Seniors Division @ states, ages?

drewdwn

drewdwn

The best players are from Oregon!
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My daughter is 9 and is very new to organized pokemon play. Our state tournemant is next weekend. Is this something I should take her to? She would get a big kick out of it, but I dont want to take her to something she wont love.

Also, as far as states goes, what is the age on the Seniors Division? Also, are there a lot of people 30+ (age) who play in these events? And is there any pre-req or do you just show up, sign up and play? Any help here is appreciated!
 
Juniors:
0-10

Seniors:
11-14

Masters:
15-up

I would definitely take her to it, tourneys are a blast, and it will be very fun for her to play the game with others, because a good chunk of juniors usually play w/ precon decks themselves so...lol.
 
I would try to make her like a Gengar deck,very easy to play and isn't too bad either(also I'm talking about the SF Gengar one as it is the simpler of the two gengar decks) so yeah just play and take her she'll have fun.
 
Or Machamp (from SF). It is probably the most basic deck around, and is good for a new player.

I would take your daughter to it if she wants to. If she wants to go, then she can go. If she doesn't like it, then don't take her next time. For the age division, she would be in the Junior division, where very basic decks are found. For 30+, that's the masters division, which I often times see a lot of players in that division.
 
^
By a lot we mean like a T8 cut at a CC(we had two of those in my state) and at states IDK where you're from but expect about a VERY high T8 Cut(about 80-90 people usually)
 
Seth1789110 said:
Juniors:
0-10

Seniors:
11-14

Masters:
15-up

I would definitely take her to it, tourneys are a blast, and it will be very fun for her to play the game with others, because a good chunk of juniors usually play w/ precon decks themselves so...lol.
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i would love to see a 0 year old playing pokemon haha.

also yeah i would take her, if she likes pokemon and doesnt cry when she loses (which might be a few if shes new) then she will have fun. also if she wins a game she'll be super happy
 
Thanks for the info. Im going to take her. Likely just give her a jumpluff deck with a shaymin (thankfulness).

But here is the other question. If enter it with her, because shes excited, really excited. But shes making me enter this contest with her! Im 30! Am I going to be the oldest person there?
 
elekid957 said:
i would love to see a 0 year old playing pokemon haha.

also yeah i would take her, if she likes pokemon and doesnt cry when she loses (which might be a few if shes new) then she will have fun. also if she wins a game she'll be super happy
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I wouldn't be surprised. There is a 3 y/o playing. Why not push it back a little?

Don't worry about it though. Try to keep her with kids of her own age. older kiddies can be a bad influence. ;P

Pre-req: POP ID (can be supplied)
Yes a buncha 30-40s play, but if you ignore them, they'll ignore you. :)

I'd say go for it, see what its like. You never know what'll happen. I can assure you she'll have a great time if she likes the game. If not, talk to the organizer and see what you can have changed to meet her needs (if its possible)
 
z-man said:
I wouldn't be surprised. There is a 3 y/o playing. Why not push it back a little?

Don't worry about it though. Try to keep her with kids of her own age. older kiddies can be a bad influence. ;P

Pre-req: POP ID (can be supplied)
Yes a buncha 30-40s play, but if you ignore them, they'll ignore you. :)

I'd say go for it, see what its like. You never know what'll happen. I can assure you she'll have a great time if she likes the game. If not, talk to the organizer and see what you can have changed to meet her needs (if its possible)
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Its set. We are going. Haha! Thanks for all of the info. Oh btw, A PoP ID, I can just get this there at the tournament for us both correct?
 
Muddy68 said:
Yes, all TOs carry extra ones for new players.
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most.

Glad I could help drew. If all else fails, you can leave early. No one ever thinks anything of it.
 
You guys have been such a great help. Last question I think... Is there anything I should bring besides our cards to play with? Do they supply dmg counters and coins? Or do I bring those too? If so, what is an acceptable dmg counter?
 
^You should bring a set of dice if you have them. People are often nice enough to lend you them, but you should bring them if you have some. If you use burn/poison, bring anything that looks like it could be a burn/poison marker (I used candy once... red and green candy).

Dice are used as coins... even-heads, odds-tails. Usually if you bring anything except dice, a nice pro will point it out and push you over some dice. Its just soooo much easier than anything else.
 
A lot of dads play because their kids do, just to be there with their kids, you know?

And also, they do not supply damage counters and stuff, so you should bring those. However, all those counters can be a pain, so I suggest buying a 36 set of small translucent die(the only legal kind) because you can use those as damage counters AND flip them for heads+tails. I cant remember the exact specifications, but they have to have dots on them, not digits, and so on and so forth. Tourneys are a blast. Also, Jumpluff is a great idea for a junior.
 
