when at a tournament the size of Nationals. Sometimes you can't stomach a large meal when you are nervous. This being said, you need to eat to stay on top of your game. I recommend packing small food items. Have some food on you while you are at the event. Things like granola bars, and various fruits make good, easy to eat, nutritious snacks.
BRING SOMETHING TO DRINK:
I cannot stress this enough. I'd say that this is the most important bit of information in this article. You need to stay hydrated. Bring water! Last year, I was in the Convention Center, under the bright florescent lighting for about 12 hours a day. Towards the end of the day Friday, I was really thirsty. When I went to look for something to drink, everything was in very small bottles, and VERY pricey. I couldn't find a drink for under 5 dollars. Food is another thing, you can buy good food for fairly cheap at the Convention Center if you are hungry, but from what I have seen, all of the drinks are very expensive. When I brought my own water the second day, I saw a drastic increase in my performance.
Pack a Light Jacket:
Indianapolis is not a very cold city this time of year. With this being said, sometimes a jacket can come in very handy. Last year, the AC was on very high in the Convention Center at the beginning of play on Saturday. I found myself shaking fairly hard from a combination of nerves and being slightly cold during Swiss. Being cold and nervous isn't a very fun combination. Simply putting on a light jacket or sweater can solve this issue. I doubt there will be a need to wear a jacket outside of the Convention Center, it is suppose to be very hot in Indy this weekend. Make sure you are prepared for warm weather as well.
Keep an Eye on Your Stuff:
People get robbed at Nationals every year. To be honest, I find it hard to believe that I haven't been robbed yet. I have made some very dumb mistakes involving leaving items on tables or counters. Keep an eye on your stuff at all times. DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING IMPORTANT UNATTENDED. Make sure that you aren't leaving anything behind after your matches, trips to vendors, or stops at various tables in the building. Keep an eye on your stuff even when you are playing at side events or trading. I'm fairly paranoid, so I like to put one of my legs through a strap on my backpack when I go to sit down. Just keep in mind that people do have their items stolen at Nationals, so try to be aware of your surroundings and keep an eye on your possessions.
Have a Good Time:
I know that this is the cheesiest thing to say, but there is a lot to it. Odds are, you aren't going to win Nationals. Don't get upset if you don't perform as well as you were hoping to. Remember that Pokémon is about having a good time. While Nationals is a very competitive tournament, you should have a good time during the course of the event. Try to meet some new people, play a lot of side events, buy some neat stuff and remember to have a blast! Good luck everyone!
Deck / Playing Tips:
Play Something You're Familiar With:
There are a lot of rounds at Nationals. You will be playing at least 9 games, with any luck more. You want to know how to play your deck. You should know your list and match ups inside out. Play something you are comfortable with. You don't want to be trying to learn how to play your deck in the middle of Swiss. The better you know your deck, the better you will perform.
Consistency is Key:
As mentioned above, there are a lot of rounds at Nationals. Usually 9 Swiss rounds, and a Top 128 Cut for Masters. The decks that win the tournament will be very consistent. The winners of the tournament will have played at least 20 games. A bad hand in any of those games can destroy your chances of winning, or making Top Cut. With this being said, try to recognize that your deck has bad match ups. Do not sacrifice consistency for various techs. Keep in mind that something like Heatmor is going to hurt you in every match up that isn't against Durant. One or two techs can be useful, but you don't want to lose multiple matches on dead hands because you over-teched for a deck you might see once.
Have Solid Match Ups Against the Most Popular Decks:
While you should play a deck that you are comfortable with, having a bad match up against a top-tiered popular deck is always a bad idea. Make sure that whatever deck you are playing can fair against the most popular decks in the format. For this year's US National Championships, it seems that Darkrai, Celebi and Eelektrik Variants are going to be the most popular decks. Make sure that you are playing a deck that has at least a 50 - 50 match up with the decks listed above. You will most likely see them several times throughout Swiss, and in Top Cut if you make it that far into the event.
Think Every Move Through:
I am still kicking myself for misplays that I made 2 years ago. It is easy to misplay at Nationals because of the levels of pressure that you will be experiencing. Try your best to think every move through. Look at every option you have. This should be a no-brainer; stay on top of your game. Focus, as a misplay against a good player can cost you the game.
Control Your Nerves:
This is something that can be very difficult for a lot of people. You rarely see great players get nervous. If you get nervous, you will rush yourself and play worse. Try to control your nerves, recognize that a round at Nationals is just a normal game of Pokémon. You can find a lot of good ways to control your nerves in this thread.
