The Best Way to Prepare for Battle Roads!

[PumpedAaron]

Yo Pokébeach! I need to know what's the best way to prepare for TCG Battle Roads! I want you to expose everything from Deck builidng, to places to practice, to preparing your body to endure the physical environment at BR, as well as to ensure you arrive early enough to register, how to maintain good concentration, how to avoid penalties, and everything in between.

I highly encourage any TCG veterans/experts to show their knowledge. Please enlighten me.

 

[Glace]

http://www.pokebeach.com/forums/thread-glaceon-s-guide-to-playing-well--103632

slightly dated.

 

[Blah]

Deckbuilding: It's hard to give general deck advice, but two things to note are that consistency is a big deal and that you should make an attempt to predict your meta. Inconsistent decks won't win tournaments, and predicting your meta can give you an edge on what deck to play and what techs you should use (if any, again, remember consistency > techs in most situations).

Places to practice: I can't help you much here, there are tons of great ways to practice. Just make sure to do a lot of playtesting ahead of time and be familiar with your deck and how it plays.

Environment: I'm not sure what you mean....

Arriving: I get to tournaments 20-30 minutes before registration because I like to playtest with friends, but I would highly suggest being there at least 10 minutes early even if you don't want to do that. You'd rather be relaxed and not be rushed when you get there. Printing out a decklist beforehand saves a ton of time also.

Concentration: Just put your mind in complete focus of the game. Ignore all outside sounds, noises, and distractions (unless it's a judge) and simply focus on what is going on and your best plan to win. Listening to music beforehand or doing something else to relax also helps.

Penalties: Just follow the rules, and if you're unsure of something, always ask a judge. You'd rather be safe than sorry. Remember to not mess up silly things like forgetting prize cards or showing your hand after whiffing basics.

 

[Serperior]

Blah hit on a lot of these, but I can't stress the following enough:

1. Get sleep. You're jittery and excited and whatnot and you want to be well rested so you don't feel like Frankenstein at your tournament. It calls for fewer misplays and a more enjoyable experience.

2. Relax. Have fun. Don't let losing take away from the experience, and enjoy yourself. This is Pokémon. Not a college sport.

3. PREPARE. Testtesttest your deck on PlayTCG, PTCGO, I don't care. Test for consistency. It'll bring you wins. Fo real.

 

[blargh257]

Build a deck.
That is all.
...

OK, really just find a deck that works for you, print out a decklist of it beforehand, and remember to sleep, eat breakfast, pack things, etc.

 

[dmaster]

I actually really dislike excessive testing for these kinds of tournaments (at least Battle Roads). Obviously testing is good, but I think more than a couple games if you're already familiar with the deck previously is more than fine. The points and prizes are abysmally small, so really there's no reason to stress yourself out over nothing. Losing one Round most likely knocks you out to win the Tournament (unless flukey things happen like there's no undefeated) so deck consistency is valuable over anything else.

Concentration has always been an issue for me at least because most tournaments are during the school year and my mind is usually bouncing from one environment to the other (school last Friday oh yay now a Tournament tomorrow). It's just hard to balance in my head. These Battle Roads, Nationals, and sometimes Worlds allows you to completely free up some space so you can solely focus on the game and what you've set out to do. In that regard, these kinds of Tournaments are extremely important for simple morale boost throughout it.

dmaster out.