^Seth, don't mention the translucent dice being legal. They aren't legal if you use them for damage counters. You need a preset flipping dice that's clear and can be distinguished from your other ones (technically).

As for deck, don't worry about it. Just go to have fun. If losing causes that fun to diminish, I'd recommend asking a "pro". Best way to tell if you're going to get results from asking a pro is by asking a calmer person at the lower table numbers (1-10). I would recommend asking a senior... they seem to be more open to help and less busy with teams. The ones you should ask for help from usually have a softer tone of voice. Sorry for stareotypes, but I've found it to be rather true.
 
Advice from a PokeDad


Wow! Great advice from the members who have already posted!

I'd like to add my 2 cents, too. My son started playing 2 years ago and... that's about when I started playing in tournaments, too. Since then, we've both played in dozens of tournaments and really enjoy it. I liked it so much that I became a professor and now judge tournaments.

(Oh... I'm 41 and I have never been the oldest player at a tournament...)

My advice -

● Make sure your daughter understands that she is there to play and have fun. She will not necessarily win all of her games. (You would be surprised how many Juniors "melt down" after a loss)

● Make sure the deck is "legal". You sound knowledgeable, so this shouldn't be a problem. As a general rule, only cards from the "Diamond and Pearl" set and newer are allowed in tournements.

● Bring snacks and juice boxes. Nothing keeps meltdowns away like a little snackie between games.

● Sleeves... in our area, judges watch participants who have designs on their sleeves. They all must stay in the same direction in the deck. An easier way to go is solid colored sleeves. Or... no sleeves -- just make sure the cards don't have visible wear. Another random thought on sleeves... they can't be too shiny or have non-sanctioned graphics.

● You may want to consider filling out decklists for you and your daughter prior to arriving. There's "SteveP's" deck list on Pokebeach that I used for the first time yesterday... it's nice... real nice! ( http://pokebeach.com/tcg/deck-list )

● Dice/ damage counters / condition markers. Flipping coins is usually tough for Juniors... dice are better. According to the rules, dice with the following characteristics should be considered acceptable (paraphrased from POP Tournament Rules 9.1.09) -- 6-sides (a "cube" where each side has the same surface area), well-rounded corners, appropriate size so the result can be easily understood, numbers on opposite sides add up to "7", clearly distinguisable in size, color, or marking from dice being used as damage counters by either player, and finally, they must be transparent or translucent. (Dice used as randomizers should be different than dice used for damage counters -- in our area, that is not strictly enforced... it may be in your area...) Players should bring markers for Poison and Burned.

● State Tournaments are usually longer than some other tournaments... a good night's sleep the night before can help.

That's about all I can think of for now... please feel free to PM me if you think of anything I might be able to help with.

One last miscellaneous thought --- there are some PreRelease tournaments coming up in early May --- they're fun!

- H68
 
z-man said:
^Seth, don't mention the translucent dice being legal. They aren't legal if you use them for damage counters. You need a preset flipping dice that's clear and can be distinguished from your other ones (technically).

As for deck, don't worry about it. Just go to have fun. If losing causes that fun to diminish, I'd recommend asking a "pro". Best way to tell if you're going to get results from asking a pro is by asking a calmer person at the lower table numbers (1-10). I would recommend asking a senior... they seem to be more open to help and less busy with teams. The ones you should ask for help from usually have a softer tone of voice. Sorry for stareotypes, but I've found it to be rather true.
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Yes, yes they are. They sell dice in like a 36 pack of stuff, right? Well, if all of those are say clear with black dots, you can use those for damage counters AND for flipping. I have ok'd it with like 3 judges AND the TO on multiple occasions.
 
Seth1789110 said:
Yes, yes they are. They sell dice in like a 36 pack of stuff, right? Well, if all of those are say clear with black dots, you can use those for damage counters AND for flipping. I have ok'd it with like 3 judges AND the TO on multiple occasions.
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The official ruling is that the die you use for flipping and the dice you use for damage counters CANNOT be the same color set. You can use translucent die for both, but the flipping die must be colored differently from the damage counter dice.
 
Thanks for all the info everyone! So dice wise, standard white with black dot 6 sided dice can work for flipping and I need to find some type of translucent 6 sided dice for dmg counters? Then something red and green as far as markers go for burning and poisons? This should be easy to do at my local card store I assume.

@Hypno68

Thanks for the advice. I feel im very lucky to have a daughter who still smiles when she loses because she loves pokemon that much :) Sounds like im in the same boat you were in a few years ago. I love playing these games with my family. Myself, im an old school mtg player so its a given that my whole family plays pokemon. My daughter is fantastically excited about this weekend haha. Is there a lot of trading there? Should she bring her cards for trade?
 
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