Vendors
Don't Go Vendor Crazy:
The vendors at US Nationals are amazing. They have everything that you could ever want to purchase. I would recommend that you set up spending limits for yourself. You may not want to spend all of your money, or you may want it to last throughout the event. It is very easy to go through a lot of money at the vendors without noticing, so you have to be very cautious while spending your money. Try to control yourself so your money can last the whole 3 to 4 days you are there.
Don't Rely on the Vendors:
A lot of you reading this might not know exactly what you are playing yet. You might not have the cards for your deck yet. I would not recommend planning on buying cards for your deck from the vendors Thursday night. I can assure you that prices are going to be sky-high. It is nice to have a backup plan; try to borrow the cards from people that you know. If you do need to buy deck needs from the vendors, be prepared to pay 80 + dollars per Darkrai or Mewtwo. This being said, if you want legal cards that you won't be using in your tournament deck, buy them on Friday or Saturday. They will be cheaper by then. Keep in mind the vendors do run out of some items. This more a less pertains to booster packs however.
Selling:
You need to be cautious when selling your cards to the vendors. DO NOT destroy your collection by selling everything to the vendors. I've seen this happen many times before. People spend all of their money the first day or two, then sell their entire collection to the vendors, and blow the money they get on booster packs. Not a good idea! The vendor's buying prices are very low for the most part. It is not the vendor's fault if you accept a bad deal and sell your full art Tornadus EX for 5 dollars. Accepting a deal rests entirely on you.
Have a Plan When Selling:
Try to figure out what cards you want to sell to the vendors at Nationals. For instance, if you are sitting on 3 spare Mewtwo-EX, now would be the time to sell them because they are coming out in tins soon. Have a list of what you want to sell in your head. People pay top dollar for cards at Nationals. If you are going to sell to the vendors, do it as early as you can! From what I have seen, they offer the most money for cards at the end of pre-registration on Thursday. Last year, they were buying Yanmega Primes for 50 + dollars Thursday afternoon. On Friday morning, they were only offering around 30 dollars for Yanmegas. Sell early, and don't over sell!
Mental Preparation and Miscellaneous Tips
Bring "Light" Food:
I've found that sometimes it is difficult to eat large meals when at a tournament the size of Nationals. Sometimes you can't stomach a large meal when you are nervous. This being said, you need to eat to stay on top of your game. I recommend packing small food items. Have some food on you while you are at the event. Things like granola bars, and various fruits make good, easy to eat, nutritious snacks.
BRING SOMETHING TO DRINK:
I cannot stress this enough. I'd say that this is the most important bit of information in this article. You need to stay hydrated. Bring water! Last year, I was in the Convention Center, under the bright florescent lighting for about 12 hours a day. Towards the end of the day Friday, I was really thirsty. When I went to look for something to drink, everything was in very small bottles, and VERY pricey. I couldn't find a drink for under 5 dollars. Food is another thing, you can buy good food for fairly cheap at the Convention Center if you are hungry, but from what I have seen, all of the drinks are very expensive. When I brought my own water the second day, I saw a drastic increase in my performance.
Pack a Light Jacket:
Indianapolis is not a very cold city this time of year. With this being said, sometimes a jacket can come in very handy. Last year, the AC was on very high in the Convention Center at the beginning of play on Saturday. I found myself shaking fairly hard from a combination of nerves and being slightly cold during Swiss. Being cold and nervous isn't a very fun combination. Simply putting on a light jacket or sweater can solve this issue. I doubt there will be a need to wear a jacket outside of the Convention Center, it is suppose to be very hot in Indy this weekend. Make sure you are prepared for warm weather as well.
Keep an Eye on Your Stuff:
People get robbed at Nationals every year. To be honest, I find it hard to believe that I haven't been robbed yet. I have made some very dumb mistakes involving leaving items on tables or counters. Keep an eye on your stuff at all times. DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING IMPORTANT UNATTENDED. Make sure that you aren't leaving anything behind after your matches, trips to vendors, or stops at various tables in the building. Keep an eye on your stuff even when you are playing at side events or trading. I'm fairly paranoid, so I like to put one of my legs through a strap on my backpack when I go to sit down. Just keep in mind that people do have their items stolen at Nationals, so try to be aware of your surroundings and keep an eye on your possessions.
Have a Good Time:
I know that this is the cheesiest thing to say, but there is a lot to it. Odds are, you aren't going to win Nationals. Don't get upset if you don't perform as well as you were hoping to. Remember that Pokémon is about having a good time. While Nationals is a very competitive tournament, you should have a good time during the course of the event. Try to meet some new people, play a lot of side events, buy some neat stuff and remember to have a blast! Good luck everyone!
